Is America a Christian Nation?

President Obama created a stir a few weeks ago when he said the following during a speech in Turkey, "...although as I mentioned, we have a very large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation; we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."

Faith has undoubtedly played a large role in the life of our nation. Many of the Founding Fathers were Christians. Others were deists, notably Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin (and Geo. Washington?), or indifferent "Christians" who were inspired by the Enlightenment. But I believe that the relevant question is not whether the United States was founded on Christian principles, but whether, "Are we today a Christian nation?"

Let's ignore the rhetoric and examine some facts:

• 40% of births in the US are out-of-wedlock;
  
• We (as a nation) have butchered 1 million unborn babies a year since Roe v. Wade in 1973;
  
• 1 in every 100 American adults is in either jail or prison. The U.S incarcerates more people than any other nation and is also the leader in inmates per capita;
  
• Between 40-50% of marriages end in divorce;
  
• The government's enhanced interrogation (i.e., torture) policy is supported most enthusiastically by evangelical "Christians";
  
• Pornography is now mainstream;
  
• Only 45% of Americans attend religious services weekly; and
• The definition of marriage as the union of a man and woman is being challenged.

According to Jesus, "You will know them by their fruits." (Matt. 7:16)

And of those Americans who identify as Christians, a recent Barna Group poll indicates that professing Christians either do not understand or agree with basic historical tenets of Christianity. Barna recently (4/13/09) released its survey of the beliefs of self-described Christians.

Here is a sample of the poll results:

• "More than one-fifth (22%) strongly agreed that Jesus Christ sinned when He lived on earth, with an additional 17% agreeing somewhat";
• "A slight majority of Christians (55%) strongly agree that the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches, with another 18% agreeing somewhat";
• "...three-quarters (78%) said he (God) is the “all-powerful, all-knowing Creator of the universe who rules the world today";
• Four out of ten Christians (40%) strongly agreed that Satan “is not a living being but is a symbol of evil.” An additional two out of ten Christians (19%) said they “agree somewhat” with that perspective";
• "Much like their perceptions of Satan, most Christians do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a living force, either. Overall, 38% strongly agreed and 20% agreed somewhat that the Holy Spirit is “a symbol of God’s power or presence but is not a living entity.”

And these are the beliefs of people who profess to be Christians.

Based on the above, I believe that America is most accurately described as a 'post-Christian' nation. The religion of the majority of Americans is consumerism (def. "the equation of personal happiness with consumption and the purchase of material possessions") and the god that they worship is their "stuff".

Do you know Ron Paul?

Ron Paul's 2010 Republican primary challenger has a website named Do You Know Ron Paul? As if Ron Paul has a hidden agenda. I assume that Paul's opponent takes the opposing view to each of the items in the list of "what Ron Paul really stands for." Here is a sample of what Dr. Paul "really stands for":

• "Wants to get rid of the Federal Reserve and return to the Gold Standard."
  
• "Wants to get rid of the Department of Education." So did Ronald Reagan; this was actually in the GOP platform as late as 1996. (BTW - the Dept. of Ed. is only one of several US Gov't Departments that Ron Paul wants to get rid of)
• "Wants to get rid of the IRS." I wager that opposition to this will garner Mr. Cherry lots of support.
  
• "Wants to bring home all troops from Iraq immediately and shut down U.S military bases worldwide."What? Ron Paul is against the Iraq War?
  
• "Wants to cut off all foreign aid to all countries."
  
• "Wants to pull us out of the World Trade Organization, World Bank and International Monetary Fund." Apparently Mr. Cherry is a proponent of the New World Order

And Mr. Cherry apparently thinks that constituents of Texas's 14th Congressional District are a bunch of morons. After all, Dr. Paul has made no secret of what he stands for. His views are well known and documented (especially following the '08 presidential campaign) and District 14 has elected Paul to his House seat seven times (including 2008 when Paul won 70% of the vote in a primary challenge).

Will the voters of District 14 again "say yes to the Constitution and freedom" or settle for an establishment tool wannabe?

Pay no attention to the dead bodies

I've lately heard several of the GOP mouthpieces on the radio (both national and local) dismiss the recent torture controversy; saying that none of the government's "enhanced interrogation techniques" were indeed torture. Limbaugh slapped himself to simulate "torture" and Hannity has offered to be waterboarded for charity (I wager he wouldn't last 30 seconds). As opposed to defenders of torture (who are at least intellectually honest), El Rushbo and Co. argue that no detainees have even been tortured.

Well, there have been 38 suspected or confirmed homicides of detainees in US custody; and that is according to the US military. I assume that most reasonable people would define abuse that results in death as torture.

According to Jason Leopold's April 30 article at The Public Record: "Dilawar was chained by his wrists to the ceiling of his cell for four days and brutally beaten by Army interrogators on his legs for hours on end to the point where he could no longer bend them. He died on Dec. 10, 2002.

Lt. Col. Elizabeth Rouse, an Air Force medical examiner who performed an autopsy on Dilawar, said Dilawar’s leg was pummeled so badly that the” tissue was falling apart and had basically been pulpified."

“Had Dilawar lived,” Rouse told Army investigators in sworn testimony, "I believe the injury to the legs are so extensive that it would have required amputation. I've seen similar injuries in an individual run over by a bus.""

Sounds like torture to me.

Some folks will argue, "Do whatever will keep us safe." But the instance noted above was hardly a 'Jack Bauer-type' life or death situation. In fact, "The U.S. Military never produced any evidence to prove that either Habibullah or Dilawar had connections to the Taliban or al-Qaeda.

In fact, as the New York Times reported, when Dilawar had died, “most of the interrogators had believed Mr. Dilawar was an innocent man who simply drove his taxi past the American base at the wrong time.”