As President, [Barack] Obama is not obliged to embrace Christianity on behalf of the country. Saying "we are not a Christian nation" publicly however, speaks clearly to his political naivite. The comment will come back to bite him in the near future.
As to whether his statement was accurate; possibly. We are less a Christian nation than a nation founded by Christians. The argument that our core is in 'Judeo-Christian' values diminishes by the day as more and more Christians in name only abdicate their responsibility to those values.
As our leaders promote an "anything goes" agenda and the bleating sheep follow, Christianity does not seem to be faring well in its role as the stop-gap to a morally bankrupt society.
The question of course was "is America a Christian nation?" and cited O'bama's recent remarks during a press availability conference in Turkey on April 6th. The remainder of this post is intended to explain my position as a matter of record.
"ObamaNation". Not intending to be disrepectful (though seeing it as such won't bother me) clearly defines the President's efforts thus far in his first '100 days'. Loosely used phrases in the media like 'fascism', 'Marxism', and 'socialism' seem a bit trite and at least overused, so it is fitting that we label the new administrations worldview uniquely and appropriately; a shameful obamanation.
Obama's trampling of Christian values, his clear and purposeful attempts to re-write the documents of our founding fathers, and his flagrant denial of public opinion in policy matters and financial irresponsibility are in fact an obamanation to everything America stands for. Yet, he continues to build a new America in much the same fashion as putting a personal picture of "Spaghetti Jimmy" or a half-nude santa on his new Capital One credit card. In fact, that's what Obama needs; a Capital One cc with his iconic persona superimposed over a backdrop of the Lincoln Memorial; "Perfect!"
Are we then, a Christian Nation? In my view yes, but with a qualified look to the not so distant future:
"The proportion of the [American] population that can be classified as Christian has declined from 86% in 1990 to 77% in 2001." Aris study, http://www.religioustolerance.org/
Though it is reasonable to suggest that the percentage has dropped even further since 2001, let's use this widely accepted statistic as a basis for answering the question since there are no recent studies that have as much validity.
77% certainly qualifies as a majority so it is easily said that we are indeed a Christian nation. Add these statistics from the Barna Group (http://www.barna.org/) however, and the picture becomes more grey:
- Four out of ten Christians (40%) strongly agreed that Satan “is not a living being but is a symbol of evil.”
- A slight majority of Christians (55%) strongly agree that the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches...
- 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.”
There is no such person as Satan, the Holy Spirit is not a person, and the Bible is only mostly reliable. So say a large number of professed Christians. If we are indeed a Christian nation, how has the apple fallen so far from tree on these basic tenets of our faith and values? Moreover, where are we likely headed with such a fallacious and logically unsound understanding of what following Christ really means?
Obama, in this sense, may be more correct than we want to admit. America may not be the Christian nation we want to call ourselves. What however, about our Christian roots? Was America founded on or in Christianity? Clearly; yes.
Many do not know that there were actually 204 "signers" of major documents which established our country of whom 197 were deeply comitted Christians www.adherents.com. Many in fact were preachers of sons of preachers. It is therefore reasonable to say that America was founded with Christian principles and tenets at the forefront.
Obama in this sense is getting it completely wrong. Though he seems to want to move us from our religious affiliations and make us a more homogeneous society, he has sadly missed the fact that America is a nation founded in Christianity.
Here is the problem Obama has that he yet does not see; it is not the nature of a person who has strayed from his roots, to forget those roots. America is indeed slipping away from Christian ethics but will not suddenly walk away from the history that established them in the first place.
Our presidents misguided and arrogant thinking seems to tell him that he can remove the cornerstones of our foundation without damaging its structure. It seems clear that Obama's worldview includes absolute tolerance, government by mandate, and restriction of individual liberties for the common good. What happens though, when he makes a final tug at the stone that holds it all together?
Our new administration's efforts to remove religion from the public square, to redistribute wealth, and to silence our society's Christian majority must fail. If they do not, Obama's final tug will lead to the crashing down of our great society. Historically however, it has happened before. A cursory read of the stories of Nehamiah, Jericho, the great Biblical battles with Babylon and Assyria, and the rule of notables from Caesar and Herod to Stalin and Mussolini tell the tales of failed arrogance.
While it is doubtful that Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Frank. et al, will be remembered as prominently in history to come, their foolishness will certainly mature to fruition. There will be damage, but there will also be the inevitable rebuilding of a great nation. How much damage?; no more than our Christian core will tolerate before it wakes up and returns to its foundational roots.
I believe that we are yet a Christian nation. I believe that God placed in all of us the inescapable desire to return to that which is good and right, but I also believe that our Christianity is fully asleep with a belly fat from excess.
G.K. Chesterton said that "meaninglessness does not come from being weary of pain; meaninglessness comes from being weary of pleasure". Nowhere in history to date will he be proven more correct than now. As America wanders away from God and Christianity in search of more pleasurable and less restrictive pursuits, the nature of greedy government is to let it. More than that, it behooves government to promote such distance for the sake of its desire for control.
Obama will not find the prominent place in history that he wants unless God is moved out of his way. He has soon to learn though, that the sheep will only wander so far before they realize there is no place more restful than under the watch of their shepherd; and he is not Him.
Of course, as always, that's just what I think.
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