Jackson Free Press

If I hear one more time, "The United States is a Christian nation," I'm going to puke. We are not a Christian nation and, as a Christian, I pray we never become one. I do not fear an overt attempt at institutionalizing Christianity as the official state religion. Such an effort would get less support than the Ten Commandments at the Alabama Supreme Court.

What I fear is a de facto institutionalization of a particular brand of Christianity. That is, the forces of light and reason, defined by the majority, pursue noble moral purpose, and everyone else is thought to be misguided at best and evil at worst. Can't happen? Read on.

In the recent election, many Bush supporters listed morality as their main issue. These voters are believed to be opposed to gay marriage and abortion and are often called Christian evangelicals.

Those who supported Sen. Kerry contended that jobs and the war in Iraq motivated them to go to the polls. In truth, many of these people are also committed Christians who see jobs as economic justice and the war in Iraq as an issue of peace.

Each side contends the other is evil, unjust, misguided and mean-spirited. Further, each side was prepared to claim, in victory, the triumph of good over evil. This "theology of the majority" is dangerous and has precedence in history.

In 1553, John Calvin is reported to have instigated the burning-at-the-stake of the heretic Michael Servetus. Servetus's heresy was that he did not believe in a Trinitarian god. Shortly thereafter, many of Calvin's most ardent followers realized that in "reforming the church," reform could go too far. The result of the Protestant reform movement run amuck was an intolerance of free thought that rivaled the Roman Catholic's Spanish Inquisition and was antithetical to the political liberal movement of the enlightenment.

Once we decide who is the right kind of Christian, it is an easy step to believe in our own collective goodness. This is where the Christian nation idea comes in. We have been chosen by God to impose our view of humanity on the rest of the world. We are superior, not just militarily and economically, but morally. Thus, when our enemies suffer human collateral damage, it is justified because we are doing God's will.

Once again, the history of the Christian church provides ample warning. That we are not to trust our own goodness was expounded by St. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin and the early 20th century theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr, among others. It is time we are reminded again.

A more blatant attempt at institutionalizing religion and weakening it at the same time is the faith-based initiative. Government money is to be dispensed to faith-based charities to be distributed to the poor. Has anyone ever seen federal money come with no strings attached? Will Catholic Charities be forced to fund abortions, for example?

At the same time, administrators of faith-based charities will become dependent on the government's money and, in order to maintain that money, will become lobbyists, exercising power over the legislative bodies that fund them. This alone should trouble all people of faith, whether Christian or not.

Finally, we need to understand that God is not an American citizen. God is the God of Iran, North Korea and Cuba—even if they fail to acknowledge God's existence. Only supreme arrogance would have us believe that God is on our side. Thomas Jefferson understood this when he noted the need for a wall between church and state. Collective righteousness leads to collective tyranny. Just ask Servetus.

Dr. Lawrence Silver is a professor of marketing at Mississippi College.

Previous Comments

ID

69455

Comment

I have a supply of anti-emetics I could share with you - you probably need 'em by now.

Author

kate

Date

2004-11-11T18:48:41-06:00