The soft bigotry of religion in America

[flamin lib]

Contrary to the ranting of some, the founding fathers were not Christian. In fact George Washington was as close to Christian as any of them and he was a non-practicing Episcopalian. To be sure they had a reverence for God in one form or another but they steadfastly avoided involving Him directly in government, going so far as to ensconce the separation of church and state in Article IV of the constitution and again in the First Amendment.

Thomas Paine, among the most prolific writers of our founding fathers, wrote in Age of Reason: "I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy.
. . .
I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church.

All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit."

Who would have guessed that Paine would foretell modern televangelism?

In 1825 John Quincy Adams, a Unitarian, was sworn in as President with a legal brief in his hand and in 1901 Teddy Roosevelt was sworn in with nothing at all in his hands.

In the mid 1950s that began to change. In 1954, as a response to Communism and Senator Joe McCarthy’s great red scare, the words “under God” were inserted in the Pledge of Allegiance. Just a few years later, in 1957, Congress changed the national motto from “E Pluribus Unum” (Out of Many, One) to “In God We Trust” and the motto was placed on paper currency. That same year “So help me God” was added to Federal oaths. This God that federal officers were swearing with couldn’t possibly be a Christian God because the Bible clearly forbids swearing oaths; Mattew 5:33-37 and James 5:12.

God was now firmly ensconced in our Government, but it was just God, the generic God, not Jesus or Yehweh. Unfortunately it wasn’t to stay that way. When John F. Kennedy ran for office in 1960 the question was raised, can a Catholic be trusted to run the United States? It was no longer a question of God, but who’s God and the largest Christian denomination in America wasn’t Christian enough to escape suspicion.

Forty-seven years later things have escalated. Al Gore caused a stir when he chose Joe Liberman, a Jew, for vice President. Let’s not forget the flap over Keith Ellison (D MN), a Muslim, using the Quoran in his ceremonial swearing in. Radio talk show hosts, Christian leaders and fellow representatives denounced the introduction of any religious text other than the Bible into the halls of American Government.

It gets worse. Having decided that only the Christian God is appropriate the argument now is how Christian one must be to run for office. Can Romney be President if he’s a Mormon? You would think that with his own faith being assaulted Mitt would have sympathy for others but when asked if he would consider a Muslim for his cabinet Romney said he would not because Islam isn’t a main-stream religion in the United States. That’s odd considering that Mormons are only 1.3% of the population.

Where does “main-stream” kick in? Is it 1.2% like the Church of Christ or Jehova’s witness at .6%? Judaism at .4%? If so Mitt’s staring Islam in the face at .4%. Do we have to climb all the way up to Methodist at 7% of the population to get “main stream”? Apparently even that isn’t enough for some. Many fundamentalists, predominately Baptists (16%), believe that only they know the true God. It appears that main-stream is a very personal measure.

The United States is the most religious of western countries. Some statistics claim that 99.6% of people in the United States believe in some form of God. Eighty five percent are Christians in one form or another. Only .4% will actually say aloud that they do not believe in God in any form. Five states, Texas included, forbid holding elected office without a profession of belief. Only the most radically fundamental Middle Eastern Muslim states come anywhere close to that level of belief.

The current President of the United States claims not only to talk to God but to get direct instruction from Him. Federal tax receipts are being used to fund faith-based initiatives. Those very same religious institutions that receive tax dollars are exempt from paying taxes. Tax-exempt non-profits are allowed to discriminate on religious grounds, i.e. the Boy Scouts of America discriminate against agnostics and atheists. The Supreme Court has ruled that a religious institution may discriminate in hiring on the basis of not just religion but of denomination. Yet prominent Christian leaders like Pat Robertson, the late Jerry Falwell and James Dobson say their Christian values are under attack. Every year we hear of the War on Christmas because some store clerk somewhere said happy holidays instead of Merry Christmas. Seems some Christians don’t want to be happy for the holidays, preferring to be angry and antagonistic over a simple phrase.

Considering that none of the Christian faiths seem to be able to get along with each other have you ever wondered what it’s like to one of the .8% of Americans (.4% agnostic, .4% atheist) who won’t profess faith in Christianity? It appears that people like me are the only thing that can unite Christians long enough for them to stop hating each other. I had a former employer begin a conversation with the statement, “ Atheists are such losers,” and when I took exception he proceeded to tell me exactly why I was a loser. My next door neighbor of 25 years came into my yard and proclaimed that atheists were taking away his Bible and destroying America. In an otherwise innocent political conversation I was warned of the “evils of secularism in all its insidious forms”. There are so many Christians and so few non-believers that I daresay not one Christian in ten thousand has ever knowingly met an atheist. It becomes easy to believe that everyone is just like you, a Christian. Each time I have this conversation with a Christian I get the response, “Not me, I don’t think that!” to which I can only say if not you then who is pushing God and Christianity into the More Perfect Union envisioned by the Founding Fathers?


http://www.adherents.com/
http://rationalrevolution.net/articles/history_of_the_separation_of_chu.htm

[AX10]

1. It is true that America's addiction to religion become...

much stronger in the 1950's and onward.
The question is, how do we break these chains that are holding us hostage?

[flamin lib]

4. That is one overly large question. Given the numbers and the general

ignorance of Americans on such topics the only answer is education. Given that states like Kansas and my own Texas are legislating fundamentalism into the science curricula I'm at a loss.

My only hope is that Christians reading this will see things anew.

[MrScorpio]

2. I'm thinking that the fundies are channeling the zealots who preceded the Framers

Who else are they ignoring the people who eventually founded the US?

[SidDithers]

3. K&R. Thanks for posting...nt

Sid

[NMMNG]

5. Why do you want to make baby Jesus cry?

;-)

K&R

[flamin lib]

6. I guess it could be worse. At least nobody is beating me and leaving

me hanging on a fence.

[AndyTiedye]

7. Not Yet.

[FloridaJudy]

8. I blame Europe

In pioneer days, they shipped us their religious fanatics.

Australia got the criminals: they were obviously given first choice.

[Donnachaidh]

11. that's not entirely true

England emptied their prisons in Georgia. Australia wasn't the only dumping point for criminals. Blaming an action that happened three hundred years ago really doesn't address the problem we have now.

The only ones to be blamed these days are the snake oil salesmen with their mega-churches and the dunderheads that follow them like sheep.

If these folks want to run churches like corporations, they need to be taxed fully, on both the monies given to them AND their holdings. And they should be subjected to criminal action for selling crap like bags of Holy Water on TV.

[Wiregrass Willie]

9. A lot of the Founders were agnostic ....

But they were Christian agnostics. Much like many Jews are agnostic. But they are still Jewish. Just because a lot of Israelis are agnostic, does that make Israel less of a Jewish nation ?

[puebloknot]

10. They were Deists!

From Wikipedia:

Deism is a religious philosophy and movement that derives the existence and nature of God from reason and personal experience. This is in contrast to fideism which is found in religions like Judaism, many forms of Christianity<1>, or Islam which rely on revelation in sacred scriptures or the testimony of other people.

Deists typically reject supernatural events (prophecy, miracles) and tend to assert that God does not interfere with human life and the laws of the universe. What organized religions see as divine revelation and holy books, most Deists see as interpretations made by other humans, rather than as authoritative sources.

Deism became prominent in Great Britain, France, and the United States in the 17th and 18th centuries and continues to this day in the form of Classical Deism and Modern Deism.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
The evangelicals today are a concoction that the Founders would point to as *exactly* the reason they inserted the separation of church and state into our founding documents.

[flamin lib]

12. Not to put too fine a point on it, but Christian Agnostic?

Do you mean to say,"Not sure if there is a God, but if there is one it's a Christian God?"

In all sincerity please expand on you thought.

[FloridaJudy]

14. Yup. It's a Christian God whose existence they doubt.

I was married for years to a Jewish atheist. It was Y-W- whom he didn't believe in. You can accept the values of the culture in which you're raised without necessarily subscribing to its religious requirements. Most Israeli Jews are secular, though they identify themselves as Jewish. The same is true of many European Catholics: they call themselves "Catholic" but only go to church for weddings and funerals, and cheerfully practice birth control without guilt.

[immoderate]

17. Well, I'm a Jewish atheist...

There are about 100 secular synagogues in the US. There are many atheist rabbis. They follow various traditions, perform the usual functions an ceremonies that churches are good at, preside over the flock. Many have advanced psychology degrees. Religious schools teach culture, history, ethics. Closest thing to that here is UUs.

Most of the Jews I know are agnostic, will profess some belief in god ("There's gotta be something!") and go about their business without giving god much thought, except to show up for high holidays. That is, until it's time to dump it all on their kids. Their religion really consists of sending their kids to Hebrew School. (One of the horrors of my life.)

Anyway, Judaism is a tribal identity. Christianity is a belief system, and it exists in many disparate cultures. By definition, the belief in the son of god is the one thing that not negotiable. However, I know what you mean. There are cultural aspects that are valuable. Though it's a bigoted phrase, calling someone a "good Christian:shrug:" has meaning in our culture, especially when applied to a non-Christian.

--IMM

[Dorian Gray]

27. I think that they're dangerous words

that you've described most Catholics that I know, too.

Though it is less of a cultural identity, Catholicism is almost second to Judaism as such. More and more people are saying that they are Catholic while not prescribing to the dogmatic beliefs. It's almost its own cultural identity these days.

(Some people will say "I am Irish-Catholic!" As opposed to just Irish.) It's another cultural marker. In a way that most other Christian denomination aren't.

[immoderate]

31. Cristian culture is mostly national culture.

A great deal, I think, of what people call Christian culture is just American culture. But there are variations which bring in differences from ethnic identities.

Since Christianity is a post-tribal, pan-national religion, it is adapted to many cultures. What they have in common, is a system of ethics, that Jesus espoused, which reflected the Jewish ethics of his day.

--IMM

[Wiregrass Willie]

34. Our Culture is Christian -- by varying degrees

(Some people will say "I am Irish-Catholic!" As opposed to just Irish.) It's another cultural marker. In a way that most other Christian denomination aren't.

The predominate culture in the South was originally Scotch-Irish. Genetically they are a mixture of Scotch, Irish and English and they are Protestant. The Irish-Catholics settled mostly in New England.

I think poster IMModerate put it well. What we think of as Christian is mostly American culture. It varies to a small degree between regions. Just about all our concepts of law and virtue come down to us from Greece by way of Western Europe and the British Isles. All of that is also Christian.

[Wiregrass Willie]

18. I am not religious

I have never belonged to a church. However my parents are the products of European-American Christian culture. I am also. I am therefore, culturally speaking, a Christian. I'm not a product of a Muslim, Hindu, Shinto, Buddhist, Jewish or Druid culture. I am therefore Christian. I'm a seventh generation Georgian. All of my ancestors were products of a Anglo-Saxon Christian culture. Kimo sabe ?

Do I practice the religion of my culture ? No. Neither did Thomas Jefferson.

[LNM]

13. K and R!

Thank you. And thank you to the pope for condemning us. :sarcasm:

[WillyT]

15. Big K & R !!!

:bounce::kick::bounce:

[me b zola]

16. k&r

[riderinthestorm]

19. Excellent post. K&R! nt

[knitter4democracy]

20. That's one part of the Cold War that really bothers me.

We were told over and over again that the Soviets were "godless Commies," horrible atheists who weren't good Christians like we were. Then I studied there in 1995 in college--turns out, only 10% of the population was in the Communist Party, and most of the country was never atheist. They were and are Russian Orthodox. The Communists martyred thousands, maybe millions, of Orthodox Christians, Muslims, Jews, and other believers. Where was that story growing up?

When I got back, my mom took me to some church supper. We somehow ended up at the table with a new member and his wife, a retired minister. He asked me why he hadn't seen me before, and I told him I'd been in Russia studying. He asked me if I had helped spread the Gospel while I was there (?!), and I told him there was no need, that most everyone I'd dealt with was Russian Orthodox and already Christian. He then told me they were going to Hell, and I'd passed up the opportunity to help them choose Jesus Christ as their savior. I started arguing back, telling him the stories of the martyrs, and my mom had to get me out of the room.

I'm still mad, obviously, after all this time. First of all, who cares if they were atheist?! How was that our concern? Secondly, the vast majority weren't--they were believers, and many were killed for it. Why didn't we talk about them, why didn't we acknowledge that so many weren't these "godless Commies"? Gorbachev was baptised as a kid, for crying out loud, and he always kept his faith very private (something I wish our president did).

It was all a scam on our side of the globe. It was a way to dehumanize our "enemy" and stop us from thinking of them as people, as good people, as people we shouldn't vaporize with a bomb. That ticks me off.

[Danger Mouse]

22. It's the kool aid that was popular back then...

and the effects are still felt today.
The enemies are just as 'godless'...at least they don't follow the 'right' god in this case.

[knitter4democracy]

35. You're totally right--and it's just to dehumanize the enemy.

We don't need to dehumanize them. We need to listen to and respect them.

[nightrider767]

23. Knitter

Very thoughtful well written post.

It rings true...

Thank you for sharing that.

[unblock]

21. article iv?? the part about the states? where's separation of church & state in that??

[flamin lib]

26. DYSLEXICS UNTIE!!!

That should be Article VI, it's a typo and very difficult for for me to see.

It reads, in part, "The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but NO RELIGIOUS TEST SHALL EVER BE REQUIRED as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."

[unblock]

33. ah, that makes more sense :)

strictly speaking, though, it merely prevents the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT from imposing any religious test for office; the public is free to be as bigoted as it wishes.

of course, that would violate the spirit of the constitution, but not the letter of it.

[OneBlueSky]

24. my favorite Woody Guthrie story . . .

while being admitted to a hospital, Woody was asked a number of questions by an admitting clerk, who dutifully recorded his answers . . . part of the interview went as follows . . .

Clerk: "Religion?"

Woody: "All."

Clerk: "Oh, Mr. Guthrie, I can't put 'All' on the form!"

Woody: "Then just put 'None.'"

[Arugula Latte]

29. Another reply to the question of "Religion? ________" is:

"No thank you." :)

[trof]

25. K&R Very good!

[Occulus]

28. This is good as far as it goes

Quite well-written. After reading it, though, I sort of feel like it's half-finished. You would do well to write a Part 2 of this one, perhaps using more examples of the dichotomy between the idea that christians are being persecuted, vs. the number of laws (including the blue laws) that cater to christian tenets. I would also focus on another aspect of christian bigotry, that being their treatment of GLBT citizens, Muslims, and secular matters such as film, television, and video games. You could use their vapors over "The Golden Compass" as a starting point for your film section, for example.

K&R. I really would like to see you write further on this topic; it seems you have a good grasp on the subject matter.

[LuckyLib]

30. There are a whole lot more folks who aren't believers in any faith, but attend

churches for their kids and for the social contact and connections it provides. I refuse to participate for either of those reasons, and I think there's a large group of us as well. Especially "recovering Catholics" who won't set foot in a church.

[Alexander]

32. I've read there are anywhere from .8% to 20% of non-religious Americans.

I have to wonder where these numbers came from. Most articles I read show the number of non-religious Americans to be far higher.

[Leopolds Ghost]

36. "Five states, Texas included, forbid holding elected office without a profession of belief."

What part of "no religious test shall be held for any office" am I missing here?

[spoony]

37. "the More Perfect Union envisioned by the Founding Fathers?"

Yeah, and that was a really perfect vision wasn't it?

Well, if you were a landowner. And not a slave. Or a woman. It has only been with hundreds of years of altering the Constitution that has made it worth a shit. As written, it was essentially empty.