There is No Such Thing as a Christian Democracy
There is no such thing as a Christian Democracy. There is no such thing as a Muslim Democracy or a Jewish Democracy either (or a solely Heterosexual one, for that matter). True Democracy means True Equality and no religion sees itself as equal to all the others (and they feel especially unequal to secularism and atheism). Of all the problems we face in unifying the "United" States of America, one of the largest and most damaging is those who believe that their religion should be the official religion of our Democracy. In this country, the vast majority of them feel that the USA was founded as a Christian nation and should be run like one, which is anathema to the true Democratic ideals of our founding fathers. They never once think how they would feel if they were a minority and another religion was trying to assert its dominance over them in society. Let's look at two quotes from our presidential candidates that expose their feelings about American Democracy:
"Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values. It requires that their proposals be subject to argument, and amenable to reason. I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church or evoke God's will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all." --Sen. Barack Obama, 6/28/06
"The Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian Nation." - John McCain on video
And just for good measure, three quotes from some of our Founding Fathers as shown in Bill Maher's excellent film "Religulous":
"Christianity is the most perverted system that ever shone on man." -- Thomas Jefferson
"This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it." -- John Adams
"Lighthouses are more useful than churches." -- Benjamin Franklin
There is a fast growing percentage of the US population who does not choose organized religion at all and in many cases, follow or even acknowledge a god. Add to that the millions of American non-Christian believers of every other faith and you wind up with a large swath of the population of our country. Regardless of how sure you are that Christ will herald the Rapture and all sinners will go to Hell, connecting those beliefs with government is massively disrespectful of all the non-Christian citizens you share the country with. The main problem has to do with faith itself. People of every religion must accept certain dictates and definitions about how and why things are in their belief system and they must believe that their religious laws are "right" and all other beliefs (and non-beliefs) are thereby wrong. You can see how this is incongruous with Democratic equality. I may not believe in Jesus Christ, but my non-theistic lifestyle doesn't require my feeling superior to people of religion. Nor does it require convincing or recruiting other people to believe with me. But how often we see the holier-than-thou finger-pointing and the smug air of blind faith lorded over those who are different. Religion divides. And nobody's right.
A billion Muslims think the other 5 billion people on the planet are wrong. A billion Christians think the other 5 billion people on the planet are wrong. To the casual observer, it would seem to be a losing battle, a giant hedging of bets on red or black, a certainty in the one you picked and a total ignorance towards the many other colors of the rainbow. A 50% chance of being right and yet, the believers all seem so sure of their beliefs. In many ways, life is 50/50- either things go your way or they don't. That's life and the chances we take while living it. Having expectations of outcomes sets up disappointments and let's face it, none of us can predict the future. The past is gone and the future is uncertain, leaving only the moment you exist in as the one sure thing. Eckhart Tolle's best-seller The Power of Now is about that very subject, and there is great power in accepting a reality where we aren't bound to past and future but to Right Now. And Right Now more than ever, we need the kind of Democracy that provides the Freedom and Equality that America truly stands for.
Beyond religion, beyond race, beyond class, there is a world that waits for us to come together as one people, one race, one love. All it takes is a decision by each of us to accept our fellow citizens as equals so we can be truly unified by our fundamental rights of Liberty, Justice and the Pursuit of Happiness, three unalienable rights as promised in the Declaration of Independence. And for the record, the American Heritage Dictionary defines 'unalienable' as "Not to be separated, given away, or taken away." Those who seek to take away or subjugate the rights of others are inherently un-American and don't respect true Liberty and Justice for All. Religious elitism goes against the very foundation of Democracy and the principles that this great country was built on. If America is to truly be a shining beacon on the hill, it's light must reach all people, not some chosen few.
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But the fundies constantly tell of atheist anarchy, can there be a theocratic dictatorship?
There is a shocking lack of historical knowledge here.
When, EVER, did the founding fathers mention democracy except to say it should be avoided? The founders made America a representative republic! The people vote for the leaders, and the leaders carry that vote to Washington.
They knew that a democracy, direct voting of the people, would be a disaster. And boy were they right.
There has never been a Christian democracy? Ever hear of Liberia?
There has never been a heterosexual democracy? Ever hear of early colonial America?
Of course this blog was just your opinion, but sometimes even opinions have to have some basis in fact. Sometimes.
The American Government is structured as a Constitutional Republic, and it is a Representative Democracy... it's not a direct Democracy, where every citizen is voting on every bill, but every citizen votes for their representatives.
When was Liberia a Christian democracy?
Early colonial America a heterosexual democracy?... I would except that puritan colonies were theocratic, but heterosexual democracy?... no.
you're right about one thing, even opinions have to have some basis in fact... as in it's a fact that it's your opinion.
excellent post! thank you
"The Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian Nation." - John McCain on video
That's odd. I can't find a single mention in the Constitution of God or Christ, let alone the term "Christian Nation".
"If America is to truly be a shining beacon on the hill, it's light must reach all people, not some chosen few."
Great quote, and the idea behind it should be utilized more to counter the conservative social agenda.
"connecting those beliefs with government is massively disrespectful of all the non-Christian citizens you share the country with"
Not to mention most of the Christians themselves!
Only if US is completely dominated by a single religion. Dosen't Iran has its own form of Democracy? They voted in their President didn't they.
Excellent post, I liked your quotes. But we're still part of the minority, ironically for a country founded on philosophical roots against oppression. Aren't we like twelve-percenters or something like that? Take it or leave it, people who argue with others in favor of the separation of church and state fail to realize that religious folks (with a very few exclusions) do not even perceive or understand the fundamental reason for such a separation. Their prior concern is the same as the intrinsic reflex of religion: expansion and colonization of other groups and individuals. It is not simply some bad effect of certain religions, it is something essential about their nature to deny contrary views and to expand politically if not socially, and socially if not politically. It's worrisome that the biggest threat to democracies--not just our own but internationally--is within their own constituencies, these evangelical nationalists and such who espouse views that are truly the antithesis of democratic reasoning, then playing it off as "patriotism". As a teacher, the worst sign is the total lack of philosophy courses in public schools. Say what anyone will, but if kids don't know basic logic and common fallacies, were in pretty bad shape. You can watch the news or listen to any friend's conversation and count at least a half dozen invalid or fallacious statements per minute, and yet we've got a cultural constituency in america (hallelujah!) who basically condition people to internalize those mechanical illogicals without hesitation.
Truly bankrupt and counterfeit are those "Christians" who have to rely on human laws and law enforcement to maintain their faith and moral vision. If they really have a living relationship with God and are moved by his Spirit, there's no need for such human intervention. Their lives would be so different and generate such light (rather than heat), it would inspire others to find faith in God. Forced faith is no faith at all. It's remarkable how the first Christians lived in a pagan Roman Empire whose beliefs and morals were in direct opposition to Christianity, yet Christians just lived as Christians, without the benefit of state patronage — and they never formed political action committees, sent out hate mail campaigns, hired lobbyists or resorted to lie-ridden robocalls.
Maybe you should have used the phrase "Christian republic" instead . . .
Makes no difference. It just depends whether you're taking your government system semantics from the greeks or the romans. Neither's definition of citizen would pass muster, even in 1787.
The United States was never intended to be a Democracy. It was intended to be a Republic from the beginning. It still fits the definition quite clearly. "Democracy" may be commonly applied to every form of government where people vote, but it's still wrong.
Damn dude, exactly right! Wish I could be that eloquent when talking with my overly religious relatives. I'll definitely be borrowing some of your arguments.
"Christianity is the most perverted system that ever shone on man." -- Thomas Jefferson
"This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it." -- John Adams
"Lighthouses are more useful than churches." -- Benjamin Franklin
This is the small town American I grew up in.
Interesting argument (and one with which I happen to agree), BUT.....
It's the position of Fundamentalist Christians that we need to give all that we are and all that we have over to God. That includes our country. They want to run the country and re-write its laws based on the Bible, believing fervently that doing so will please God and bring forth His favor. Nothing else matters; certainly not individual rights or the teachings of non-Christian religions.
You're not dealing with people who are rational here. Religious fervor and clear thought are NOT well-suited to each other.
"It's the position of Fundamentalist Christians that we need to give all that we are and all that we have over to God. That includes our country."
This is wrong - it does not include our Country or Government.. This is why we created our Country and Gvoernment, to get away from that philosophy.
When growing up, my religion taught me to be a good person and not judge. One could quote scriptures and interpret them as they like but when you begin to judge others with expectations of change in Government, you ignore the intent of our founding fathers.
There are some fundamentalist groups that do indeed believe in taking over the government. The term for them is "Dominionists".
If this were a democracy, Al Gore would be president.
Ah, but it is a Republic. Not a democracy.
With the amount of power claimed by the executive branch in recent years it's more of a term-limited monarchy.
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