A Christian Nation?

[marmar]

Published on Tuesday, August 7, 2007 by CommonDreams.org
A Christian Nation?
by Carol Hamilton


On August 6, 2007, the New York Times reported on an interesting dispute between the campaign of Sam Brownback and that of Mike Huckabee. According to Times reporter Sarah Wheaton, the following remark set off the dispute:

“‘I know Senator Brownback converted to Roman Catholicism in 2002,” Mr. Rude wrote. “Frankly, as a recovering Catholic myself, that is all I need to know about his discernment when compared to the Governor’s.” The message struck some as an attempt to highlight Mr. Brownback’s Catholicism in a state with a large Protestant electorate.

The comment interested and even amused me, because on another website, I’ve recently been fielding comments from people who believe that we live in “a Christian nation.” Yet here they were, Catholic and Protestant political figures, quarreling just as they did back in the 16th and 17th centuries-the very reason that a separation was proposed between Church and State.

My correspondents also informed me that the Founders were personally devout and orthodox in their views and that the Constitution was derived from the Bible. No doubt they also believe that the Ten Commandments are the foundation of our legal system (actually, it’s the Code of Justinian.)

It’s hard to figure where in the Bible my correspondents found any discussion of checks and balances, the separation of powers, the regulation of commerce, or impeachment.

What about the influence of John Locke? I asked them. Locke, himself a devout Christian from a Puritan family, inspired Jefferson’s Statute for Religious Freedom written in 1777 and passed, thanks to James Madison, in 1786. Jefferson’s statute is particularly indebted to Locke’s Letter Concerning Toleration (1689), which you can read in its entirety here. In it Locke declared, “Neither Pagan nor Mahometan, nor Jew ought to be excluded from the civil rights of the commonwealth because of his religion. The Gospel commands no such thing.” .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/08/07/3025/

[sakabatou]

1. Treaty of Tripoli, bitch

My response.

[sarcasmo]

2. Brownback is pure evil.

[Mythsaje]

3. Hurray for Locke, Jefferson, and Madison!

Down with these modern morons!

[reprobate]

4. All Americans must follow ONE religion.

Mine. Solipsism - the only rational belief system.

[Ian David]

6. No, no no... We Are All Touched By His Noodly Appendage.

[reprobate]

7. His noodlyness was, of course, a solipsist. In his own mind.

[Ian David]

5. The very First Amendment to The Constitution rendered the first four Commandments null and void.

Currently, the only one of The Ten Commandments that still has unequivocal force of law in this country is "Thou Shalt Not Steal."

All the other Commandments have either been nullified or modified by legislation or legal precedent.

Therefore, I have no problem with posting a Decalogue on public property, so long as it falls into one of the following categories:

1) The only Commandment listed is, "Thou Shalt Not Steal."
2) All the Commandments are crossed-out, except "Thou Shalt Not Steal."
3) All the Commandments are listed, alongside the names of the laws, Constitutional Amendments, or court rulings that over-turned them.