"Is the U.S. a Christian nation? Look at the Bible..."

[noel711]

This is brilliant....caught this just this evening as I read the Philly Inquirer..

A real surprise.. Don't get caught in the first paragraphs... he packs a powerhouse at the end...

"Obviously, there is a profound sense in which the United States is a Christian nation. After all, about 80 percent of Americans claim to be Christian. But the Christian character of the United States is comparable to the Christian character of the Roman Empire after Constantine or the Holy Roman Empire in the 16th century.

If one compares the Christian dimensions of the Holy Roman Empire with the teachings of Jesus, the differences are stunning.

Jesus counseled peace, but the empire practiced violence.

Jesus counseled humility, but the empire engaged in a ruthless pursuit of power.

Jesus counseled concern for the poor, but the empire practiced exaltation of the rich.

Jesus counseled modesty, but the empire practiced extravagance.

Jesus counseled simple living, but the empire encouraged luxurious living for people of means.

And while Jesus counseled forgiveness and love for one's enemies, the empire practiced vengeance.

Like that ancient empire, the United States abounds in Christian trappings. Yet it embraces virtually all the values that have been common to empires for centuries.

It pays lip service to peace but practices violence, exalts the rich over the poor, prefers power to humility, places vengeance above forgiveness, extravagance above modesty, and luxury above simplicity.

In a word, it rejects the values of Jesus.

It is curious, then, that Gingrich or anyone else would seriously claim that the United States is a Christian nation. "

From Richard T. Hughes of Messiah College!

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20090712_Is_the_United_States_a_Christian_nation__Let_s_look_at_the_Bible______.html

[LiberalFighter]

1. If the US was intended to be a Christian nation then Jesus would had gone to America.

The other problem is that Jesus had no intention of creating a Christian religion. He was preaching the Jewish faith as he felt it should be practiced.

[elocs]

2. The U.S. is a nation where most of the religious people happen to be Christians.

That's it.

[Deja Q]

4. Or claim to be.

Most who are do the things Jesus did but didn't go around saying "LOOK AT ME I'M A CHRISTIAN AND WE'RE A CHRISTIAN NATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Just do it.

[elocs]

7. Even if they are only "claiming" to be, that number is still the largest. n/t

[aquart]

3. Well done.

[Joanne98]

5. Their principles are the opposite of Jesus Christ because they're HERETICS!

[bemildred]

6. If English was good enough for Jesus, it ought to be good enough for all of us.

:evilgrin:

[PSzymeczek]

8. You mean Elizabethan English, right? n/t

;)

[bemildred]

9. Right, the King James version.

:evilgrin:

America is Number One!

No matter how hard the liberal America-haters try to deny it, the United States is still No. 1. If you doubt it, just reflect for a moment on how many first-place positions we hold in world statistics:

-We are No. 1 in incarceration. We not only have more people per capita in prison or jail, we have more inmates in absolute numbers than countries such as China with four or five times our population.

-We have the highest infant mortality rate among modern industrialized nations.

-We not only devote more money to military expenditures than any other country, we spend more than the rest of the world combined.

-We have a larger portion of our citizenry without health insurance than any other nation.

-We not only have more billionaires than any other nation, we sustain the worlds largest gap in income between the rich and the poor - and furthermore, not content with our brilliant success in this arena, we continue to widen that gap at a rate greater than anywhere else in the world.

-We have the industrialized world's highest rate of unwed teen pregnancies.

In seven years of brilliant conservative leadership, we have soared to the No. 1 position as the most-hated and most-feared nation on earth, as measured in worldwide polls.

Sadly, my friends, if we were to elect Democratic leaders to the White House and Congress this fall, I fear that their proposed policy changes would threaten our proud position of supremacy in every one of these areas. Please do not let America fall into mediocrity. Vote Republican.

[KoKo]

10. An interesting read...passed it along to one of my Fundamentalist Relatives

who is always spouting scripture to me...an Episcopalian as he's thinking I'm really a Heathen/Illiterate who doesn't read the BIBLE as the WORD OF GOD, never to be interpreted.

Thanks

[winyanstaz]

11. Amen

[MadMaddie]

12. Mr. Hughes has written the truth

How does this message get out to the masses? It is time to start calling Newtie and all of the other false prophets on their lies and non-Christian acts.

[unblock]

13. they don't "claim" it to be a christian nation as if it's some sort of idle academic statement

it's a power ploy, an identity appeal to the majority for purposes of tyrrany against the majority and, for that matter, against the foolish among the majority who surrender their power and freedoms to those who wish to do little beyond amass power and money for their own selfish purposes.

[pipi_k]

14. Anybody with an ounce of sense or logic would look at those points

and think "OMG...the guy is right!!!!"

But the people who really need the message aren't dealing with anything rational.

The US is a "Christian Nation" because they say it is and that's that. "I say so, and therefore it is"

[snake in the grass]

15. These so-called Christians hide behind their faith...

...in order to protect themselves from accusations of malfeasance; and it works for some. My cousin still believes Bush is a good man, in spite of his mistakes, because of his professed faith.

[Joe Chi Minh]

16. I would add to "the empire practised exaltation of the rich", "and drives ever

more of the poor into destitution."