One Nation Under God?

"The U.S. remains a deeply religious land."

If we define 'deeply religious' as believing in the power of organized religion to influence people's beliefs, and to give us a framework for the greater mysteries of life and death, than yes, we are unquestionably a religious group - there are plenty of people committed to arguing the power of religion, and who think religion is a powerful force (some think it powerfully good, others think it powerfully bad).

If we define 'deeply religious' to mean we follow a specific doctrine all the time in all our affairs, however, one must come to a very different conclusion - we are pretty secular, much more inclined to put our faith in other belief systems like capitalism, science, democracy, pop culture, the cult of youth, etc. that get us through the day.

My conclusion? We are very committed to Christianity for our next life, but not so committed to it for this one, and that gap - what I need today for my body vs. what I need all the time for my soul - is widening.

Identifying America as a Christian nation is a great way to irritate non-Christians. It also belies the fact that even though our founding documents take great pains to separate church and state, religion worms its way into policy, laws and politics. Religion has essentially done nothing to promote America's progress as a leader in the world. It stands as a stumbling block when we deal with nations that profess other core religious beliefs. Yes, they should get out of the religion business also.

The most disgusting recent example of how close religion came to messing with policy in a big way was the republican candidate for vice-president. Her association with various churches and religious figures along with her ill-informed views on creation and lifestyle would have set our country back many years in foreign relations, science and political collegiality.
The last president's born-again philosophy with his reliance on prayer and like-minded "yes-men" is a testament to the danger of religion as a pillar of support in the government. Given that faith and belief are fictions of the mind, the day can not come soon enough when the mental health of Americans is such that religion is relegated to a very small segment of the citizenry.

America has been a religious nation, not necessarily a nation with core spirituality. There is a difference. In the last century the so-called Christian nations promoted and engaged in two of the most bloody wars in human history. America has the highest crime rate in the world. We have countless homeless while we wallow in wealth. To call America Christian is a misnomer. Jesus said: ???Give Caesar???s things to Caesar, but God???s things to God???. America has been doing just the opposite. Why? Inasmuch as the pulpits of this land have been recruiting stations and political pulpits, the ???my kingdom is no part of this world??? words of Christ have little meaning for the masses who blindly ran to war, supported their Washington kingdom with the politicians of their choice, giving no thought to God???s view of the world and our relationship with Him. How can an American Christian fire bullets or worse at a fellow Christian brother, and think he has a relationship with God? ie: Catholics killing Catholics, born agains killing born agains.
Being Christian is believing what Jesus said about his Father. That he is the Beloved Son of his Father, not God himself. People get turned off with the teaching God became flesh and blood. God never did, His son did and died for us and his Father, God, raised him from the dead by resurrection. He never preached that we burn in hell, but rather that Hades is the common grave, where he himself went. The words immortal soul in nowhere to be found in the Bible. He also said that ???his disciples would be known by the love among themselves???. Where is the love? The greed and avarice demonstrated by the banking and other leaders have shamed Christian America. Inasmuch as we need to transcend the mundane to have a relationship with God, He has been disappointed in America???s following in his Son???s footsteps. They have wandered off on their own, with total disregard for Christ???s teachings. We live in a land of the free, but we have abused this freedom to abandon the core Christian standards. It used to be called The Way. America has been Christian the American way, not Christ???s. The Bible is the only book that contains Christ???s teachings as he taught them. Science supports the bible. Our 14 billion year old universe was created in the beginning, and our 3.8 billion year old earth, was also created. Not in 6 24 hour days, but over eons of time. Many would be Christians are turned off because they are taught unscientific interpretations of creation. America needs to use it???s freedom to dust of the basis of Christianity, the Bible, and quit listening to politically motivated preachers who themselves have lost The Way.

America has been a religious nation, not necessarily a nation with core spirituality. There is a difference. In the last century the so-called Christian nations promoted and engaged in two of the most bloody wars in human history. America has the highest crime rate in the world. We have countless homeless while we wallow in wealth. To call America Christian is a misnomer. Jesus said: ???Give Caesar???s things to Caesar, but God???s things to God???. America has been doing just the opposite. Why? Inasmuch as the pulpits of this land have been recruiting stations and political pulpits, the ???my kingdom is no part of this world??? words of Christ have little meaning for the masses who blindly ran to war, supported their Washington kingdom with the politicians of their choice, giving no thought to God???s view of the world and our relationship with Him. How can an American Christian fire bullets or worse at a fellow Christian brother, and think he has a relationship with God? ie: Catholics killing Catholics, born agains killing born agains.
Being Christian is believing what Jesus said about his Father. That he is the Beloved Son of his Father, not God himself. People get turned off with the teaching God became flesh and blood. God never did, His son did and died for us and his Father, God, raised him from the dead by resurrection. He never preached that we burn in hell, but rather that Hades is the common grave, where he himself went. The words immortal soul in nowhere to be found in the Bible. He also said that ???his disciples would be known by the love among themselves???. Where is the love? The greed and avarice demonstrated by the banking and other leaders have shamed Christian America. Inasmuch as we need to transcend the mundane to have a relationship with God, He has been disappointed in America???s following in his Son???s footsteps. They have wandered off on their own, with total disregard for Christ???s teachings. We live in a land of the free, but we have abused this freedom to abandon the core Christian standards. It used to be called The Way. America has been Christian the American way, not Christ???s. The Bible is the only book that contains Christ???s teachings as he taught them. Science supports the bible. Our 14 billion year old universe was created in the beginning, and our 3.8 billion year old earth, was also created. Not in 6 24 hour days, but over eons of time. Many would be Christians are turned off because they are taught unscientific interpretations of creation. America needs to use it???s freedom to dust of the basis of Christianity, the Bible, and quit listening to politically motivated preachers who themselves have lost The Way.

Geeez, are you kidding me with this garbage!? Hmmm, what else can we blame Obama for? He's been in office less than three months!!! The fact that more and more PEOPLE are waking up and realizing that they don't need or want hurtful religion in order to be a good person has absolutely nothing to do with President Obama. Get over yourself already and get a damn life, Mr. Stone.

Not enough religious influence in our country? How about we look to the Middle East for how to steer away from our secular governing? They're a great example.

A more religious nation, are you serious??!! More religious utterings, less religious deeds.

First off god cannot help "us" since god is a figment of imagination created to provide the first government, or have all the crazy christains forgotten about the 10 commandments. Second of all while money may say in god we trust, it is in people that we entrust. How about we as a country jump ship on the fictional and as an entity agree that we can only help ourselves and leave the idol worship to those who watch Fox. In the words of my gm coach "you made a mistake, don't let the same mistake happen again" So folks be born again to the fact that we as people can save our skins and believe in something that is real.

I feel what is wrong with our society today is we depend to much on the goverment and not enough on the greater power.With the greater power with in us deepen and awakes our souls we will find we can do much more than we thought,with out big brothers help.Our fore fathers before us didnt have any one to turn to but the father and they knew with his help they could do any thing.Todays world is the goverment is resolver for all our needs,and what about me, not about we.God help us.

I would like to see a study done on just how religious, people who claim to be religious really are. It's far easier to say that one is a Good Christiian and has good Christian values that it is to live as such. Look at what Americans do as opposed to what we say. Then come back and tell us just how religious we REALLY are.

I am an Evangelical Christian from Africa and would like to know where in the New Testament does the Bible tell us to go create a "Christian Nation"? If the USA was created as a "Christian Nation" can some one explain how to "create" a "Christian Nation"...I have a number of Nations in Africa that I would certainly love to have them made "Christian Nations" like Somalia or Sudan? Could the experiment of a "Christian Nation" be repeated with such success like the American "Christian Nation" in Somalia?

??? There can be no argument except made by the ignorant that the United States was founded as a Christian nation. This country has flourished because of the blessings bestowed upon us by our creator. Whether or not any one American is Christian or not is not the point. What is the point.. is that the further away our elected officials and society stray from Christian morals and beliefs the less blessed our country becomes. I can't help but draw a tangent, that as America's standing in the world lessens, and as we are becoming more and more irrelevant, we are becoming more and more secular. We are losing God???s blessings as a people ! and comments like Barack Obama's are reckless, shameful, embarrassing and destructive.

Our heritage is Christian. Our behavior is not. Divorce rate, infidelity, out-of-wedlock children. The % is the same.
So sad...

The battle for American psyche will always be a tug of war between two extremes. I was brought up with a parochial education but also endured the years of doubt about our involvement in Viet Nam. One would hear and read one thing from the government and then watch conflicting messages on the national news. It has a certain relevancy when you are draft age and you see images of your peers slaughtering or being slaughtered in the name of liberty. So I became leery of anyone who was certain or really sure of his belief. However, I sent my child to a parochial school because that setting challenged me to think and question what I beliieved.
From ny own reading 4 years ago, I learned that the average age of a United Methodist church member is 67 years. Personally, I could not have found God in a church, I found Him in a 12 step program. Since it was not a clear and obvious path for me, I assume it is the same for everyone else. I don't believe God can be found in a pat formula, doctrine, passage or setting. He certainly can't be found if one is too arrogant to look. But there is something disingenuous about looking back as if it were the halcyon time. Even the titles of this series gives me pause...End of a Christian America and One nation under God? We are in the fourth month of a new administration. Has the whole social fabric of this country changed in that time? We live in an indirect democracy. Our representatives are supposed to represent their constituents. It is only when they fail to do so that the system becomes perverted ....in one direction or the other.