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Post by Logan on Feb 28, 2016 3:10:55 GMT -6
Political elections are as much about those doing the electing as it is about those eventually elected. If each vote represents what a voter believes and hopes for, then the person elected is really a magnification of the desires voters happen to have. This is why national elections are so fascinating. Every four years, Americans collectively paint and present to the world a picture that communicates their aspirations and fears. It is a picture that enables us to see the character of a nation. When I first moved from Canada to the United States 30 years ago, I was told repeatedly that America is a Christian nation. It isn’t simply that America has many self-professing Christians living within its borders. The identity of America as a whole, its history and its destiny, are somehow tied to Christianity. Political leaders feel the need to appear Christian, say Christian-sounding things, show up at Christian institutions and end their speeches with “God bless America!” American money proclaims “In God we trust.” What could be more Christian than that? Read more here: www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article62736952.html |
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Post by nobody on Feb 28, 2016 10:44:41 GMT -6
The writer, Norman Wirzba, considers Christianity to be the ethical code of the gospels. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Christianity -- and some other religions too -- is schizophrenic, split from itself and possessed of multiple personalities. The 1900+ year history of Christianity has almost nothing to do the moral code of the Sermon on the Mount. For 1500 years and more, Christianity was spread at the point of the sword, meaning you had the choice of being Christian or dead. The Roman Catholic Church from its founding in the 300s until Pope Francis came along was about wealth and power. Still is, really, but Francis has brought a measure of Christianity to the church. Peace, love and charity have rarely been Christian traits.
This by the way was the historical context that James Madison saw, that Chistian nations were most unchristian, often warring among themselves over religious issues, and that is behind Madison's idea of a secular state not dominated by any particular religious viewpoint. Not that everybody around 1789 didn't talk about God, Providence, or The Creator, even if they were agnostic in the case of more than one founding father; they certainly did.
The learning experience of the colonies was from the Salem witch trials, from the severity of the Puritans, from the colonial mix of Catholic, Protestant, Puritan, Quaker, and so on. And don't forget, there were prominent Jews involved in government. Constructing a nation around religious influence with so much diversity would have been a recipe for disaster.
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Post by Logan on Feb 28, 2016 11:56:05 GMT -6
The writer, Norman Wirzba, considers Christianity to be the ethical code of the gospels. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Christianity -- and some other religions too -- is schizophrenic, split from itself and possessed of multiple personalities. The 1900+ year history of Christianity has almost nothing to do the moral code of the Sermon on the Mount. For 1500 years and more, Christianity was spread at the point of the sword, meaning you had the choice of being Christian or dead. The Roman Catholic Church from its founding in the 300s until Pope Francis came along was about wealth and power. Still is, really, but Francis has brought a measure of Christianity to the church. Peace, love and charity have rarely been Christian traits. This by the way was the historical context that James Madison saw, that Chistian nations were most unchristian, often warring among themselves over religious issues, and that is behind Madison's idea of a secular state not dominated by any particular religious viewpoint. Not that everybody around 1789 didn't talk about God, Providence, or The Creator, even if they were agnostic in the case of more than one founding father; they certainly did. The learning experience of the colonies was from the Salem witch trials, from the severity of the Puritans, from the colonial mix of Catholic, Protestant, Puritan, Quaker, and so on. And don't forget, there were prominent Jews involved in government. Constructing a nation around religious influence with so much diversity would have been a recipe for disaster. Hey there! I wanted to let you know that ProBoards is having some glitch issues today that is keeping people from logging on. They are working on the problem, but if you encounter any difficulties I suggest clearing your cookies and cache, then rebooting your browser. |
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