Christian Nationalism

No doubt, you have heard it many times: This country was built on Christian values and therefore you must vote for so and so or such and such. My question is: Was it, though?

The number may be shrinking, but if you ask Americans about their religious affiliation, the vast majority will identify as Christians. They believe in God, they say. 

I think there is wide acceptance that the Bible identifies the core values of Christianity and the Constitution identifies the core values of the United States of America. Traditionally, Presidents, politicians and public officials are sworn to uphold the Constitution when they take office.

Let’s take a look at some of the core values promoted in the Constitution:

Foremost among these are “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” It protects the individual’s right to pursue their own path in life. At the same time, the Constitution also asks us to surrender that right by making representative democracy the form of government and that we agree to submit to its authority which it exercises through violence (law enforcement and military) and deceit (swearing on the Bible that tells you not to).

Let us take a look at some of the core values of Christianity:

First, Love God. Ideas about who God is vary wildly among the thousands of Christian factions. Similarly, ideas about what we are supposed to be doing also vary. 

Second, Love One Another. That is in direct opposition to the Constitution’s right to pursue our own path to happiness. Jesus does not ask us to be concerned with ourselves first. He asks us to care for our neighbors, everyone else first. The Lord’s Prayer, the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount provide some details about how we can go about doing that, but the overarching principle that guides it all is Love, love for God and love for one another. All these other details only help us be good neighbors like Christ. They are not laws. Laws enslave us. Love sets us free and that is the principal difference between Christians and the state. No, the United States of America was not founded on Christian values, quite on the contrary.