CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – Of all the things that Barack Obama was wrong about, at the top of the list is this: “We are not a Christian nation”. He’s wrong. I think he was trying to make a clumsy point. We do not have an official state religion. And the county is, and should be, welcoming to people of all faiths… or no faith at all.
But we are a Christian nation. Our culture, our law, and our founding are all rooted in Christianity. Our social norms – how we interact with one another – are based on Christian assumptions, many of which are givens. We don’t even think about them.
Our founding document, the Declaration of Independence, made an appeal to the Supreme Judge of the World, the judeo-Christian God. Images of the law-giver, Moses, are part of our Supreme Court building and are on the wall above the Speaker’s chair in the House of Representatives.
Why is there such debate over displaying the Ten Commandments in public? Because the Ten Commandments are the foundation of our laws. Our laws against murder, for instance, are biblically based. There are many other cultures where revenge killings or honor killings are justified and not prosecuted. Why don’t we cut off the hands of thieves? Why aren’t men allowed to have multiple wives? Why is infidelity considered shameful? Why is honesty a virtue? Why are drink and drugs considered to be vices? Why are we a more charitable people than other cultures? Why has the United States never had a military coup?
Because these are Christian norms and values.
How many times have you heard someone say they’re a “good person”. Even if you’re an atheist, the characteristics that are admired in others are Christian values.
You can’t escape Christianity in American culture any more than you can escape water while swimming. It is literally all around you.
That’s my message to people who don’t go to church. You are already surrounded by Christianity. How small of a step is it to embrace it fully?
I’m Chris Conley
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