Saturday, February 11, 2012 "Christian Nation" Part XV

Saturday, February 11, 2012

“Christian Nation” Part XV

Well, I missed another week posting, as my Dad use to say, “too many irons in the fire” I suppose.  Being ever so late, I endeavor to at least make the read worth your time and attention as much as we possibly can.

As I continue our discussion on a “Christian Nation” my mind began to wonder how such a nation might be viewed from outside its borders.  Would it mean one would expect everyone in such a nation to be a Christian?  I doubt that could or should be the case, I doubt one could find a Christian Church where everyone that belonged to that church was a Christian in the real sense.

Would, or should one expect, such a nation to always reflect the perfect law of God in its policies?  I suppose one should, but most likely would not, for as you well know, most professed Christians themselves fail miserably in reflecting that perfect law themselves, so I doubt a nation could achieve much more.

Let's see, if I were outside this nation looking in, what would I see being reflected toward me as one of another nation?  If I subscribed to any of our cable or satellite companies that provide the country with entertainment, what would I see?  Mostly R rated material with much violence, sexual promiscuity, foul language, partial to full nudity, and in many a promotion and acceptance of homosexuality. 

If I listened to the music the youth were being entertained with, it would be with much of the same.  If I looked at our political land scape, well, I would find much of the same.  If I looked at our society in general, I would find a 50% or more divorce rate with broken homes and a general confusion of what a family even consist of.

If I looked at our education system, I would find degrading scores and many children troubled emotionally as a result of the home situation that was referred to earlier, and again a general confusion about what life is all about anyway. There could be some of you who disagree with that summation and feel it's not that bad, that I am using an exaggerated view to prove my point.  I will give you that argument, there are elements left that are resisting the erosion of the more stable unites of our society, but those elements are and have been losing ground for some time now.

Even with that argument, it would be hard for one to take our society in general today and align it with the term “Christian Nation”.

But since the United States Supreme Court deemed this nation as a “Christian Nation” in 1892, something must have changed.  We must have been a different nation somehow, but yet our Constitution of Government is still the same.  It should uphold the same values and standards of righteousness it always has.  Maybe we need to take a look back to help us remember.

In the 1830s, Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville traveled throughout our nation and published his experience.  I would suggest one read that entire experience, but for the sake of time and space I will quote a small portion here.

“Upon my arrival in the United States, the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention; [that would be a hard-pressed statement today] and the longer I stayed there, the more did I perceive the great political consequences resulting from this state of things, to which I was unaccustomed.  In France, I had almost always seen the spirit of religion and the spirit of freedom pursuing courses diametrically opposed to each other; but in America I found that they were intimately united, and that they reigned in common over the same country.” ~ Alexis de Tocqueville (The Republic of the States of America, and It's Political Institutions, Reviewed and Examined.)

Today's interpretation of the 1st Amendment is wrapped around the so-called Separation of Church and State, but in their day it was viewed as intimately united and reigning in common.  The interpretation of those who wrote the Constitution are in great contrast to those who now deliver to us their interpretation.

One might assess that Tocqueville was friendly towards religion and thus gave such a favorable view of it in his visits.  Just in case someone were to make that observation, let's look at one who was outwardly hostile to the Christian faith. Frenchman Achille Murat in his work, “A Moral and Political Sketch of the United States” published in 1833 stated:

“It must be admitted that looking at the physiognomy of the United States, its religion is the only feature which disgust a foreigner.” ~ Achille Murat, A Moral and Political Sketch of the United States (London: Effingham Wilson, 1833), Vol. I, p. 142.

Apparently, though disgusted by it, like Tocqueville, the religious aspect of the United States was one of the first things that he noticed.  It might also be noted that he identified a single religion as belonging to the country.

Though Murat had a distaste for religion, he would continue by saying:

“There is no country in which the people are so religious as in the United States, to the eyes of a foreigner they even appear to be too much so. . . .” ~ Achille Murat, A Moral and Political Sketch of the United States (London: Effingham Wilson, 1833), pp. 113,132.

Though such a distaste existed within him, Murat would conclude his work by saying:

“While a death struggle is waging in Europe. . . it is curious to observe the tranquility which prevails in the United States.” ~ Achille Murat, A Moral and Political Sketch of the United States (London: Effingham Wilson, 1833), p. 111.

That's almost like saying, (how could such tranquility and peace prevail in such a Christian atmosphere?) without evening entertaining the ideal that the Christian atmosphere could possibly be the principle force of the tranquility and peace.

Harriet Martineau of England was also a harsh critic of Christianity, in her work published in 1837 “Society in America” she stated:

“There is no evading the conviction that it [Christianity] is to a vast extent a monstrous superstition that is thus embraced by the tyrant, the profligate, the weakling, the bigot, the coward, and the slave.” ~ Harriet Martineau, Society in America (New York: Saunders and Otley, 1837), Vol. II, pp. 317-318. 

Yet in this work she admitted:

“The institutions of America are, as I have said, planted down deep into Christianity. . . . the most glorious temple of society that has ever yet been reared.” ~ Harriet Martineau, Society in America (New York: Saunders and Otley, 1837), Vol. II, p. 366.

So it seems, as the United States Supreme Court acknowledged, this nation was in their view a Christian Nation, and it seemed that those outside our boarders in spite of this fact, thought it to be a most wonderful place.  I suppose that is why there is still today such an effort to remove this Christian influence from our society, I suppose they are just trying to imagine how breathtaking it would be without it!

May God bless each of you,

David