Fighting Faiths
Some have taken issue with President Obama's recent remarks in Turkey, where he stated: "We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation."
Perhaps they can quibble over what "We" means, but isn't he essentially correct? Our founding documents don't mention Jesus, and go out of their way to make sure that all religions will be treated with respect (or at least impartiality). I'd guess if you'd asked the Founding Fathers if the nation were founded on Christianity, most of them would have said no. (In fact, they did.)
No one, including Obama, denies the majority of Americans have been and continue to be Christians, and that there are many religious traditions that these citizens support. But that doesn't make us a Christian nation (or, for that matter, a Judeo-Christian one--would have loved to hear the Founding Fathers on that).
PS I don't think Obama's knee-jerk laundry list (we're also not a Jewish or Muslim nation) adds anything to the point he's making. Also, as he continues on, he falls too easily into his "blame America" mode, implying that, just like Turkey, we're in danger of losing our religious freedom.
posted by LAGuy @ 12:15 AM
3 Comments:
The only "blame America" stuff I've hear has come from the knee-jerk critics desperately looking for something to latch on to
Have you been experiencing a news blackout in your home for the past few weeks? The President's European tour was a virtual parade of apologizing for America, past and present.
Tthe first foreign country to recognize the United States of America as independent was Morocco, in 1777, and we soon signed treaties with several North African nations. In the Treaty of Tripoli, ratified unanimously by the Senate in 1797, it is stated that "the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion".
Of course, our first seven presidents included five Freemasons (some of whom were Christians and others Deists) as well as two Unitarians. Times were different back then!
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