America as a Christian Nation (Book Notes: American Jesus)
In American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon, Stephen Prothero writes:
[O]bjectivity is a casualty on both sides of the Christian American debate. Participants often oscillate between the descriptive and the normative, confusing what is (or was) with what ought to be. They also routinely conflate demographic, legal, and cultural questions, forgetting that a country may be Christian in one respect and secular in another.
Typically those who understand the United States as a multireligious country focus on the law and cheer on the religious “outsiders,” while those who emphasize its Christian character focus on demography and cast their lot with the “insiders.”
While for one group Christian dominance (either real or perceived) is the problem, for the other it is the solution.
It’s certainly true that opponents of the “Christian Nation” agenda make their share of mistakes as well, but they only make such arguments in response to the Christian Right’s deeply flawed arguments. America is a “Christian” Nation in the same way that it is a “White” Nation — most people are Christian (White), most people historically have been Christian (White), and the country was founded by predominantly Christian (White) people. Because of this, the culture of the nation also tends to be more Christian (White) than anything else.
What does all of this mean, though? Does any of it lead to the conclusions promoted by the Christian Right? Absolutely not. America may be a “Christian” (White) Nation in all of those respects, but it doesn’t mean that America should be ruled by Christians (Whites), controlled by Christian (White) principles, or for the benefit of a Christian (White) agenda.
America’s culture and history are indeed dominated by Christians, just as they are dominated by Whites, but America’s law, politics, and social standards must not be limited to just the desires of Christians or Whites. America, in order to be America, must exist equally for people of all religions and all races.
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Comments
This assumes that religious identity and racial identity are equivalent. That is an awful lot to assume. After all, religion need not just be something with which one is just born; it can also be something one adopts. If the majority of Americans speak English, today and historically, does that mean that America is not, and should not be an English-speaking country? If the majority of Americans prefer democracy to monarchy, today and historically, does that America is not, and should not, be a democratic nation?
This assumes that religious identity and racial identity are equivalent.
No, it doesn’t. People claim that America is a Christian Nation. What does that mean, though? There are a variety of possible meanings - but most of the ones claimed as the “real” meaning by those making the assertion can also be said about America being a “White” Nation.
Racial and religious identity don’t need to be equivalent for this to be the case.
Otherwise, I frankly don’t understand your comment.
After all, religion need not just be something with which one is just born; it can also be something one adopts.
Are you implying that, since religious belief is (at least in theory) a matter of choice that can be changed, that it’s therefore OK to discriminate against those who do not hold the majority religious views?
If the majority of Americans speak English, today and historically, does that mean that America is not, and should not be an English-speaking country?
You’re creating an either-or false dichotomy. Why can’t America be a country of several languages? There’s no reason to be English-only or non-English-only. Besides, what does it mean to be an English-speaking country anyway? To simply mean to say that the majority of Americans speak English (and I know some Brits who might disagree with that
) is quite a different thing than saying that the US gov’t should adopt an English-only policy.
If the majority of Americans prefer democracy to monarchy, today and historically, does that America is not, and should not, be a democratic nation?
This is not analogous to the other examples, as America was intended almost from the beginning to be democratic (or a democratic republic). While there have always been sentiments (most always in the minority, thankfully) that America should be intended only for whites, and/or xtians, our country was never set up to be all-white or all-xtian.
(Historical side note: there was a brief movement to appoint George Washington as King of the US; he pointedly refused to have a monarchy established.)