Friday, April 10, 2009

On Thomas Jefferson and America as a Christian nation


Is America a Christian nation? That is another question that is preoccuping the American media since Barack Obama returnded from his tour of Europe. While in Turkey, Obama said that although most Americans were Christians, there are also sizeable communities of Jews, Muslims etc. He stated that America does not consider itself a Christian nation, nor a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation, they are a nation bound by common ideals.
Of course, Fox News considered this statement tantamount to treason How dare he misrepresnt us like that? How dare he say that? The usual Anti-Obama vitriol flowed from the likes of Hannity and Rove.
I wonder what Madeleine Albright or Henry Kissenger would say about this idea of America as a Christian nation, two very prominent Americans, two former Secretaries of State, both Jewsih. Of course the anti-Obamans are quick to point out the term 'Judeo-Christian' they say America was created on Judeo-Christian values.
I have two points, the first one is about this concept of Christian values, no such concept exists, Christianity is not a uniform religion, it has been and is been interpreted in very many different ways. The complexity of what Christianity is is evidenced by the myriad of denominations that exist, with many denominations in stark contrast with each other. So what is a Christian nation then, if some say America is a Christian nation, then what about the Philippines, where 90% of the population is Christian, the values of these countries should be identical if they are found on this so called Christian values. Of course one can have the argument that the Philippines is a Catholic nation, and yes that argument holds water, so it would seem that in order to claim a state religion, the wide umbrella of Christianity needs to be fractionalized into denomintions. So is America an Episcopalian country, or a Baptist nation, or Methodist or Seventh Day Adventist.
The many ways in which Jesus Christ's words are interpreted make the concept of Christianity a very contentious one, yes the hatred and violence between Protestant and Catholic has reduced over the centuries but still one would accuse the other for not being Christian. When we add Mormonism and Jehovah's Witness and various strands of Pentecostalism, the issue of what exactly Christianity is becomes even more complex.
This brings me to Thomas Jefferson, one of the most revered American statesmen, a founding father of the great nation, his face graces the very rare 2 dollar bill.
He is still quoted today by many American politicians. He authored the Declaration of Independence, arguably the most important document in American history. The words on that document have framed American civic life and made it the unique country it is today, so this, and The Bill of Rights, authored by Jefferson's protégé James Madison, must be the source of the so-called Judeo-Christian values.
But a simple study of Thomas Jefferson would reveal his interesting brand of Christianity. Thomas Jefferson, unhappy with the divine Jesus, set about to write his own bible, removing all of Jesus' miracles and supernatural events during his life, claiming that these events were added by the authors of the gospels.
My point is that Jefferson saw Jesus Christ merely as a great philosopher, not as God as 'Christians' should believe. Yet despite his views, views that no self respecting Christian American politician today dare have, he is still revered today, and his Declaration of Independence is deeply cherished, and widely quoted.
The philosophy on which America is built does not stem from a religion, research tells us that most of Americans founding fathers were Deists and not Christians. It is a philosophy based on freedom and equality, a philosophy that was strengthened during the American struggle against Britsh Aristocracy and Monarchy.
While it is a fact that most Americans are Christians, and unlike in many European countries faith plays a prominent role in American political life, it is simply illogical to use those facts to claim that America is a Christian nation.

America is a Godly nation, however, would be a more truthful statement.

Nous avons confiance en Dieu

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