I have often
heard this statement from many Americans, and about America: “We are a
Christian nation.” I have always been
troubled by this assertion and have wondered what it means. Recently, a facebook friend posted the
following statement on his facebook page:
“Denmark and Sweden are among the
least religious nations in the world, Yet they enjoy the highest standard of
living in the world and a main reason for that is because the people are
concerned about each other and look out for each other, so even though taxes
are a little high, the people don't mind because they are concerned that every
one (rich/middle class/poor) has a right to hassle free health care (Note I did
not say free, nothing is free). One cannot say the same for this country where
most proclaim to be Christians. Most of the people in Denmark and Sweden are
non religious or Atheists, Yet they seem demonstrate more Christian values than
us who pride ourselves as Christians......go figure!!!”
Reading that statement set me to
thinking about that statement again, “We (America) are a Christian nation.” Of
course Christianity cannot be measured simply by the number of people who have
access to healthcare but it does say something about the moral values of a
people and a nation who seemingly care little about millions of their fellow
citizens who have very limited or no access to healthcare while they stridently
make claims to corporate Christianity.
Here are some other troubling statistics. In a report published by the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime based on data
collected between 1995 and 2011, there were 14,748 intentional homicides[1] in America, at a rate[2] of 4.8. As a comparison, Sweden
had 91 homicides at a rate of 1.0; Norway, 29 at a rate of 0.6; United Kingdom,
722 at a rate of 1.2; Canada, 554 at a rate of 1.6. The United States ranks far worse among all
European or Western countries, except a few countries of the former Soviet
Union – Belarus, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, Estonia, and Lithuania. (I have
excluded Africa and Central America from the comparisons as the statistics in
those regions are heavily influenced by civil wars, failed states and drug wars.)[3] Americans, though vocally
expressive about their Christian faith live in society that is extremely
violent and awash with guns (over 300 million) which are the primary tools of
violence and murder. But America’s claim
of Christianity, democracy and freedom is supported by a powerful Christian
community which it proposes our political and financial model as the only
viable avenue to social stability. To the
non-Christian onlookers, our culture reeks of violence, immorality, hatred, and
a disdain for the poor, the immigrant and the dispossessed. The Originator of Christianity
himself stood for the widow, the imprisoned, the sick, the orphans and all the
underclass. (I will exclude the current gun
debate from my discussion).
What does it say about our “Christian” society
that we are so much more violent and seemingly uncaring than our self-professed
agnostic European neighbors? What does it
say about our Christian values that our cities are inundated with thousands of
homeless and mentally unstable citizens all destitute and lacking basic medical
care while our politicians support a system that maintain laws and policies designed
to support an upper class awash in wealth, immorality and hedonism. How are we a Christian nation, the richest on
earth, while many of our citizens involuntarily live in want and need?
As the battle over taxes and
guns, healthcare and immigration, deficits and budgets takes over Washington, our
Christianity is expressed individually, not corporately. So, are we a Christian
nation? What impact do I make on the society in which I live? How can I make it safer and thus lighten the
burden for all? Is it relevant that
supposedly God-less European societies live more peacefully and seem to support
laws that facilitate more lawful and pleasant societies than we do? So are we a Christian nation? No! We
are not a Christian nation. To support that viewpoint is to ignore the millions
of citizens – Muslim, Hindu, Atheist, Agnostic, Jew, and others – who make a
notable contribution to our society and make it work, and to ignore the many
Christians whose un-Christian behavior contribute to our society’s demise. We are a nation of pluralism, of numerous peoples
of ethnic and religious diversity living together with the goal of helping and
supporting each other in this democratic republic. The question is best answered by our individual
behavior. Christians must rethink this
claim by many in our country and start living individually as Christians,
behaving like the God-man whose name we claim; who instructed us to be the
light to the world and the salt, the flavor, of the earth?
[1] Intentional homicide in this case is
defined as unlawful death purposefully inflicted on a person by another person
[3] For more information http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/statistics/Homicide/Globa_study_on_homicide_2011_web.pdf
retrieved February 8, 2013
