The vast
ignorance of American history by far too many Americans is perhaps demonstrated
in the failure to understand that it was the free practice of their
interpretation of Christianity by the pilgrims that led to the creation of
America. Plymouth colony, established in 1620, put the Atlantic Ocean between
them and hostilities they had encountered in England.
To
understand the role of religion in America, the First Amendment begins with a
prohibition that the states shall make no law “respecting an establishment of
religion...” The Founders wanted to make sure that neither the federal, nor
state governments designated a particular religion as the only one. We can
thank James Madison for that and the other enumerated freedoms.
Religious
tolerance, which took some time to become fully established in the colonies and
the new nation, has been a significant part of life in America---a nation that
has always been predominantly Christian.
Easter should remind us of that.
As 2012
came to a close, the Pew Research Religion and Public Life Project offered the
following numbers regarding the global population of Christians. They were
determined to be approximately 2.2 billion worldwide. That’s about one-in-three
(32%).
About half
of all Christians are Catholic (50%) while an estimated 37% belong to the
Protestant tradition. The Orthodox Communion, including the Greek and Russian
Orthodox, make up 12% of Christians while those who belong to other branches
such as Mormons, Christian Scientists, and Jehovah Witnesses, make up about 1%
of the global population.
Though
Christianity took root in the Middle East, less than 1% of Christians are found
these days either there or in North Africa. The largest concentration is in
Europe (26%), followed closely by Latin American and the Caribbean (24%), and
sub-Saharan Africa (24%). Most Christians (87%) live in countries where
Christians are in the majority. Of the 232 countries and territories in the Pew
study, 157 had majorities, but most had relatively small populations.
What
surely has to be a cause for concern in America are the results of a Harris poll released in December 2013. While a strong majority (74%) of U.S. adults
said they believe in God, the figure was down from 82% in earlier years. Belief
in miracles, heaven, and other religious teachings were all in decline.
For
Christians, 68% expressed a belief that Jesus is God or the Son of God, down
from 72%. Belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ (65%) was down from 72%
ten years earlier.
Ranging
across various faith groups and other demographics, absolute certainty that there is a God was expressed by 54%, a
decline from 66%.
Only 19%
described themselves as “very” religious, while 40% described themselves as
“somewhat” religious, a decline from 49% in 2007. Nearly one-fourth of
Americans (23%) said they were “not at all” religious, a figure that has nearly
doubled since 2007 when it was only 12%.
A campaign
against the free practice of religion and respect for individual religious
values has been in place since the election of President Obama in 2008. It has
been particularly evident in the U.S. military, affecting its chaplains and
those to whom they minister. There are nearly a hundred cases in U.S. courts
resisting the demands of Obamacare and other actions by the administration and
those in various states and cities that affect religious beliefs and values.
The
introduction and support of same-sex marriage in the United States is a direct
attack on a tradition that pre-dates Christianity, Judaism and other faiths. It
is fundamentally anti-religious.
Beyond our shores
the slaughter of Christians by Muslims in Middle Eastern and nations like
Nigeria continues to pose a threat to them and those of other faiths. Islam is
the greatest threat to civilization that has existed since its rise began in
632 A.D.
All
Americans owe a debt of gratitude to those early pilgrims and to the Founders
who understood the value of religion and its free expression. Those who demand
that crosses be removed from public lands or that Christmas carols not be sung
in our schools do not understand what America is all about. Christians, in
particular, must vocally resist such demands and should be joined by those of
other faiths.
© Alan
Caruba, 2014
4 comments:
All I can say is: God Bless You, Alan. That about covers it.
Thought you might find this interesting...
Rev. Graham: Muslims Who ‘Want to Practice Sharia Law’ Should ‘Go Back to Where You Came From’
You really, really got the history wrong. It is Congress that shall not make a law regarding the establishment of religion. A majority of the original thirteen States had established churches, and that clause was intended to protect their already established churches. Massachusetts, for example, did not disestablish the Congregational Church until the 1840's. And some interpretations of Christianity were suppressed, e.g. the Catholic Church and in the 1800's the Mormon Church.
Toleration among Christians (and Jews) is really a late 20th Century thing. I can remember sitting in my high school homeroom in the 1950's in Boston and listening to a Protestant bigot tell the room full of Catholics and Jews that everyone used the King James bible, and then he would read to us from it.
Sykes, I didn't say that some states hadn't established certain religions, but that the Constitution outlawed the practice. It took time for them to revise their statutes.
Post a Comment