This has never been a Christian Nation

[Beebo Brink]

I was not expecting where this sermon went...

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

Interesting collection of opinions... It sounds like he mostly favors actual scripter which certainly doesn't always favor conservativism or liberalism. He does insert some of his own opinions though. In particular, the bible actually very clearly does NOT condemn slavery. It has a lot of advice on how to treat your slaves, but very clearly doesn't ban it at any point. It's really just secular morality that does that.

I won't bother giving a breakdown of everything I agree or disagree with. It was interesting though. I do certainly wish a lot more pasters reminded their followers that scripture CLEALRY encourages help for the poor.

 

[Sid]

I always thought that American Christianity was all about lining up the pockets of the TV preachers. One good fortune future for only two fifty dollar bills donated today. Or a family fortune future for only $399 + sales tax. Amen.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

I was not expecting where this sermon went...

"A christian nation wouldn {murder indigenous people, enslave others, fight and kill others to continue enslavement, ...}" ... and yet that stuff was done BY christians, in the name of christianity, and justified by the bible. So. Um. "No True Scotsman Fallacy" much?

After years of fermenting on belief I reached kind of a final mental resting spot that hinges on one awkwardly expressed core sentiment:

I can't accept that a god exists who would be so stupid as to create humans inherently corruptible by self interest, and then entrust 'His' divine truths to a fallible human chain of custody without incontrovertible means to corroborate it... given the fact that bestowing the "Divine Message" on humans gives them power that fundamentally corrupts both messenger and message.

 

[Tigger]

Gods aren't real but religions are and the message of a religion only echoes back to the adherents the things they want to hear.
Which is why.....

Evangelicals Are Now Rejecting ‘Liberal’ Teachings of Jesus

(article is a couple of years old now but this thread reminded me of it)

"Multiple pastors tell me, essentially, the same story about quoting the Sermon on the Mount, parenthetically, in their preaching—'turn the other cheek'—[and] to have someone come up after to say, 'Where did you get those liberal talking points?'" Moore said."When the pastor would say, 'I'm literally quoting Jesus Christ' ... The response would be, 'Yes, but that doesn't work anymore. That's weak," he added. "When we get to the point where the teachings of Jesus himself are seen as subversive to us, then we're in a crisis."

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

America's religion is capitalism. Everything else just serves it.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Depends what you mean by "Christian nation," I guess. I distrust attempts to differentiate between different groups of Christians who've either got Christianity right or have misunderstood it, depending on the extent to which they share the views of whoever is trying to differentiate between them.

While the governments of the (Sunni-majority) Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the (Shia-majority) Islamic Republic of Iran disagree profoundly about whether the other one is actually Muslim, most of us have no difficulty saying they're both "Muslim countries" for all practical purposes.

I'm not even sure what the term "Christian nation" is supposed to mean. The dominant religion in England has been Christianity for well over 1000 years. We have an established church, of which the King is the head, and Anglican bishops sit ex officio in the House of Lords. But we're generally far less religious than is much of the US, and religion plays very little part in the politics of the mainland UK (imagine the US Republicans electing a Hindu leader, like Rishi Sunak).

 

[Free]

Depends what you mean by "Christian nation," I guess.

People saying this make lip service to their faith, but it's merely an extreme form of nationalism based on what they think are Christian values (but are really their values). It's an exclusionary worldview, focused on who shouldn't be allowed to live here. They might just as easily use the phrase "Aryan Nation," but they'd probably run into problems there.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Simple - Vatican City is a Christian Nation. Or if you want it bigger the island of Malta in the Mediterrenean Sea.

The Roman-Catholic Church is the official state religion in its foundation.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

America's religion is capitalism. Everything else just serves it.

Not far off... though I can think of a number of times in our history where White Supremacy actually took priority over what was best for profit. The Tulsa Race Massacre is maybe a good example.