“Who does not see that the same authority which can establish Christianity, in exclusion of all other religions, may establish with the same ease any particular sect of Christians, in exclusion of all other sects?" - James Madison
I have a question for Christians. Not all of you, just the ones who keep perpetuating the myth that this is a Christian nation and that our government is based on "Christian values." The ones who think that God Himself had a hand in writing our Constitution, even though He is not mentioned in it not even once. The question is this: What do you want? What. Do. You. Want?
What kind of government is it that you're envisioning? Because let me tell you that if you search history for governments built upon religions, they don't have a great track record. I'm pretty sure the founders knew this. They were smart guys. They actually studied history. They didn't have FOX News to tell them what to think. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes.”
Let's say, for shits and giggles, that we alter our Constitution and proclaim, legally, that the United States of America is a Christian nation and Christianity is our state religion. Tell me, true believers, are you going to trust the establishment of that most personal of beliefs, your faith, to someone like Mitch McConnell? Do you really want decisions affecting your entire belief system to be in the hands of Nancy Pelosi?
By the way, which one of the estimated 1,500 denominations in America are we going to go with? You can't get a group of Baptists to agree on what temperature to set the thermostat on in the sanctuary. Let's throw Catholics, Methodists, Baptists, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, and Mormons in a room and tell them to come up with "the rules." Trust me, people are going to leave that room bloody. If the Pentecostals get their way, are you okay with wearing denim skirts for the rest of your lives, ladies? Oh, and I guarantee that some of you are thinking, "You shouldn't have included Mormons on that list." See, I was raised in a Baptist church and I was taught that the Mormons were a heathen and blasphemous cult. Funny, how so many Christians who believe that had zero problem voting for a Mormon for president. New joke: How do you get a Christian to vote for a cult member? Run him against a black guy!
Whatever sect of Christianity you align yourself with, you have to know somewhere deep down inside you that the establishment of a state religion goes against EVERYTHING that our founder's fought for and is unconstitutional on the most basic and remedial level. I know that you dream of this utopia where everyone shares your faith and everyone fellowships together and prays together. Guess what? That place exists. You attend it every Sunday. Why is that not enough? What do you want? If Christianity becomes the law, I promise you, it's not going to be the "version" of Christianity that you have in your head. It's going to look more Iran. Ask people who have gotten the hell out of there what living under a state-sponsored religion is like.
From Christianity Today: 78% of Americans identify themselves as Christians. The next largest percentage is Judaism and Islam. Combined, they represent less than three percent of the United States population. That's great news, Christians! You are not alone and there is no war against you in 'Merica, no matter what Bill O'Reilly says. Stop whining and bitching and moaning like petulant children, just because the First Amendment, that guarantees you the right to believe and worship as you please, also means that you are occasionally going to see things that offend you or that you disagree with and that you have to at least tolerate all those people who believe differently than you. All those things, DO NOT equal persecution, by the way.
The thing about living in a democracy is that it's the majority's responsibility to make sure the minority enjoys the same rights as they do. You are the majority, Christians. One more question: What will you do?
