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No, Dan, America is Not a Christian Nation

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A letter to the editor in Friday's Chicago Tribune has got my blood boiling. In it, Dan Schuchardt of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, wrote:
I am getting tired of President Barack Obama's pandering to Muslims. Despite his pronouncement America is not a Christian nation, the facts say otherwise. It's about time for Americans to wake up to the fact that Obama wants to change America into a secular nation, and the media is helping him accomplish that mission. If I'm wrong than let's see Obama proclaim his Christian faith as he did when he was running for office -- or was that just another lie?
First of all, despite the insistence of the Christian right-wing extremists, the U.S. is not a Christian nation. And, in fact, many of our most prominent Founding Fathers were not Christians. They were Deists. They did not believe in a personal god. And they did not believe in the Christian God. Dan needs to reacquaint himself with the U.S. Constitution, which makes absolutely no mention of God or Christianity. It was with good reason that this nation's founders wrote the "establishment clause" into the First Amendment, which states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." It was to protect the minority from tyranny of the majority (which today happens to be Christian). Our founders did not want this nation to sink into theocracy. They knew that theocracy always leads to oppression and loss of freedom. Our founders wanted to establish a democracy in which the government serves all the people, not just the Christian ones. But Dan in Glen Ellyn would apparently have it otherwise, and won't let the truth get in the way of his fantasy. Oh, and by the way, Dan, Obama did indeed proclaim his Christian faith during his address to the Muslim world on Thursday. In the seventh paragraph of his speech, Obama said, "I'm a Christian." So, Dan, next time you might want to actually research the real facts before propagating incorrect extremist talking points. Otherwise, you might just come across as an ignorant anti-Muslim bigot.

 

Mary Shaw is a Philadelphia-based writer and activist, with a focus on politics, human rights, and social justice. She is a former Philadelphia Area Coordinator for the Nobel-Prize-winning human rights group Amnesty International, and her views (more...)
 

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Perhaps Dan by sommers on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 7:45:32 AM
US is Officially NOT a Christian Nation by Carter Calhoun on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 7:59:20 AM
US is Officially NOT a Christian Nation by Dak on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 8:59:33 AM
more info by liberalsrock on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 9:15:07 AM
The Treaty of Tripoli is but a small part of the story. by Ruth on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 12:10:11 PM
Is America A Christian Nation by Dak on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 8:53:08 AM
No Dan, America is not a Christian Nation by Mary Shaw by syed mahdi on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 9:40:43 AM
Good for you, Mary by Nick van Nes on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 10:49:58 AM
The Intent of the Founding Fathers by Ruth on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 11:41:46 AM
Embrace 'God' and destroy by TomK on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 12:10:33 PM
Definition of God by Ruth on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 12:37:06 PM
God isn't a name, by Dave Kisor on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 5:23:39 PM
Treaty of Tripoli by John on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 12:58:32 PM
Jesus by shadow dancer on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 1:07:20 PM
Jesus won't judge, but his testimony will. by Ruth on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 1:33:40 PM
I Don't Believe by shadow dancer on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 4:13:13 PM
Shadow Dancer by Bob Gormley on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 4:22:30 PM
Come on, Shadow, be honest. by Ruth on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 5:16:28 PM
Ruth by shadow dancer on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 6:30:57 PM
Shadow Dancer, it's still doctrine. by Ruth on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 6:58:10 PM
I Am by shadow dancer on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 7:50:04 PM
Shadow, I never said you were a Mormon by Ruth on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 8:07:23 PM
Emo Philips Said It Best by Jennifer Hathaway on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 1:09:41 PM
Good one, Jennifer by Ruth on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 1:42:03 PM
FYI: New Age Philosophy by Bob Gormley on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 3:10:52 PM
By your definition, the founding fathers were "New Agers" by Ruth on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 3:30:10 PM
So Be It by Bob Gormley on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 3:42:14 PM
Being So by Jennifer Hathaway on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 3:54:04 PM
I Would Say..... by Bob Gormley on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 4:12:51 PM
Fun World by shadow dancer on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 6:40:02 PM
Shadow, part of what you said is true by Ruth on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 7:21:24 PM
Thanks For by shadow dancer on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 7:55:58 PM
Sometimes It's Fun by Bob Gormley on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 7:38:30 PM
Bob, part of what you say is true. by Ruth on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 7:27:01 PM
You don't believe in "a man's writings?" That's not true. by Ruth on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 4:07:10 PM
My reply was to Bob, not Jennifer by Ruth on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 4:09:46 PM
True ... to an Extent by Bob Gormley on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 4:20:15 PM
Eyewitnesses? by Ruth on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 5:39:50 PM
How Can All Religions Be True? by Bob Gormley on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 6:34:19 PM
All religions are different, but, at their core are ... by Ruth on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 7:06:11 PM
I Agree by Bob Gormley on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 7:44:18 PM
I Don't Belong by shadow dancer on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 8:02:38 PM
You are not speaking truth, Shadow Dancer by Ruth on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 8:29:30 PM
Wait by shadow dancer on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 9:30:01 PM
The "Wrath" is not God's, and it's not in one day. by Ruth on Sunday, Jun 7, 2009 at 1:57:44 PM
DANGER OF THEOCRACY by liecatcher on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 5:31:39 PM
But some Protestants are worse by Ruth on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 5:52:31 PM
The truth will show the way by Fred Mitchell on Saturday, Jun 6, 2009 at 9:13:49 PM
Christian by Archie on Sunday, Jun 7, 2009 at 1:16:14 AM
Not true Judaism, not true Christianity, not true Islam by Ruth on Sunday, Jun 7, 2009 at 2:16:57 PM