To hear my country was a Christian nation from the beginning and that the Founders intended it to be so forever is utterly ridiculous. Politicians say these things in order to keep their people happy however I doubt they are their own personal religious standards. And to every other person who is not of that faith, you are basically cut out of the picture. Many issues return to our own misunderstanding of our country’s founding principles. Yes, freedom of religion is virtually rule number one. However, the hate that has been instilled amongst people who follow different religions or no religion at all is even more graspable in some cases than in past times. Republicans saying what they need to in order to obtain or keep votes instead of saying something that is factually accurate is not OK, but what else is new? This issue strikes a deep cord with me because so many people are not informed about the topic and make such rash generalizations and conclusions.
I quote former presidential candidate John McCain when he said, “I just have to say in all candor that since this nation was founded primarily on Christian principles, personally, I prefer someone who has a grounding in my faith.” This was in 2007, right on track with his political campaign. Now, I offer some other quotes that I find much more “grounding” in terms of my own beliefs. John Adams, while signing the Treaty of Tripoli added, “The Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.” Thomas Jefferson also notes, “I am for freedom of religion and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendancy of one sect over another.” And for one final nail in the coffin on this issue, our famed Benjamin Franklin has said, “Lighthouses are more useful than churches.” Now my point isn’t to bash religion, it is just to make more clear what the founding fathers of this country thought of religion and that Christianity wasn’t what they were thinking about when clearly separating church and state.
The point I want to make here is that so many of our principles and policies were guided by the morality of certain religions and that is extremely detrimental. Issues such as abortion policy, climate change, drug offenses, LGBT rights, and worst of all, foreign policy are unfortunately guided by certain religious principles.
When religious beliefs trickle down onto these laws and rights, everyone bears the burden of what the results are. To tell someone it’s not God’s way for someone to get an abortion deserves a look in the mirror because who gave them the ability to judge? It wasn’t God, I can tell you that. The freedom of religion should be respected, and that should be it. Our country is divided along such polarized lines that they cross into people’s religious and political beliefs, which is entirely against the nature in which this nation was founded. My hope is that Washington D.C. can become blind to religion and follow the secular government that was designed for them in the first place. So before John McCain or Chris Christie takes the stage next, he should truly ask himself, is this Gods’ country, or our country?
Do you think the government should remain secular or that religion should be a part of policy? Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
