Christian America

America is not a Christian country. Yes, the founding fathers were Christian. They also wrote about and/or wrote into the Constitution those troublesome notions of freedom of religion and the separation of Church and state. And, they lived a few hundred years ago and are now dead. Mostly dead are the people who did not found the country but did adopt “In God we trust” as the official motto of the United States and wrote God into the pledge of allegiance. Not dead are the thirty or so percent of folks living here now who aren’t Christian. Christians living here now are also not dead, and are becoming increasingly vocal, strident, intolerant, and … well … un-Christian. They are still American though, even if they don’t always extend that recognition to all of the rest of us. What makes them American isn’t their religion. It’s their birth in this country. That’s it. What makes this country America is us, the folks that were born here. I know it is circular reasoning, but it is also true. America is only a beacon of freedom if we make it one. It is only a country where people have equality of opportunity if we make it one. It is only a country ruled by religious law if we make it one. If we are intolerant, bigoted, and greedy … so is America. So, right now, America is not a Christian country. If we are lucky and work hard, we can keep it that way.