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Should the U.S. be a declared a Christian Nation? [1]

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Date: 2022-09-22

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/09/21/most-republicans-support-declaring-the-united-states-a-christian-nation-00057736

For decades, Republicans campaigned against abortion. They finally got their wish: Roe vs Wade was overturned. And how is that turning out for them? Not so well, apparently. It is widely anticipated their anti-abortion efforts will cost them dearly this November. It seems like railing against abortion is popular with Republicans, but actually losing the right to your own body isn’t as popular, especially with Republican women. Some issues are good for getting votes but not so good for actually implementing. Republican support for declaring the U.S. a Christian nation is one of those issues. Declaring the U.S. a Christian nation appeals to some Christian voters, but they would not like it if they got their wish. Why? Because they never stop to ask themselves: Exactly what type of Christianity?

Some statistics. The Wikipedia page “Religion in the United States[1]” says the U.S. is 42% Protestant, 21% Catholic and 2% Mormon. From the stats, it seems unlikely the U.S. would be a Mormon Christian nation. At 42%, some form of Protestantism seems more likely. But the numbers are deceptive; they compare apples to oranges. Catholics are united under one man, the pope. Not so, Protestants. Pew Research[2] says in the U.S. about 26% are Evangelical Protestant, 15% Mainline Protestant, and Catholics at the 21%. Protestant churches include the infamous Westboro Baptist Church who is anti-Semitic, anti-gay, anti-Catholic, and anti-Santa Claus. Seriously. Check out the YouTube video[3] “Westboro Baptist Church - Santa Claus Will Take You to Hell,” which includes such the unforgettable lyric “Santa’s to Blame for the Economy’s Fate.”

Given the division and disagreement between Protestantism’s hundreds (thousands?) of different denominations, exactly which form of Christianity would prevail if the U.S. were to become a Christian nation?

Hint: The National Catholic Register[4] says “6 of the 9 Supreme Court Justices are Catholic — Here’s a Closer Look. The Catholics on the nation’s highest court include Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.”

OK, so imagine it’s 2040 and the U.S. is officially a Christian nation based on a large helping of Catholicism. Fundamentalist Joe asks his little daughter Susie what she did in school today. “Well, daddy, we began class with the usual prayer to God, Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, and then we . . .” I expect Fundamentalist Joe won’t be too pleased. But exactly what did semi-brain-dead Fundamentalist Joe expect when he voted for the U.S. to become a Christian Nation?

Pushing for a Christian Nation is an issue, like abortion, that gets votes, but actually implementing it is another matter entirely.

Moral: Be careful what you wish for.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/9/22/2124545/-Should-the-U-S-be-a-declared-a-Christian-Nation

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