Is America a Christian Nation?
Many Christians claim America is a “Christian nation” but America has never been a Christian nation for the simple reason that a “nation” cannot be religious—only people can. America, like all nations, is made up of people with myriad ideas, religious and otherwise, and those ideas are in constant flux. Most believe in one of the many flavors of Christianity though it should be noted that in 1790 some 90% of Americans did not go to church at all. Trends suggest we may be coming full circle as fewer and fewer Americans affiliate with Christianity or any other religion and it is possible we could see a predominately atheistic American population at some point. Of course it would be just as inaccurate to call America an atheist nation then as it is to call it a Christian nation now.
It is also argued that because America was founded by Christians it is therefore a “Christian nation” but It seems our first six presidents are better described as Deists, not Christians. The author of The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, denied the divinity of Jesus and Thomas Paine, widely considered the man most responsible for inspiring the Declaration of Independence, absolutely detested the Bible. However, even if our founding fathers were Christians, it would not mean that our nation should forever embrace their religious ideas as most all of them also believed it just —even God ordained— to own other human beings as property and withhold from women the right to vote. We abandoned these and other primitive ideas so why not abandon their religious notions as well? What makes a country thrive is its ability to continuously evolve.
In 1873, Robert Green Ingersoll said, “It is contended by many that ours is a Christian government, founded upon the Bible, and that all who look upon the book as false or foolish are destroying the foundation of our country. The truth is, our government is not founded upon the rights of gods, but upon the rights of men. Our Constitution was framed, not to declare and uphold the deity of Christ, but the sacredness of humanity. Ours is the first government made by the people and for the people. It is the only nation with which the gods have had nothing to do. And yet there are some judges dishonest and cowardly enough to solemnly decide that this is a Christian country, and that our free institutions are based upon the infamous laws of Jehovah.”
In a "Reply To The Indianapolis Clergy" Ingersoll writes, “Our civilization is not Christian. It does not come from the skies. It is not a result of "inspiration." It is the child of invention, of discovery, of applied knowledge -- that is to say, of science. When man becomes great and grand enough to admit that all have equal rights; when thought is untrammeled; when worship shall consist in doing useful things; when religion means the discharge of obligations to our fellow-men, then, and not until then, will the world be civilized.”
Monday, June 22, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
thought of the day.318
“It is not hardness of heart or evil passions that drive certain individuals to atheism, but rather a scrupulous intellectual honesty.”
~ Steve Allen, 2000 Years of Disbelief
~ Steve Allen, 2000 Years of Disbelief
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
thought of the day.317
Genesis 1-3 NBT (Non-Believer Translation)
An invisible something called 'God' who existed forever and always as a penis-less Father, a mother-less Son of the Father and a sheetless Ghost rolled into one, yet remaining distinctly three, without shape or substance, decided to make a universe. This God performed ‘his’ first miracle by making light but no light source. More miracles followed when he made mornings and nights without sunrises and sunsets and molded a man out of dirt, shaping each eyelash, each organ (vestigial ones included), and each neuron and synapse with his bigger than life invisible God hands. Perhaps even more miraculous than the dirt-man becoming flesh and blood is that he came to life speaking a language.
After failing miserably at his attempt to find a suitable mate for the man amongst a parade of animals, (not a terribly astute all-knowing being) the invisible God put the man to sleep, knifed his way into his chest and broke off a rib—Ouch! He rubbed his bigger than life invisible God hands on the bloody broken bone and magically transformed it into a woman. Bad move. Should have stuck with an aardvark or sheep as a partner for the man as all hell broke lose when the woman brought death into the world by disobeying the disembodied voice of the invisible God. Soon after, the invisible sculptor/surgeon put on the hat of invisible hunter as he killed some animals (perhaps with a big invisible bow and arrow or maybe he just beat their heads against a rock) and after somehow gutting and skinning them, (maybe Jesus had a holy hunting knife on hand) he replaced his camouflage hat with a tailor cap and used his big invisible bloodstained hands to fashion clothes for his naked Ken and Barbie (needle and thread provided by helpful angels who procured them from a sewing shop just above the clouds no doubt).
An invisible something called 'God' who existed forever and always as a penis-less Father, a mother-less Son of the Father and a sheetless Ghost rolled into one, yet remaining distinctly three, without shape or substance, decided to make a universe. This God performed ‘his’ first miracle by making light but no light source. More miracles followed when he made mornings and nights without sunrises and sunsets and molded a man out of dirt, shaping each eyelash, each organ (vestigial ones included), and each neuron and synapse with his bigger than life invisible God hands. Perhaps even more miraculous than the dirt-man becoming flesh and blood is that he came to life speaking a language.
After failing miserably at his attempt to find a suitable mate for the man amongst a parade of animals, (not a terribly astute all-knowing being) the invisible God put the man to sleep, knifed his way into his chest and broke off a rib—Ouch! He rubbed his bigger than life invisible God hands on the bloody broken bone and magically transformed it into a woman. Bad move. Should have stuck with an aardvark or sheep as a partner for the man as all hell broke lose when the woman brought death into the world by disobeying the disembodied voice of the invisible God. Soon after, the invisible sculptor/surgeon put on the hat of invisible hunter as he killed some animals (perhaps with a big invisible bow and arrow or maybe he just beat their heads against a rock) and after somehow gutting and skinning them, (maybe Jesus had a holy hunting knife on hand) he replaced his camouflage hat with a tailor cap and used his big invisible bloodstained hands to fashion clothes for his naked Ken and Barbie (needle and thread provided by helpful angels who procured them from a sewing shop just above the clouds no doubt).
Monday, June 15, 2009
thought of the day.316
“Man is the only religious animal. He is the only animal that has the True Religion—several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat, if his theology isn't straight. He has made a graveyard of the globe in trying his honest best to smooth his brother's path to happiness and heaven.”
~ Mark Twain (1835-1910), Letters from the Earth, "The Damned Human Race," 1909
~ Mark Twain (1835-1910), Letters from the Earth, "The Damned Human Race," 1909
Friday, June 12, 2009
thought of the day.315
“They first came for the Communists and I didn't speak up -
because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews and I didn't speak up-
because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn't speak up -
because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics and I didn't speak up -
because I wasn't a Catholic.
Then they came for me -
and by that time no one was left to speak up.”
~ Pastor Martin Niemoeller
because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews and I didn't speak up-
because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn't speak up -
because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics and I didn't speak up -
because I wasn't a Catholic.
Then they came for me -
and by that time no one was left to speak up.”
~ Pastor Martin Niemoeller
Monday, June 8, 2009
thought of the day.314
“I realized early on that it is detailed scientific knowledge which makes certain religious beliefs untenable. A knowledge of the true age of the earth and of the fossil record makes it impossible for any balanced intellect to believe in the literal truth of every part of the Bible in the way that fundamentalists do. And if some of the Bible is manifestly wrong, why should any of the rest of it be accepted automatically? . . . What could be more foolish than to base one's entire view of life on ideas that, however plausible at the time, now appear to be quite erroneous? And what would be more important than to find our true place in the universe by removing one by one these unfortunate vestiges of earlier beliefs?”
~ Francis Crick, What Mad Pursuit: A Personal View of Scientific Discovery, 1988
~ Francis Crick, What Mad Pursuit: A Personal View of Scientific Discovery, 1988
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
thought of the day.312
Vaccinations, Autism and Jesus
Harriet Hall, MD, writes, “During a question and answer session after a talk I recently gave, I was asked for my opinion about the vaccine/autism controversy. That was easy: my opinion is that there is no controversy. The evidence is in. The scientific community has reached a clear consensus that vaccines don’t cause autism. There is no controversy.
“There is, however, a manufactroversy — a manufactured controversy — created by junk science, dishonest researchers, professional misconduct, outright fraud, lies, misrepresentations, irresponsible reporting, unfortunate media publicity, poor judgment, celebrities who think they are wiser than the whole of medical science, and a few maverick doctors who ought to know better. Thousands of parents have been frightened into rejecting or delaying immunizations for their children. The immunization rate has dropped, resulting in the return of endemic measles in the U.K. and various outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in the U.S. children have died. Herd immunity has been lost. The public health consequences are serious and are likely to get worse before they get better — a load of unscientific nonsense has put us all at risk. ”
This an example of how accepting ideas without evidence often leads to all kinds of negative consequences. Whether the topic is autism, real estate, politics, religion or anything else, it is never a good idea to accept ideas without compelling supporting evidence.
Harriet Hall, MD, writes, “During a question and answer session after a talk I recently gave, I was asked for my opinion about the vaccine/autism controversy. That was easy: my opinion is that there is no controversy. The evidence is in. The scientific community has reached a clear consensus that vaccines don’t cause autism. There is no controversy.
“There is, however, a manufactroversy — a manufactured controversy — created by junk science, dishonest researchers, professional misconduct, outright fraud, lies, misrepresentations, irresponsible reporting, unfortunate media publicity, poor judgment, celebrities who think they are wiser than the whole of medical science, and a few maverick doctors who ought to know better. Thousands of parents have been frightened into rejecting or delaying immunizations for their children. The immunization rate has dropped, resulting in the return of endemic measles in the U.K. and various outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in the U.S. children have died. Herd immunity has been lost. The public health consequences are serious and are likely to get worse before they get better — a load of unscientific nonsense has put us all at risk. ”
This an example of how accepting ideas without evidence often leads to all kinds of negative consequences. Whether the topic is autism, real estate, politics, religion or anything else, it is never a good idea to accept ideas without compelling supporting evidence.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
thought of the day.311
The difference between Reality and Truth
Reality is the actual state of things independent of our minds whereas “truth” is merely a perception of reality. The closer that perception aligns with reality, the more true it is, but as all perceptions are subjective and incomplete, so is “truth”.
Reality is the actual state of things independent of our minds whereas “truth” is merely a perception of reality. The closer that perception aligns with reality, the more true it is, but as all perceptions are subjective and incomplete, so is “truth”.
Monday, June 1, 2009
thought of the day.310
Death is not Nothingness
There’s no Heaven, no Hell, no eternal bliss, no everlasting torment, no silent oblivion, no black engulfing emptiness. No nothingness. For all these things are something and death is the annihilation of everything—the complete cessation of sense. So there’s no reason to fear death but every reason to suck the marrow out of each and every moment!
There’s no Heaven, no Hell, no eternal bliss, no everlasting torment, no silent oblivion, no black engulfing emptiness. No nothingness. For all these things are something and death is the annihilation of everything—the complete cessation of sense. So there’s no reason to fear death but every reason to suck the marrow out of each and every moment!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
