The Farce of a Christian Nation

I am probably going to get my butt handed to me again, but I just have to say that I think the idea of this being a Christian Nation is a farce. I think it is just a political game to gain the vote of the religious right. So why do I say this?

Okay, first off, why is Stop and Shop open today? Today is supposed to be one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar along with Christmas. Yet when I went to the market Friday to get all I needed, I saw the sign saying they would be open. I think this is ridiculous. I spoke out back in January when I saw Kohls was to be open on New Years. I spoke out saying that they needed to shut their doors and let families be together. I was immediately set upon. I was told I was a socialist and trying to drive the country into the ground. They continued by saying that we had to have stores open to save the economy. Really? Another woman jumped all over me and told me that she wanted the stores open because she didn't have anything else to do and didn't want to sit around watching the guys watch football. So I responded back to her that she was making that cashier and stockers come into work because she was bored! Oh, how Christian an attitude.

I grew up in the days of the blue laws. All stores except gas stations, convenience stores and restaurants were closed. Every holiday saw families getting together for cookouts and beach days. Every Sunday saw a big Sunday dinner that brought the whole family together. Bit by bit, this was chipped away until now, the only holidays that stores were closed were Christmas and Easter. Well, now Easter has fallen, and that leaves Christmas. I suspect that this year will be the year that Christmas falls too. So much for a Christian nation.

Then there is the whole political atmosphere. The side that seems to call for a return to a Christian nation, though in truth we never were, but that is another point, is the side that seems to act less like Christians. They are the ones that fought against universal health care. They shouted about the demise of America as it fell into socialism. Not hardly, because if it did, then we would have universal health care, unemployment would be low as the economy would not be based on money. The thing is, if Jesus were here today, he would be derided for being a socialist. I mean, here is a man who saw a multitude come to hear him speak and rather than turn them away, took the few fish and loaves of bread and multiplied them so that all were satiated. And he didn't charge them a thing. He healed the sick and didn't charge a dime. Heck, he even made house calls to raise the dead. Maybe if we were a true socialist nation, not the image we have of dark Russia, but real socialism where everyone takes care of everyone else, maybe then we would be a Christian nation.

The truth is, we are not. Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli signed by then President Adams explicitly states that we were not. Of course, our actions also say we are not. One of the arguments I heard from a Tea Party supporter against Universal Healthcare was, "I am not going to pay for some trailer trash or monkey who can't keep their legs closed from having a kid." His words, not mine, but it only shows how people talk about being a Christian nation, but their words and actions belie that truth. The real truth is that we are not a Christian Nation, our God is not Yahweh, Elohim, or Jehovah. We do not walk and act as Jesus did. Our God is green, and I don't mean the Green Man, but rather the one with Grant, Franklin, Hamilton, and Washington. We are more concerned with the costs of things rather than what is right. This is why many people go without proper medical care. This is why people are being put out of their homes by banks that the taxpayers bailed out. This is why we try to amass as many things as we can. This is why we are depleting resources at an alarming rate because we are stuck in the paradigm of consumption. This is why we are more concerned with getting more resources no matter what the cost to the environment or the people who live in the area.

I may anger some people with my thoughts but I think people need to be challenged at times. I think we all need to take a step back and think about the way we treat others. What is more important to us? Do we really get ahead by opening stores on holidays and keeping families from coming together? Why was our economy so much better back in the days of the blue laws, which flies in the face of those who support opening stores on holidays? We have grown apart from each other and from the environment around us. We are so caught up with getting ahead that we have fallen behind. If we truly want to be a Christian nation, then we need to start changing our attitudes. We need to start treating each other with respect. We need to reconnect with our God whether we call him Allah, Jehovah, Yahweh, Elohim, or even if it is a Goddess like Ceredwyn or Bridget. We need to relearn how Jesus walked and taught the people. How he reached out and fed the people, both physically as in the story of the fish and loaves, or spiritually as his life was devoted. We need to look at our own lives and attitudes towards others. If we truly want a Christian nation, then we need to be more accepting of all people. We need to be more giving of our hearts and time. We also need to rethink our political stances in light of WWJD (What Would Jesus Do)? I think you might be surprised that if it was a choice between helping the least of us or making a profit, Jesus would choose helping every time.

This was not meant to offend, but to maybe stir a discussion. I just get upset when I see people being forced to work on a holiday so that bored people have something to do. I feel like we are creating a caste system. While most white collar workers and executives are still getting their holidays, the poorer people are being forced to work so that the others "have something to do because they are bored". There is a better way to live. As long as we pray to the Green God, we will never see it.

My heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit.