Bearing Fruit

It is continually assumed, falsely, that the USA was founded to be a Christian nation.  It is also assumed, even more falsely, that the USA is a Christian nation today.  Both assumptions are made owing to the fact that evangelical Christians contort logic and the facts to try to "prove" both points.  As Jesus told us in Matthew 7:16, we know a tree by the fruit it bears.  The tree of the USA shows anything but being a Christian nation.

Look first of all at the founding fathers.  They knew quite extensively about other faiths apart from Christianity.  Great Britain being a vast empire all over this earth gave a vast knowledge of the world outside Europe and the culture of white people.  Thomas Jefferson wrote for the majority at the Constitutional Convention what Freedom of Religion means, "The Constitution shall provide protection equally to the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohammedan, the Hindu and Infidel of every denomination.  No religion is to be favored and none is to be demeaned by laws enacted by congress."  Clearly the Founding Fathers were not setting out to found a Christian nation.  Even if they were, today laws have been enacted to change that.

Let us look at fruit that has been bore since by the US government.  People of color have been discriminated against, tortured, subject to genocide, and murdered since the US became independent of Britain.  A great number of Christians stood against slavery, genocide of Native Americans, the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, and Jim Crow laws.  These Christians were also subjected to beatings, lynchings, investigated of being subversive, and imprisoned.

Today, a majority in Congress identify themselves as being "pro-life" yet the scourge of abortion remains.  In 1994 to 1996 the Republicans and conservative Democrats in Congress had the chance to submit a bill to reverse Roe v. Wade and the Supreme Court was more conservative at any time in US history, yet Newt Gingrich, Speaker of the House at the time said when Sen. Bob Dole and others wanted to submit such a bill, "Right now our focus must be on regaining the White House.  Abortion simply is not important right now,  We need the vote of women to get back in 1600 Pennsylvania."  So much for leading "by faith" as Gingrich said would be done during the 1994 campaigns.  By the way, Gingrich would resign in disgrace after a sexual scandal involving him emerged after he witch hunted President Clinton for over three years.

Right now both parties are against a rise in the minimum wage.  The argument being that such a rise would have no benefit for the working poor.  Really, well tell that to the father working at a big box retailer and at a fast food to provide for his family after losing his "real" job.  Tell that to the mother who counts out what little loose change she has at the grocery store.  Tell that to the children who go to school hungry because their parents earn just enough to keep them from a free breakfast at school.  Tell that to the over 7 million Americans who work in the service industry out of need, not choice.  Tell that to the food servers making $2.13 an hour because they are "tipped", and yet still have a difficulty paying rent, much less affording such luxuries as health insurance, paying utility bills on time, school lunch for their children, and filling up the car just to get to work.  Tell that to the working poor that they would not benefit from making $9 an hour instead of $7.85.  No one is asking for these employees to have the benefit packages or the pay or even the bonuses of the executives of the corporations, they are merely asking for another $1.15 an hour.

The USA is not a Christian nation.  There is absolutely nothing to show the US is by its treatment of its poor, its benevolence to the weakest in society,  its commitment to life, or how the US advances the principles of Christ's gospels.  The US is now and always has been a secular-humanist nation with a majority of Christian population.  Being a nation OF Christians does not equate to be a Christian nation.  The USA simply bears no Christian fruit.  The USA does bear the fruit to show it is a secular nation that advances humanist morals and values.

During this Lenten period if you wish to show you are a Christian then show the fruit of being a Christian.  Stand for the principles of the gospels.  One does this by feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, and visiting those sick and imprisoned.  Whether the US is a Christian nation is not important, what is important is what the Christians in the US do for the poor, the weak, and the oppressed.  As Jesus said, "You know a tree by the fruit it bears."