Evangelicals want "restoration" and "recognition."

[KansDem]

While reading book reviews, I found this reference...

The Christian coalition: dreams of restoration, demands for recognition by Justin Watson.

The reviewer describes the Christian Coalition as "a recent political mobilization of conservative Evangelicals" and seeks two goals: restoration and recognition. "Restoration" refers to the belief that "American must be restored to its original status as a Christian nation--a status lost when the hegemony of evangelicalism was undercut by 19th-century dynamics of urbanization, industrialization, immigration, modernity, and secularization." "Recognition" refers to the belief that "evangelical Christians are victimized by a hostile secular culture; the demand 'equal recognition' in political and cultural spheres." (Choice, June 2006, p.1753-1754)

My questions are:
(1) Was America "originally" a "Christian nation?" If it was, wouldn't this be set forth in the Constitution? Why didn't the founding fathers write Christian principles into the Constitution? I believe the Charters of Freedom were products of the Enlightenment. Was the Enlightenment "religion-based?" And how does urbanization, industrialization, and immigration undermine Christianity?

(2) How do Evangelicals want to be recognized? By infusing myth and superstition onto a culture founded on principles of the Enlightenment? Don't they see how the two do not necessarily share a common foundation?

[hobbit709]

1. Check this site out

http://freethought.mbdojo.com/foundingfathers.html

[liberal N proud]

2. Arrrrgh - America was not established as Christian nation no matter

how much they want to push that crap.



:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[katty]

4. nope, let them have Utah & Montana-sick of their whinning!

[katty]

3. did the Native American Indians know they were really Christians?!

[Howardx]

5. i want restoration to the hegemony of freemasonry

that this country was founded on!

[RoseMead]

6. Aprons all round!

LOL! :rofl:

[Jaundice James]

7. Be careful...

They're just lies. That's it.
Call them what they are.

Don't argue with a liar; it just lends them credibility.
(What's that expression about arguing with a fool and people not knowing which one's the fool?)

Dismiss the premise.

Mostly crap like this is just them "preaching to the choir" and it scares MOST people to death.

I like to ask people, "Have you considered the ALTERNATIVE", to having a seperation between church and state?"

Observe:

http://jaundicejames.blogspot.com/2006/02/building-loony-town.html

-JJ

[Jacobin]

8. I want the restoration of SLavery that this country was founded on

well, not really.

This nation was NOT founded by xtians. They were all a bunch of Diests who couldn't fucking STAND the fundies of the day.

[Perky]

9. Ahh finally an intelligent post

While reading book reviews, I found this reference...

The Christian coalition: dreams of restoration, demands for recognition by Justin Watson.

The reviewer describes the Christian Coalition as "a recent political mobilization of conservative Evangelicals" and seeks two goals: restoration and recognition. "Restoration" refers to the belief that "American must be restored to its original status as a Christian nation--a status lost when the hegemony of evangelicalism was undercut by 19th-century dynamics of urbanization, industrialization, immigration, modernity, and secularization." "Recognition" refers to the belief that "evangelical Christians are victimized by a hostile secular culture; the demand 'equal recognition' in political and cultural spheres." (Choice, June 2006, p.1753-1754)

I think at it core the Religious right is searching for relevance in a post-modern world. the problem is that they think they can achieve relevance through legislation and haranguing liberals and moralizing. Jesus called folks like that Pharisees.

My questions are:
(1) Was America "originally" a "Christian nation?" If it was, wouldn't this be set forth in the Constitution? Why didn't the founding fathers write Christian principles into the Constitution? I believe the Charters of Freedom were products of the Enlightenment. Was the Enlightenment "religion-based?" And how does urbanization, industrialization, and immigration undermine Christianity?


No. of course the USA was not originally a Christian Nation. The earliest settlers were escaping religious persecution, but the merchant and farmer class quickly out numbered them and brought with them slavery and oppression of the aboriginals. The truth of the matter is that Urbanism and industrialism have undermined Christianity. Because it made man more dependant on work and less reliant on God.

(2) How do Evangelicals want to be recognized? By infusing myth and superstition onto a culture founded on principles of the Enlightenment? Don't they see how the two do not necessarily share a common foundation?

This is something that Christian dominionist seem to simply ignore. Christian Faith and the Enlightenment are not compatible. The Christian reaction ought to counter cultural, unique. separate. Rather than taking over, it ought to be a city shining on a hill drawing the curious not beating up everyone who dares to defy their modern crusade.

[KittyWampus]

17. There's nothing intelligent about prejudice and bigotry.

And lumping all Evangelicals into one amorphous group that sucks up to the Far Right is prejudice.

Furthermore, the opening poster doesn't even seem to realise what the Christian Coalition is. The CC is a political group posing as a religious group using Christian rhertoric. It does NOT represent all Evengelicals.

[Spider Jerusalem]

10. No, America was NOT originally a 'Christian' nation.

Many of the colonies WERE originally specifically Christian, forbade anyone but a Protestant from holding office, had established churches (Congregationalism in New England, the Church of England in other places), and so on; this history (plus a bloody two centuries of religious conflict in Europe) is the REASON that it is specifically stated in the Constitution that 'no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States', and why the separation of church and state is explicitly set out in the First Amendment.

The United States was not in any sense founded upon Christianity. Anyone who thinks it WAS because some of the colonies were started in the seventeenth century by fanatic Separatists who wanted more repression in the name of religion than they could get at home is a fucking idiot.

[Gold Metal Flake]

11. Check these

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0303-30.htm

And this:

Treaty of Tripoli

ARTICLE 11.
As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion,-as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Musselmen,-and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

[Emit]

12. 39 original cosponsors of the Constitution Restor. Act '04

The Constitution Restoration Act of 2004, is the ultimate court-stripping measure introduced into both houses of Congress on February 11, 2004. Contrary to the intentions of the framers of the U.S. Constitution who wrote a Godless Constitution, it includes the acknowledgment of God as the sovereign source of law, and threatens with "impeachment" and "conviction" judges who uphold church state separtion. To read the Thomas Report from the Library of Congress click here.

This link lists the thirty-nine original cosponsors of the Constitution Restoration Act as of September 22, 2004. (Two have since retired.)

To read about the Constitution Restoration Act, 2005, click here. The sponsor is Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL). For the five co-sponsors, click here.

From the Vermont Guardian, May 18, 2005

And more info at Theocracy Watch about the '05 Const. Rest. Act and more useful info on these matters.


http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:QxtFXF2xpKMJ:www.theocracywatch.org/biblical_law2.htm+restoration&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3

[bobbolink]

13. Good luck on that "original status as a Christian nation" stuff!

:rofl: :silly:

The reviewer you reference belongs in the column of "willful ignorance".

There are many writings of Founders who *specifically* did not consider themselves "Christian", nor did they want the country to officially go in that direction.

Our schools are obviously in bad shape, that so many are ignorant of so much. Teachers, you have my sympathy.

[Touchdown]

14. Can you remove "evangelical" from the quote?

Some on another thread are threatening to withold votes if we don't kiss liberal evangelical ass, and make a distinction. Liberals who aren't up on the latest Christian terminology must be an easier dog to kick than taking back your own hijacked religion.:eyes:

[KansDem]

15. How about "Conservative Evangelicals?"

Although now I must confess that I'm confused about all this. If there are "liberal evangelicals" and "conservative evangelicals" then that must mean there are "moderate evangelicals." I wonder how all these line up?

[Touchdown]

18. The semantic differences are only known to evangelicals.

The rest of us are supposed to know the difference by osmosis. Better get with it. Their vote is for sale, so jump!

[KittyWampus]

16. Do you even KNOW what/who the Christian Coalition is?

Why are you insinuating that the group you've quoted speak for all Evangelicals?

[KansDem]

23. Right! I have already been chastised for my slack journalism...

See post 15.

[Jed Dilligan]

19. They should wake up and join the free market

People would want to join their stupid religion if it had something in it they liked, like Jackie Chan, free oral sex, cheap beer, or dimebags of weed. They should have to cater to the market just like any Hollywood studio. Why should the government help them sell their crap? It won't help me sell mine.

[w4rma]

20. "conservative Evangelicals", fundamentalist evangelicals, not evangelicals

If you want to use shorthand, call them fundamentalists not evangelicals.

[KatyaR]

21. So will all these people move back to the inner city to do away with

"urbanization" and throw out all their fancy modern computers, TVs, DVD players, and other toys to stop "modernization?"

Shall we do away with electricity and central heat and air, dishwashers and washers and dryers? No more cars or planes?

What a crock of crap.

[kiahzero]

22. The U.S. was never a Christian nation.

People who say it was are either liars or fools.