A Jewish Defense of Christianity
I've had it with the relentless assault on Christianity taking place in the United States today. And I've most certainly had it with the tools and trickery employed by the likes of the ACLU in wreaking this havoc against America's primary religion. Yes, you heard me. America's primary religion.
Some 90% of Americans identify themselves as Christians. That means Christmas, the nativity scene, Easter, etc., etc. Some are more devout than others, of course. But in reality, America is a Christian nation. America's Founding Fathers were predominantly God-fearing Christian men who risked their lives, fortunes and sacred honor in the fight for the liberty we all take for granted. And in the Constitution the bequeathed to us, they mention the Creator of our inalienable rights. Don't believe all that nonsense you hear about George Washington and Thomas Jefferson being deists. They were Christians. Read Washington's inaugural, or his farewell address to the nation. Understand that our first president studied the Hebrew scriptures. Our nation's Christian heritage is deep and strong, rooted firmly in the very founding of the republic and continuing unbroken to this very day.
However, there is a very vocal minority seeking to destroy our Christian heritage and in doing so remove from every facet of public life the vestiges of that heritage. "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is challenged on constitutional grounds, our motto "In God We Trust" is now under attack, the Ten Commandments have been removed from our schools and now from courthouses and other public offices, and the list goes on. The ACLU is on the front lines of this assault, cloaking their destructive ideology in the Establishment Clause of the Constitution which reads simply, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This simple language designed to prohibit the federal government from establishing an official religion has been twisted beyond all recognition using the phrase "separation of church and state", which appears nowhere in the Constitution. That phrase was born of a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote in the early 1800's to the Danbury Baptist Association. It has absolutely no basis in Constitutional law and it's ridiculous to suggest otherwise. Regardless, the war to purge our Christian heritage continues relatively unabated.
Let me be clear: as a member of a people who have been persecuted for our entire history from one end of the globe to the other, I'm grateful to live in a country that breathes the sweet air of religious freedom and tolerance. And I know that it is because of Christianity and the Christian belief system that goes hand-in-hand with Judaism that we are all able to live free in America. Judeo-Christian belief system is the foundation of America, and without it we would be living in a despotic land no different from Iran or North Korea. And that's not just hyperbole. The Christian faith is rooted in tolerance for other faiths, and as a people we Jews are lucky to have such good friends in our Christian neighbors.
When I was younger I didn't understand that fact. I didn't recognize that tolerance begins with self, and to be tolerant doesn't mean discrediting other men and women of good faith and their belief systems to appease yourself. And it certainly doesn't mean imposing your own belief system at the expense of others, as the vocal minority seeks to do with its anti-Christian agenda. Would that our atheistic friends returned the favor to us.
Merry Christmas, and happy Hanukkah!
Some 90% of Americans identify themselves as Christians. That means Christmas, the nativity scene, Easter, etc., etc. Some are more devout than others, of course. But in reality, America is a Christian nation. America's Founding Fathers were predominantly God-fearing Christian men who risked their lives, fortunes and sacred honor in the fight for the liberty we all take for granted. And in the Constitution the bequeathed to us, they mention the Creator of our inalienable rights. Don't believe all that nonsense you hear about George Washington and Thomas Jefferson being deists. They were Christians. Read Washington's inaugural, or his farewell address to the nation. Understand that our first president studied the Hebrew scriptures. Our nation's Christian heritage is deep and strong, rooted firmly in the very founding of the republic and continuing unbroken to this very day.
However, there is a very vocal minority seeking to destroy our Christian heritage and in doing so remove from every facet of public life the vestiges of that heritage. "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is challenged on constitutional grounds, our motto "In God We Trust" is now under attack, the Ten Commandments have been removed from our schools and now from courthouses and other public offices, and the list goes on. The ACLU is on the front lines of this assault, cloaking their destructive ideology in the Establishment Clause of the Constitution which reads simply, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This simple language designed to prohibit the federal government from establishing an official religion has been twisted beyond all recognition using the phrase "separation of church and state", which appears nowhere in the Constitution. That phrase was born of a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote in the early 1800's to the Danbury Baptist Association. It has absolutely no basis in Constitutional law and it's ridiculous to suggest otherwise. Regardless, the war to purge our Christian heritage continues relatively unabated.
Let me be clear: as a member of a people who have been persecuted for our entire history from one end of the globe to the other, I'm grateful to live in a country that breathes the sweet air of religious freedom and tolerance. And I know that it is because of Christianity and the Christian belief system that goes hand-in-hand with Judaism that we are all able to live free in America. Judeo-Christian belief system is the foundation of America, and without it we would be living in a despotic land no different from Iran or North Korea. And that's not just hyperbole. The Christian faith is rooted in tolerance for other faiths, and as a people we Jews are lucky to have such good friends in our Christian neighbors.
When I was younger I didn't understand that fact. I didn't recognize that tolerance begins with self, and to be tolerant doesn't mean discrediting other men and women of good faith and their belief systems to appease yourself. And it certainly doesn't mean imposing your own belief system at the expense of others, as the vocal minority seeks to do with its anti-Christian agenda. Would that our atheistic friends returned the favor to us.
Merry Christmas, and happy Hanukkah!
posted by The Rock | 12:47 PM
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