Religious presumptions about sex outside marriage often produce a mismatched hodgepodge of sanctimoniousness and Manichaeism instead of righteous behavior.

In the public and political sphere of the United States, we too easily slip into the presumption of a generalized Christian norm that we impose on celebrities and leaders. The Christian norm borrows on the fear of the flesh in the ancient religion of Israel that struggled against fertility rituals in competing earth religions. Where do concepts like “monogamy” and “sacred vows of marriage” come from except a Judeo-Christian premise? People of faith are free to choose these as normative of sexual behavior, but in an increasingly diverse society they provide diminishing return.

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Romney deserves credit for understanding the superficiality of the public and targeting that majority in his speech.

As political theater, Mitt Romney touched all the bases and sounded all the alarm bells necessary to staunch the bleeding of his lead over Mike Huckabee in Iowa. Whether planted or not, the public applause rose when the governor voiced the clichés that are in the US political toolkit. “I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, Savior of mankind;” “The president needs the prayers of all faiths;” “Our freedom comes from God.” These are the one-dimensional statements that serve both as the pabulum and main course in US politics today. He deserves an “A” for the material.

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Whether Christmas should be a Christian holy day or a secular holiday is a moot point. Popular culture has so wounded the original sacred celebration that no amount of tinkering can restore its Christian meaning in the public square. Moreover, I’m not sure such restoration would be a good thing.

I would argue that the Christian meaning of gift-giving, presents, family reunions, sentimental cards and nostalgic songs has been fused with an earth religion arrival of winter. The syncretism has been so complete that separating the sacred from the profane or the commercial from the spiritual would lessen the appeal of the season. I am contented that Christianity has made its presence felt, and – unlike some militant atheists – I derive no pleasure in denying other people the chance to be happy within their own frame of familiarity.

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