Obama's Wishful Exaggerations

Rabbi:

"The truth is that there are multiple and competing understandings of what it means to be a Christian nation"

Mostly predicated on the notion that it is or must be one, thus keeping everyone's eyes off the actual game in order to use Bibles to negotiate 'what kind' of 'Christian Nation' it is supposed to be...when that shouldn't even enter into it.

" -- understandings which shape an ongoing culture war in this country and about which we ought not to be complacent."

The 'culture war' is actually over, according to the agressors' 'victory conditions' ...they're just tring to figure out how to keep getting paid as an 'insurgency.'

Typical, eh?

" Many Americans do believe that they are "losing their country", and are increasingly belligerent in their fight to hold on to it."

Of course they're belligerent. How else will they distract themselves for claiming 'God's Truth' justified what they did and it turned out backwards?

Nasty and dangerous critters, in this state, but I suggest letting em out of the corner. Actually, they could bolt any time, it's just that feeling backed into a 'wall' lets em still feel there's a fight on.

"These folks feel the loss of the culture dominance long-held by a white, protestant majority which celebrated not only the theological roots of our nation's founding, but their own ability to practice what Tocqueville called the tyranny of the majority i.e. not only have their way, but expect all those who differ from them to become increasingly like them. They are correct about losing that kind of dominance."

Well, yes, this has been what they were taught to fear. No need to oblige those fears, I say. I'm sure it's a hardship bound to destroy their religion when the government doesn't bash their queers for them, and no one has to cover their mouth when they snicker at Fox News anymore, but I'm sure they'll land on their feet somewhere. (cont below)

"Because our contemporary culture warriors are so angry, and feel that their backs are already to the wall at home, they are quickest to declare that we are in fact at war with Islam."

They were doing that when they thought they had *everyone else's* backs to the wall.

'Culture War.' Feh. Can't fight what you can't see, and they ain't been seeing for a long while. Didn't think they needed to.

" Ignoring them or pretending that they are part of some fringe minority strikes me as a poor idea. It's also a claim that probably does not make a great deal of sense to most Muslims around the world."

Actually, somehow I get the impression that 'most Muslims around the world' have been looking for simplistic characterizations of America all along, and those most willing to provide them have been the Religious Right.

I think Obama does *well* to keep it simple.

'Things have changed. You're people again, Muslims. Terrorists are obviously criminals. We're gonna try and help un-f-up this situation.'

Simple can work. If it's *cogent.*

Mostly, I like Rabbi Brad, most of his worldview, and most of his responder's opinions, too. What everyone avoids is one thing -- there is no Christian religion, as a religion founded on the teachings of the historical Jesus the Christ.

No, since the 4th century, AD, "Chistianity" is the amalgamation and conflation of all ideas Pagan and Jewish, with a little Animism thrown in. (I wonder why we write "Jewish," and not Paganish or Christianish)? The teachings of Jesus, Peter and Paul, are nowhwere to be found -- except maybe in a "cult," here and there.

(I believe most of the founders of the USA were somewhat aware of this fact, which is why they wrote up the Constitution, as it appears).

All our "Chrsitan" problems stem from the fact of the obfuscations of "Christian" origin -- the origins of its avowed virtues, ethics, and justice.

If the USA is anything, it is a nation founded upon the virtues of Greco-Roman Paganism, and Jewish ethics and justice -- a pretty darned good way, if you ask me.

If this is ever recognized, we'd be better able to handle the problems we face, as a united people. (I was raised "Christian," and had to figure this out, by myself).

Many people make statements in an effort to win an arguement with the little to no evidence to serious back their beliefs. You did the same thing, when you made a statement about "the theological roots of our nation's founding". Where's your evidence?
This idea can be misused by ideologues which today are prevalent on the right of our political spectrum in today's Republican Party who eagerly advocate restricting religious freedom & individual liberty based on religious arguments in areas of abortion & gay marriage (both of which many religious & non-religious institutions in the U.S. accept).
It would've been even more useful if you discussed how our Constitution's Framers sought to protect religious freedom & individual liberty by not allowing strictly religious principles, Christian, Jewish, or otherwise to be the basis for our laws & rights. For example, if we're a Christian Nation why would our founders prohibit religious tests for elected office if they supposedly wanted certain religious ideals to be favored? if we're a Christian Nation why would our founders include in the Constitution the principle of equal rights if they favored the rights of its Christian citizens? The answer is that from a legal & Constitutional point of view, we are not a Christian Nation.

"The President's over-simplification of the situation cost him a valuable opportunity to address the real struggles we do face with any people that attempts to use religion to dominate those who do not share their beliefs."

Ironically, this is what is going on in Israel, as well. The ultra-conservative ruling coalition -- essentially the most ultra of the ultra rabbis -- have gained so much power that they literally legislate the daily lives of all Israelis. They decide who is really Jewish and who is not. They refuse marriage licenses to those not Jewish "enough." They make sweeping decisions determined by their interpretation of religious law, and all Israelis are subject to these "legal" decisions.

This is what happens when a country -- any country -- becomes more identified with a particular religious perspective than with the norms and values of its actual society. Yes, it's happened in many predominantly Muslim countries; it's certainly happened in Israel; but so far it hasn't happened in the U.S. Yet.

The Bush years have brought us perilously close to blindly adopting and following the strictures imposed by fundamentalist Christian churches and their adherents, but we now have an opportunity to reclaim our country from those who would impose their own narrow values on our everyday lives.

If we work for change, if we start paying attention to our beliefs and challenging our assumptions, there may be hope for us yet.

American is not a Christian nation, because our Christianness and nationhood are maintained as separate entities. A few Muslim majority nations have done the same thing -- Turkey, Lebanon and Kosovo. Most have not; so unsubstantiated claims of faith are the supreme law of their land.

Most of the Islamic world is what Judaism would be like, if the books of Leviticus and Joshua were taken literally as the most important in its canon.