October 23, 2005
What is Secularism?
I thought I understood the word "secular"; however, now I am not so sure.
Webster defines it as:
Some Evangelical Christians seem to be saying that America is going down the tubes because we are moving farther and farther away from Christianity as a nation. The sense I get is that they believe the Founding Fathers did not intend this. I'm not so sure. The first amendment says: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ...". This seems, to the originalist me, to be fairly clear. I am not an expert; however, my understanding is that even though the Framers were perhaps God-fearing Christians, they purposely wanted to create a Union that did not mandate what religion the citizens practiced or how they practiced it. Didn't they leave Britain to escape this sort of State-sponsored religious persecution?
They may not have had the forethought to conceive what our country has become; however, after 200 years of immigration by people of various religious backgrounds -- Eastern European Orthodox Catholics, Hispanic Catholics, Hindus from India, Arabs, Chinese and other Orientals, etc. -- we have become a religious melting pot. I think this is a good thing. And this is what I think of when I refer to our country as being secular.
It seems fairly clear that the Framers envisioned America being created on a strong foundation of faith. The Left complains about Evangelical Christians hijacking the Republican Party; however, if this is true, then it is equally true that the extreme left wants to strip this country of ALL of its faith-based and religious traditions. What is wrong with public schools allowing students 5 minutes each day to pray -- to a Christian God, to Allah, or to Buddha -- or even to just meditate quietly and contemplate atheism? What is wrong with the Pledge of Allegiance having the words "under God" in them? What is wrong with a community that wants to post the Ten Commandments in their civic center? What is wrong with the words "In God We Trust" on our currency? I think these are all things that are consistent with our heritage and do not violate the First Amendment -- and most importantly they remind us that our country was founded on strong faith.
I am not a religious scholar but it appears to me that most of the world's main religions have matured to the point where they are all consistent with the Christian ideals that our Founding Fathers had when creating our great country. Perhaps one notable exception is Islam; however, I am faithful that the world's Islamic religious leaders will ultimately step forward to reform Islam much like Christianity was reformed after the age of the Crusades. To me, a faith-based country where people of all walks can practice the religion they want, or not, would seem like a great place to live.
The real issue, I think, is the issue of the impact of relativism on our free society and to me, this is much, much more a concern of mine than the issue of whether or not this is a Christian nation. I think the real price we have paid as a result of the sustained effort by the left to socialize our country, is that we are now a country of relativists and moral relativists and we no longer know right from wrong and good from bad. We live in a country today where we call terrorists "freedom fighters" and we are told we need to "see things from the perspective of the radical Islamists". There seems to be no right and wrong any more. This from moral-relativism.com (really!):
The reason I am a conservative is that I think we need to get back to a strong sense of what is right and what is wrong.
But the key question is: Can we do this in a country full of religious diversity, or does it have to be a country based on Christian ideals as the Framers perhaps envisioned?
In his September 19, 1796 Farewell Address to the nation, George Washington stated: "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great Pillars."
Washington perhaps could not envision the religious diversity that we now enjoy; however, it seems clear that he (along with the other framers) understood that our freedom as a nation cannot exist without strong fundamental notions of basic right and wrong. And based on why they left England, I am willing to believe that the framers would not object to the diverse religious freedom that we now enjoy as guaranteed by our constitution. This is my view of America as a great "secular" nation.
Webster defines it as:
It appears that 1b and perhaps 1c are what we are talking about.1 a : of or relating to the worldly or temporal
b : not overtly or specifically religious c : not ecclesiastical or clerical .
Some Evangelical Christians seem to be saying that America is going down the tubes because we are moving farther and farther away from Christianity as a nation. The sense I get is that they believe the Founding Fathers did not intend this. I'm not so sure. The first amendment says: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ...". This seems, to the originalist me, to be fairly clear. I am not an expert; however, my understanding is that even though the Framers were perhaps God-fearing Christians, they purposely wanted to create a Union that did not mandate what religion the citizens practiced or how they practiced it. Didn't they leave Britain to escape this sort of State-sponsored religious persecution?
They may not have had the forethought to conceive what our country has become; however, after 200 years of immigration by people of various religious backgrounds -- Eastern European Orthodox Catholics, Hispanic Catholics, Hindus from India, Arabs, Chinese and other Orientals, etc. -- we have become a religious melting pot. I think this is a good thing. And this is what I think of when I refer to our country as being secular.
It seems fairly clear that the Framers envisioned America being created on a strong foundation of faith. The Left complains about Evangelical Christians hijacking the Republican Party; however, if this is true, then it is equally true that the extreme left wants to strip this country of ALL of its faith-based and religious traditions. What is wrong with public schools allowing students 5 minutes each day to pray -- to a Christian God, to Allah, or to Buddha -- or even to just meditate quietly and contemplate atheism? What is wrong with the Pledge of Allegiance having the words "under God" in them? What is wrong with a community that wants to post the Ten Commandments in their civic center? What is wrong with the words "In God We Trust" on our currency? I think these are all things that are consistent with our heritage and do not violate the First Amendment -- and most importantly they remind us that our country was founded on strong faith.
I am not a religious scholar but it appears to me that most of the world's main religions have matured to the point where they are all consistent with the Christian ideals that our Founding Fathers had when creating our great country. Perhaps one notable exception is Islam; however, I am faithful that the world's Islamic religious leaders will ultimately step forward to reform Islam much like Christianity was reformed after the age of the Crusades. To me, a faith-based country where people of all walks can practice the religion they want, or not, would seem like a great place to live.
The real issue, I think, is the issue of the impact of relativism on our free society and to me, this is much, much more a concern of mine than the issue of whether or not this is a Christian nation. I think the real price we have paid as a result of the sustained effort by the left to socialize our country, is that we are now a country of relativists and moral relativists and we no longer know right from wrong and good from bad. We live in a country today where we call terrorists "freedom fighters" and we are told we need to "see things from the perspective of the radical Islamists". There seems to be no right and wrong any more. This from moral-relativism.com (really!):
"In describing her view on morality, the President of Planned ParenthoodAnd this:
Federation of America once stated, "…teaching morality doesn't mean imposing my moral values on others. It means sharing wisdom, giving reasons for
believing as I do - and then trusting others to think and judge for
themselves." She claims to be morally neutral, yet her message is clearly
intended to influence the thinking of others… an intention that is not, in
fact, neutral."
"Evidence that moral relativism is seen as more "fair" or "neutral" than a
"hardline" stance on morality is seen in a 2002 column from Fox News analyst
Bill O'Reilly, who asked "Why is it wrong to be right?" In his article, O'Reilly
cites recent Zogby poll findings regarding what is being taught in American
universities. Studies indicate 75% of American college professors currently
teach that there is no such thing as right and wrong. Rather, they treat the
questions of good and evil as relative to "individual values and cultural
diversity." The problem with this, according to O'Reilly, is that "they see the
world not as it is, but as they want it to be. And annoying questions about
moral absolutes and unacceptable behavior are usually left unanswered."
The reason I am a conservative is that I think we need to get back to a strong sense of what is right and what is wrong.
But the key question is: Can we do this in a country full of religious diversity, or does it have to be a country based on Christian ideals as the Framers perhaps envisioned?
In his September 19, 1796 Farewell Address to the nation, George Washington stated: "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great Pillars."
Washington perhaps could not envision the religious diversity that we now enjoy; however, it seems clear that he (along with the other framers) understood that our freedom as a nation cannot exist without strong fundamental notions of basic right and wrong. And based on why they left England, I am willing to believe that the framers would not object to the diverse religious freedom that we now enjoy as guaranteed by our constitution. This is my view of America as a great "secular" nation.
