Post Christian Nation

Much is being said about Post Christian (or preferably Post Judeo-Christian) Nations. Europe in particular has been in the twilight zone for some time with several countries showing a severe decline in church attendance and involvement but still utilize the church for certain occasions like marriage, baptism, catechism, funerals and holy days.

The same is being said about the United States. Unfortunately, it does seem to be on the same downward path. History has passed through many civilizations and only a few have had a long tenure. Whether or not the U.S. gets off this path is uncertain. But regardless there is strong evidence that there is a sizable majority still embracing to some degree the tenants of the Judeo-Christian faith and its twilight zone may not be realized for some time.

It is true that technically the U.S. has not been a Christian nation. It unquestionably was founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs and has thrived mightily while upholding those beliefs with its moral values, ethical behavior and biblical undergirding.

My senior moment: What happened? Pages, indeed even books has been written about this subject. Some friendly, others critical and not a little superficiality based on opinions, trends and analyses. Consequently, we are uncertain and the more we hear and read the more apt we are to be confused, biased or prejudiced. Human nature is like that.

It is tempting to put the blame on something or someone which is what many do. We can go back to the 19th century when there was considerable hostility toward the Christian faith. Even mainline clergy and denominations got caught in the storm. Around the turn of the century minorities who soon became rich and powerful began whittling away at the heart of the US Constitution. A wholesome bipartisanship demise along with less than statesmanlike conduct didn't help.

We then witnessed a serious breakdown of family values and eventually the family with tragic repercussions. Serious misunderstandings of the role of a church/state relationship muddied the water and before long we were victims of misguided and often a tyranny of the minority which swayed a misled, somewhat naive majority. Now we see the handwriting on the wall more clearly.

A few sometimes well intentioned but often misguided right wing (and left wingers) left their marks which seem to be difficult to erase. One more thing (and there is much more that could be said but not in 500 words) has been an extravagant American affluence (which now is seriously under attack partially of its own doing) which has created a culture of its own.

Some old timers have said that our Constitution was designed to operate on a Judeo-Christian basis but if it departs from that it is destined to fail. Makes sense. Is there any hope? Not if we depend on politics, academia, or economics, but if there is a ground swell of millions of believers who really believe that our government is of the people, by the people, and for the people, who honor our Constitution and uphold the value system of our Judeo-Christian heritage, things could change. The drift could reverse itself giving us a second chance.

Sometimes we have to be cockeyed optimists, don't we?