A Christian Nation?

I had begun reading a book on the history of Christmas.  I thought, why wait until the last minute?  In the Church it was a relatively minor feast, but in the last few centuries it has taken on great importance.  In the 17th through 19th centuries it was a grand festival which lasted for three days.  A lot of eating and drinking was done at that time.  What becomes obvious is that this celebration had less to do with the Incarnation, and became more about the social frivolities.  It would be a stretch to say that these people had any devotion to the theological mystery surrounding Christmas.

In recent years we have reminded ourselves that our nation was founded on religious precepts, and that those who came to this new land did so for the freedom to practice religion, without fear of persecution.  While it is true we want moral and ethical leaders, we do not expect them to be religious leaders.  But we should expect those who profess some sort of faith to be religious in their demeanor and response to the world and all that it offers.

In recent weeks we have witnessed several situations which are presented to us as a controversy, and a response from those, who might describe themselves as religious, or spiritual, being less than compassionate and understanding.  The new word of today seems to be, "tolerance."  And yet the response of so many towards opposing views would seem to be intolerance.  We decry oppression, injustice, hate, and anger, up until that time we disagree on various issues.  Then we begin to close off any understanding.

I often tell this story of this freshman student, who stated in my class, that people should be allowed to do whatever they wanted to.  There should be no rules or directions, ie moral norms.  But when I suggested that I could hit her upside the head with a meter-stick, she became a bit defensive.  Whether she understood it or not, she began to express the basics of natural law.  This reminds me that as a culture we have forgotten to deal with truth.  Truth is not a relative issue, some might think otherwise; there are rights and wrongs, bads and goods.  Humanity is created with dignity and integrity that cannot be removed nor should be violated.

As a 'Christian nation' we have to do theology.  Unless I practice my faith, it is about as useful as my Red Cross CPR certification card.  We spend a lot of time sitting on it.  Faith is brought into the public sphere and informs and guides our decisions, especially those dealing with life and death, and care of the anawim.  In any issue we have to discover the truths that are being conveyed or challenged.  It is dangerous to let our minds and hearts be led by sound-bytes.

Our Baptism calls us to something more.  The lifestyle we live has to be counter-cultural.  If we seek to keep everyone happy, or simply follow the herd, we are being unfaithful to our religious beliefs.  Everyday we have to make a profession of faith.