Science Talk

Ramabriga · Guest

No! We are not a Christian Nation
6/26/2008 - Political - Article Ref: IV0806-3601
By: Dr. Aslam Abdullah

In one of the You Tube videos circulating on the Internet the Republican nominee for President,
John McCain described America as a Christian nation explaining emphatically that the leadership
must be maintained by those who believe in Christian principles.

We humbly disagree with the former prisoner of war hero. What kind of Christian nation he is
referring to, we do not understand. Considering some of the Christian clergy that have endorsed
him, does he mean evangelical Christianity that condemns Jews as anti-Christ and described the
Catholic church as a den of Satan? Does he believe in revivalist Christianity that describes
everyone different from its beliefs as hell bound? Does he believe in white supremacist
Christianity that regards white race superior to others or does he believe in Orthodox
Christianity that still believes that slavery was one of the God gifted right of the earlier
settlers?

We reject his assertion not because we do not believe in Jesus (peace be upon him) as an
incarnation of God, we reject his premise because we believe in the founding principals our
great nation. We reject his claim because we believe that our nation is composed of people who
believe in one God, many gods and no god. We disagree with him because we believe that in the
formation of this nation, Catholics, Protestants of various denominations, Unitarians, Hindus,
animists, pagans, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and atheists and agnostics played a significant role.

The Republican Presidential aspirant asserted that the founding fathers were devout Christians
and hence they used Biblical terms to create a Judeo-Christian society in America.

What are these Judeo--Christian traditions? There is little to suggest that values called
Judeo-Christian really exist. Jews deny Jesus as Messiah and still await for their own
Redeemer. Christian call Jesus the anointed one. The Mosaic law demands an eye for an eye and a
tooth for a tooth. The teachings of Jesus promote the idea of passive resistance by presenting
the other cheek. The Jewish people always dreamt of the glory in this world in the form of
establishment of a kingdom on the pattern of the rule established by King David and Solomon.
The followers of Jesus talk of a kingdom in the heaven. The people who accept the first five
books of the Old Testament believe in a God who does not have a son, while those who believe in
the New Testament claim that Jesus was the son of god. Some even go to the extent of describing
him as god in person.

Apart from theological distance, socially and politically, the two communities have been at
each other's throat throughout the past several centuries. America was mainly populated by
Europeans who for centuries saw the persecution of Jews in almost every nation. There was no
reference of Judeo-Christian traditions in Europe. Jews were subject to all kinds of
humiliation and persecution. The writings of earlier settlers are full of hatred of Jews and
their religion and traditions. The tragedy of six million Jews killed during the notorious
reign of a Christian nationalist, Hitler, is not a myth. It is one of the most shocking
realities of our history, a reality that must put every human being to shame for allowing this
to happen.

To claim that there is something called Judeo-Christian tradition is an oxymoron. Further, to
claim that America was founded on Judeo-Christian traditions is nothing more than an emotional
outcry raised for purpose of political expediency.

We need to remember that our nation developed a large part of its infrastructure on the basis
of hard work performed by Africans slaves, which included Muslim slaves, who were forcibly
converted to various brands of Christianity later. It is only the pluralistic character of
America that saved it from plunging into a theocracy run by firebrand religious leadership
always ready to send human beings to hell fire.

This plural character was enshrined in the constitution that is not a Christian document. Trust
in God and accepting Him as the sustainer of the universe is a monotheistic founding principle
that existed even before the arrival of Prophets such as Jesus , Moses or Muhammad (Peace be
upon them). It is the Constitution that saved the day for Catholics, Quakers, Mormons or Jews
who all can give a detailed account of the hatred and rejection they faced in neighborhoods
occupied predominantly by different Christian denominations.

Much of this nations big wonders were performed by people who were not of Christian faith. In
the field of science and technology, the contribution of Jewish and Hindu Americans cannot be
ignored. In the area of building constructions, the contribution of Muslims has to be
acknowledged. In the development of railroad networking, the native and Muslim Africans and
Chinese played a significant role.

Thus the claim of McCain that America is a Christian nation does not hold much water. It is
true that the majority of inhabitants of America are Christians. But the identity of the nation
does not come from its Christian roots. It comes from a pluralism that evolved over the years
as a result of interaction among people of different religions and cultures.

To run this country as a Christian nation would be against the spirit of America. It would be
against the constitution that guarantees full religious freedom to everyone and ensures that no
one religion dominates the state and its institutions.

Perhaps McCain would serve the country better if he takes a sincere look back in to the history
of our nation, unless he prefers following the arrogance and ignorance of George Bush.

God Bless America!

Dr. Aslam Abdullah is Editor-in-Chief of the Muslim Observer, director of the Islamic society
of Nevada, Las Vegas and acting president of the Muslim Council of America, a Washington-based
newly formed groups of Muslim activists

** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

Guest

"Ramabriga" <Ramabriga@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:ef153$48688c28$14742@news.teranews.com...

Patriot Games · Guest

On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:32:56 -0500, Ramabriga <Ramabriga@gmail.com>
wrote:

Michael Laudahn eOppositi · Guest

"Patriot Games" <Patriot@America.Com> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:od1i64pfket0kq593eu894lvil77fsb1d7@4ax.com...