One Nation Under God? America at 250

 

Today marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States and for many Americans this is a moment of uncertainty and even mourning over the listing ship of democracy. Some are choosing not to fly the American flag today or to display it upside down as a distress signal. 

There are also plenty of patriots who are enthused about the current administration and convinced that whatever stormy waters the country is experiencing, all will be well.

Among this happy throng are millions of conservative Christians who are convinced that they are in the midst of a revival of Christian values. In recent days some of them are hailing the phrase "one nation under God," claiming it is enshrined in the Constitution and must be upheld  It may be a sign of the times that this claim is "fake news."  The phrase is part of the Pledge of Allegiance although it wasn't added until 1954. This was during what is termed the Red Scare, a few years of madness when Senator Joseph McCarthy convinced much of the American citizenry that the communists were plotting against democracy in the country. Tens of thousands of people lost their jobs or were blackballed during this conspiracy theory. 

One current right-wing Christian leader credits Trump with "doing more for religious liberty than any other President in U.S. history” and there are plenty of others who share this sentiment. Of course, this liberty doesn't seem to include Christians who hold different values from Christian Nationalists or those from other religions. This sure comes across as idolatry to me, but what do I know, I live in the 51st state. 

I have family members in the States and those who are most pious are the ones who seem to be okay with what I consider an alarming drift away from both democracy and the teaching of Christ. I believe in the separation of church and state but they can complement one another. From my side of the border I'm not seeing this. 

We can pray for those who are determined to uphold democratic values in the United States. We can pray for those whose religious values, including Christians, lean toward compassion and equality. Without them its hard to imagine the United States holding together for another 25 years, let alone 250,