Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley’s recent First Things essay, “Our Christian Nation,” may warm the hearts of Christian nationalists and confound historians and theologians who worry about continuing threats to the separation of church and state.

  • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Nation of christians and christian nation are two very different things

    A nation of Christians will form a legal and social system with decidedly Christian characteristics.

    from its foundation America has existed with separation of church and state

    Its foundation has been one of a detente between Catholics and Protestants, in an era when Europeans were slaughtering one another over this schism. But come on. You can’t possibly have missed that every President from George Washington to Dwight D. Eisenhower came from the prevailing Protestant majority? Or that a host of our legal tenants emerged from Biblical precepts and taboos?

    So what if there’s no officially designated National Pope. How many politicians made their start campaigning from the pulpit? How many turned to their congregations to fund raise and canvas for votes? How many are literally clergymen? Mitt Romney is an ordained Mormon Bishop, ffs. You can’t just ignore that.

          • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            In a Christian Nation, the Bible trumps secular laws. And we’ve got a majority on the SCOTUS that seem content to whittle away secular authority in favor of religious impulse.

            • Cuttlefish1111@lemmy.world
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              9 months ago

              Which version of the Bible exactly? So many translations and editions I can’t keep track. Just like the house speaker joke, they’re all fighting for control and stabbing each other in the back. It’s a really good thing you people aren’t better educated.