The United States has never been a Christian nation. We are, in part, founded on religious ideals that are not exclusive to Christianity, and many of our founders and elected officials, through the years, have been Christians, but the Constitution specifically excludes any mention of Jesus. And this makes me happy, because I don’t want to live in a Christian nation. I want to live in a country that accepts a multitude of belief systems that respect each other and live in harmony. If your religion tells you to cause mayhem, I don’t want you to be free to do that. I want to be able to go out my door and drive to church without fear, and I want you to be able to do the same for whatever religion you choose. Or don’t choose. Why? Because this is America!
What I do want is for Christians to act, in the most important ways, as if they are followers of Jesus. They can oppose abortion (even though He never mentioned it) and they can be against being LGBTQ (even though He never mentioned it) in the privacy of their home and in their worship space. They can stand across the street and protest (peacefully). Why? Because this is America! They can’t, however, make laws that favor their version of Christianity, and they can’t force non-Christians to pray the way they want them to in public settings. They can choose to not eat meat on Fridays in Lent, but they can’t force me to do the same. Stuff like that. Unfortunately, too many people who say they follow Jesus have no idea what the Bible says He said and did. They ignore the tough stuff (love your neighbor and enemy – treat the poor like they are Him – stuff like that). Too many Christians act like they never even heard of Jesus, and that is a serious problem.
How Christians act varies, and I would never try to codify or put limits on how they live. I would like to see more of the following, though: feeding the poor – housing the homeless – visiting the sick and those in prison – offering coats – making sure people’s rights are protected – stuff like that. To cut out aid to the least among us is the most un-Christian thing we can do. To dictate doctrine as law is among the most un-Christian things we can do. I don’t want to live in a Christian nation, but I do want Christians to be a little bit more like Jesus. I don’t think that’s a lot to ask, do you?
Prayer – Holy God, You have offered us many paths, and I choose Jesus. Help me to live up to that choice every day. Amen.
Today’s art is “Jesus Mafa Project/Bénédite de la Roncière, Cameroon: Jésus multiplie les Pains” (1973).