So Bill Sali thinks that a Hindu prayer will defile the great halls of this Christian country to such a degree as to put at jeopardy our very existence. Our nation was founded on Christian principles! It's the only reason God has seen fit to protect us for all this time. Wait, was this country founded on Christian principles?
Washington DC looks like a Disneyland mock up of my ancestral homeland: Rome. The Roman influence isn’t just a coincidence or a matter of style, the founding fathers were greatly influenced by the old Romans, whom, I should say, were proudly pagan, lest you should think there was some other reason we call it the "Senate". And why not? The Roman Republic, awash in such Christian no-no’s as religious, cultural, and sexual tolerance, was one of the most successful and long-lived governments to date.
So just for fun I asked how well our time-honored values align with the 10 Commandments. The foundation of all Christian and Jewish principles. Surely, if we are a truly Christian nation, it should be a document which reflects our core values with a great deal of accuracy.
The Ten principles of American Society. (your numbering may vary by denomination.)
1.) I am the Lord thy God , Thou shalt have no other gods before me
I like to think the Founding Fathers were sending a message by making the First Amendment directly contrary to the first commandment. That may just be wishful thinking on my part, but the contradiction is fact.
2.) Thou shalt not make for thyself an idol.
Not even an American Idol? Surely the most popular show on TV can’t be so contrary to our core beliefs, anyway, back at the "founding" coins engraved with Idol-esque images of lady liberty and (Roman!) Eagles were a prevalent sign of American pride.
3.) Thou shalt not make wrongful use of the name of thy God.
This one is so ripe with controversy I don’t want to touch it. Needless to say, the constitution says nothing on it, and we’re all god damned free to make any use of God’s name that we want. See, Ted Haggard.
4.) Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
But that would require us to give up the Super Bowl, Sunday sales, and Saturday night fever. No really god, we’re with you on this one, but a man’s got to make time for fun... Oh, and our nation owes its existence to exploting Holy Days.
5.) Honor thy Mother and Father.
Unless this means spend a lot of money on their retirement community.. Grandpa Simpson can attest to the fact that ignoring your pain in the ass elders is a tried and true American tradition.
6.) Thou shalt not murder.
No word on whether Iraqis, Convicts, or Confederates are included in this commandment. Sure general murder is illegal, but it was illegal in Ancient Rome too, probably something to do with Kant’s categorical imperative.
7.) Thou shalt not commit adultery
Even Republicans disobey this one. On the mount Jesus said re-marrying after a divorce was adultery. I guess this value just isn’t core enough to be illegal ... or for politicians to obey, including founding fathers.
8.) Thou shalt not steal.
Once again, a categorical imperative, and as such, has been illegal in just about every society ever... just like Murder.
9.) Thou shalt not bear false witness.
This used to be strictly enforced by law. Of course nowadays...
10.) Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house.
First of all, coveting thy neighbor’s house is the American Dream. It’s all about keeping up with the Jonses. As far as I can tell neither statement is particularly enforced or emphasized in the Modern American "me" culture. Would the Louisiana purchase or Mexican-American war be considered coveting a neighbor's house?
Wow, we're basically 2 for 10. And that's about par for most every pre-Christian society in history.
For those that think a return to a world ruled by Religion would be a good thing I offer the following statement: Been there, done that, they call it the dark ages for a reason. For some reason, a system of government predicated on everyone believing in the exact same thing has resulted in numerous atrocities and outright failures. The "age of faith" was littered with more than its fair share of uniquely unchristian massacres, 100 year wars, and general depravity. The Renaissance or Rebirth, which many of us consider a return to sanity (and not coincdently European Dominance of the Globe) is generally considered a return to the Classical values of Ancient Greece and Rome at the expense of existing and woefully catastrophic Christian systems, not that they gave up their Christianity in whole, that would live to cause a lot of problems later on.