A guide to the perplexed English-speaking observer of American political discussions of religion, aimed primarily for non-U.S. readers but offered for all.
The following definitions provide the casual observer of American politics some greater handle on discussions of religion. It can be confusing; you would think that a "Christian," for example, would be any person anywhere who, more or less, believes in what Jesus of Nazareth taught. In fact, most such people are not "Christians" as understood in American politics. The Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople are probably not "Christian" by American political usage, while James Dobson somehow is and Jerry Falwell somehow was. It's a bit odd.
Anyway, I hope this helps, especially for Kossacks outside the United States. Cheers.
anti-Christian persecution (n. phrase) the deep, bitter frustration felt by a minority of Christians (see definition below) in the United States when they fail to win every case, every election and every public policy debate in a nation of three hundred million people. Similar to anti-white persecution, which has resulted in the lowering of white American living standards to just one notch below Niger's, and anti-male persecution that makes men simply unable to achieve elected office anywhere in this country. Used primarily against liberal and secular advocates, litigants and candidates. Outside of American politics, the denial of civil rights, economic opportunities or social equality to Christians broadly defined, as in the examples of China, Saudi Arabia, Iran and other totalitarian regimes lacking Free Exercise and Establishment Clause-type protections for their citizens.
atheist: (n., adj.) loser or characteristic of a loser. Variant spellings: secular, secularist, atheistic, agonistic, secular, humanist, rationalist, infidel, heretic, apostate, godless, heathen, hellbound. Ineligible to win election honestly in the United States and not considered by some conservatives as citizens and patriots, even when they die in uniform on foreign soil. They have few or no rights that People of Faith need respect. The late Christian and erstwhile segregationist Jerry Falwell claimed that if you were not a born-again Christian, you are a failure as a human being; there can be no doubt that the biggest failures in his view would have been atheists. Outside of the political realm, an atheist may be a person who does not have a belief in a deity or, by some contested definitions, believes affirmatively that no god exists. The definition itself is a matter of dispute; in U.S. politics, the "loser" definition is canonical.
born-again (adj. phrase) characteristic of religiously-renewed Christians (see below), often from less religious, non-religious or other religious backgrounds. Derived from the following Biblical passage, John 3:1-18:
There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
Born-again Christians are often - but NOT always - culturally conservative, politically conservative and/or religiously conservative. The phrase may have very different connotations to different groups of Christians, and respectful care should be taken in its use. For example, both arch-conservative Pat Robertson and liberal former President Jimmy Carter consider themselves "born-again Christians."
Christians: (prop. n.) Bible-believing American evangelical Protestant Christians, derived in their religious heritage primarily from Calvin and Luther. Strongest in the states of the former Confederacy but constitute a nationwide phenomenon to some extent. Does not include mainstream Protestants in the United States unless they are explicitly evangelical, explicitly Bible-believing or explicitly born-again. Does not include Roman Catholics, though Roman Catholics can be "People of Faith" (see below.) Does not include Greek Orthodox Christians, Russian Orthodox Christians, Coptic Christians, Armenian Orthodox Christians, Maronite Christians, Slovak Catholics of the Eastern Rite, the Assyrian Church of the East, the Ethopian Tewahedo Church or the Unitarians of Transylvania (or any Unitarians, ever). Does not include members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, no matter who endorses Mitt Romney.
evangelical (adj.) descriptive of Christians engaged in or supportive of the "Great Commission" to make Christian disciples of all the nations, per Matthew 28-16:20. Christians who attempt to bring the "good news" (ev/u angelos) of their religion to others are, broadly, evangelical. Evangelical Christians are often, but NOT always, culturally conservative, religiously conservative and/or politically conservative. Respectful care should be taken in the use of this term.
faith-based initiative (n. phrase) in theory, an effort by a religious institution to use its religion to solve or mitigate perceived or defined social problems. De facto, an effort by such an institution to obtain taxpayer money and U.S. Executive Branch sanction to assist its organizational mission including proselytizing and advocacy of its moral and theological positions, in likely violation of the establishment clause.
"Establishment Clause" see First Amendment
faith journey (n. phrase) an alibi constructed by candidates for public office with the assistance of their closest political advisers describing their compliance with the de facto religious test for public office.
First Amendment (of the U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights) (n. phrase) in pertinent part, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise of religion thereof." Generally divided into the "Free Exercise Clause" and the "Establishment Clause"
"Free Exercise Clause" see First Amendment
Jesus of Nazareth (prop. n.) the religious figure central to every branch of Christianity including but not limited to that of "Christians" as defined above. Non-Christians such as Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Oriental Orthodox Christians, Latter-Day Saints, some Unitarians and some mainline Protestants also consider Jesus to be, in various phrasings, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, etc., though precise theological (and non-theological) formulations vary. According to most canonical scriptures, Jesus of Nazareth was a bitter, arguably violent opponent of both the right-wing government and the right-wing religious authorities of his day. Severe quotes are attributed to him regarding the manifestation of arrogance in wealth, in secular rule or in religious practice. His sexual ethics were characterized as relatively forgiving and he would likely have been considered very liberal and supportive of women by the standards of his day. It appears that Jesus of Nazareth never discussed homosexuality or homosexual persons, at least in recorded form, and was described at moments as highly critical of his own religious and ethnic community, while doubtless focused primarily on that community.
From the person of Jesus of Nazareth, Christian and non-Christian allied advocates of theocratic rule have created a religious, cultural and political movement noteworthy for its servile submission to massive government power, its xenophobia and incapacity for self-reflection, the protection of its wealthy donors and their interests, severe puritanism in sexual matters to the contradiction of public health, the constraint and marginalization of women in sexual and all matters, the incorporation of religious dogma into the state and the expansion of the reach and brutality of that state into both religious activity and the lives of ordinary citizens and the raising of homophobia to a fundamental matter of religious and political principle, second perhaps only to the marginalization of the immoral, depraved and presumably murderous godless atheist. It should be noted that many born-again or evangelical Christians vigorously reject this effort towards theocratic rule, for a variety of reasons.
Lemon Test (n. phrase) - in religious freedom as opposed to automotive consumer protection, the standard from Lemon v. Kurtzman holding that for a regulation regarding religion to be valid:
1. The government's action must have a legitimate secular purpose;
2. The government's action must not have the primary effect of either advancing or inhibiting religion; and
3. The government's action must not result in an "excessive government entanglement" with religion.
"Our Religious Heritage" (prop. n.) the false belief that the Republic was founded by advocates of theocratic rule. One of the advantages of this belief is its blatant historical falsehood, allowing it to be taken as an article of faith by faithful Christians, rather than as a mere conclusion based on evidence. An element of "Our Religious Heritage" is the incorporation of Constitution and Declaration of Independence author Thomas Jefferson as a defender of the Religious Right and explicit advocate of theocratic rule, as opposed to the Bible-slashing Unitarian heretic, scientist, humanist and Renaissance man which reality-based English readers can plain see him to have been. Advocates of theocratic rule use "Our Religious Heritage" to bullshit ignorant, poorly educated elected officials, candidates and voter.
People of Faith (prop. n.) Christians, plus those non-Christians whom advocates of theocratic rule admit into the back of the bus. NEVER includes "Atheists," even if the atheists are good Republican advocates of theocratic rule. DOES explicitly include all vocal non-Christian advocates of theocratic rule. Dennis Prager and William Donohue are non-Christian People of Faith; religious radical antiwar activists Elizabeth McAllister and Michael Lerner are not. Sadly, this definition changes little or not at all when employed by most Democrats.
religious test (n. phrase) In theory, from the article VI Constitution of the U.S., the principle that ".. no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." De facto, the principle that no explicitly non-religious person may be considered qualified to any elected office or public trust under the United States.
separation of church and state (n. phrase) the principle that government shall neither engage in nor impede religious advocacy or practice. The phrase does not appear in the U.S. Constitution but does appear in the other writings of its author, Thomas Jefferson; some consider it a logical conclusion of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Antonym: theocratic rule.
theocratic rule (n. phrase) in the United States, the application of the moral and theological beliefs of Christians into law, jurisprudence, public policy, regulations and de facto practice. Antonym: "separation of church and state" or "secular governance."
"under God" (prep. phrase) an excerpt of the phrase "one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all" in the current canonical Pledge of Allegiance in the U.S. employed in educational, governmental and other institutions. At the urging of the Knights of Columbus, Congress inserted that phrase into the Pledge in 1954 allegedly as a national statement against Communist tyranny. No effort has been made in Congress to remove the phrase now that Communism is largely defeated and one can buy Chicken McNuggets near both Tiananmen Square and Red Square. George H. W. Bush, aka George the Not-So-Lesser, is said to have cited this phrase as binding authority for his belief that atheists should not be considered as citizens, though his son George W. Bush has actually made statements affirming the citizenship rights of the non-religious. Thanks, 43.
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I hope that the signal to noise ratio in the above has been tolerable. Thanks and cheers.