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A few years ago, my wife and I strolled Fifth avenue in
Manhattan to view the magically animated nativity storefronts. However, they
had all been replaced by Santas, snow, and sleds. Disappointed, we never
returned.
Hoping for something more reminiscent of Christmas, we
purchased tickets to attend a rural lantern tour of a reconstructed 1848
village. Once again, there was no mention of the birth of Jesus. This too had
been replaced by presentations of a gingerbread baking contest.
Often the rejection of Christ has been enforced by threats,
firings, or discipline for teachers or students who might have the audacity to
carry their Bible into class or pray. Along with this is the rejection of
traditional values and enforced attendance at Critical Race Theory and LGBTQ
indoctrinations, where even the youngest students are taught that they can
choose their gender.
In addition to these offenses, many have brought lawsuits
against Christian businesses because Christians have refused to indulge in
behaviors they regard as sinful.
Meanwhile, the First Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees
religious freedom:
·
Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press…
It shouldn’t be surprising that many Christians are dismayed
about the direction this nation has taken. How then are these violations of
religious liberty justified?
1.
The need for neutrality in view of the many
competing religions
2.
Hyped fears about the opposition—Christian
Nationalism
NEUTRALITY? This is an impossibility. Every decision we make
reflects our underlying values. These determine hiring and the selection of textbooks
and curriculum.
It is therefore a deceptive myth that secularism and the
secular state offer a neutral solution where all can congregate under one tent.
Instead, Secularism has been militantly and intolerantly imposing its own
state-sanctioned religion consisting of socialistic Marxism,
hyper-sexualization, along with sexual and racial favoritism, thereby
disfavoring all tradition religions.
“CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM?” Carol Swain has written that
Biblical values had formerly prevailed:
·
This Christian-based morality set the tone for
our national culture. Life and law unfolded in harmony with a national
Christian consciousness. The founders were careful not to designate any
particular denomination as the official state church. They had witnessed the
folly of this practice in other countries. Even though they chose no state
church, they never wished for the influence of the Christian faith to vanish
from the public arena. (“Abduction How Liberalism Steals Our Children’s Hearts
And Minds;” Feazel and Swain)
According to Swain, even though imposing the Christian faith
had never been the intention of the Founding Fathers, the influence of the
Christian faith had been far reaching:
·
In this traditional culture grounded in the
Christian faith, what was taught to a child at church and in the family was
reinforced by public institutions and national sentiment. The “New England
Primer,” which served as a public-school textbook for nearly the first 125
years of the nation’s history, was based solidly on the Bible and Christian
teachings. It never entered anyone’s mind to question its constitutionality.
Swain cited several revealing examples of how this Faith has
recently been undermined and replaced by another faith:
·
The female director of a small private school in
Minnesota takes middle-and high-school students on a field trip to a sex
novelty shop without parental permission (Minnesota 2015).
·
The Boston Public School System distributes
forty thousand donated condoms to teens. Parents who support the distribution
of condoms complain about the sexually explicit messages on the wrappers: “One
lucky lady,” “Hump one,” and “Tasty one” (Massachusetts 2014).
·
The taxpayer-funded Adolescent Sexuality
Conference teaches teens how to use meth to heighten their sexual experiences.
Conference organizers distribute a pamphlet offering tips on oral sex and
prostate stimulation (Oregon 2014).
The sexualization of children has only gotten worse. It is
no surprise that Christian parents now feel that an antagonistic State has
stolen their children with the almost irresistible temptations of a militant
State-supported sexually-permissive religion.
It’s worse than that! These parents can no longer trust a
system that allows for no democratic outlet for parental indignation in view of
the many believable allegations of stolen elections and the parents being
labeled and treated as “domestic terrorists” because of their opposition to the
“New Morality.” Is it any wonder that some have rallied together under the misleading
banner wrongly termed “Christian Nationalism!”
Instead, they seek a return to the guarantees insured by the
First Amendment. Commentator and missionary-pastor Martin Rizley has recently
clarified what the great majority Christian parents believe:
·
As a Baptist who believes strongly in the
principle of religious liberty, viewing the church and the state as two
separate institutions with very distinct functions, though equally accountable
to God, I must confess that I don't particularly like the term "Christian
nationalism". That is because the term "Christian nationalism"
could well be interpreted…to suggest a number of things with which I strongly
disagree.
·
For example, I disagree with the idea that
Christians should seek to take control of a society by imposing on all the
citizens of a nation by force of law an explicitly "Christian"
identity, which in practical terms historically has often involved a particular
denomination, sect, or organization using the awesome power of civil penalties
to impose its own religious creed or confession on all the citizens of a nation
and to punish "dissenters".
Along with Rizley, we do not want an alien and oppressive
religion forced upon us but rather equal protection for all to live according
to their faith, as long as it doesn’t cause tangible harm to others.
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