Hi all;
There is quite a lot in this world which I fail to understand and I often get things wrong, so please bear with me.
I am a Christian; and I define that as being one who believes that Jesus sacrificed himself to gain for me something I could not do for myself:
rightstanding with God, and an ongoing sanctification of my life (which seems to be slow, at best, in my case anyway) all based upon His merits, not
any of my own. Think or say whatever you will of this; we are
priveledged to live in a country where freedom of thought and speech has been
won and maintained through the struggles of many, be they religious or not.
The only "Christian Conspiracy" I see in America today is the ill-advised association of "Judeo-Christian" (if such a combination can be said to
really exist) leaders and laypeople with the forces of Government to try to advance an agenda by law, which they have failed to advance through
persuasion. This is dangerous to the rights of all, and antithetical to the real nature of Jesus' teachings as well as the practice of the apostles,
IMHO.
Face it: the US government, as defined by the Constitution, was
designed to be a
secular government, despite the attempts at
revisionism by Dominionists and Reconstructionists. Please don't give me the argument about "God" in the Declaration of Independence; that was the
"creator" god of the Deists; Reason and observation of Nature were their touchstones for defining Him. The Rights the Constitution is designed to
protect for us are based on their understanding of inaliability.
It is true that there has always been a "spirited" debate in this country, since before the Founding, over the necessity of religion for a stable
society, a debate brought to this country from the Old World. And some of the founders believed that, even the ones who were not "Christians". This
includes some who finally came down on the side of a "Godless Constitution" (to borrow the title of an excellent book).
My point is simply this: Christians need to stop trying to get government to "answer to their demands" and work, instead, towards seeing to it
that government protects and expands the Liberties which our Constitution is meant to guarantee (
it does not "grant" them, mind you, an important
distinction). This does not include the "right" to force intrusion of "Judeo-Christian" doctrine or belief into areas which are the rightful
domain of
all citizens: Public Schools, courthouses, governmental offices, etc.
Simply seeing to it that Government adheres to its' Constitutional responsibilities is work enough as it is, and one I fear we are losing.
Remember, what government takes upon itself as a "right" to grant, it will also maintain for itself as something to take away, and at its' own
discrimination.
Jesus does not need the "help" of government: The denial of the "right" to organized prayer in schools keeps no one's prayers away from him.
The denial of the right to post the Ten Commandments in courthouses makes them no less important, nor relevant, to those who choose to believe in
them. "Faith Based" organizations, as well as they operate, simply excuse the government from doing its' job in "providing for the 'common
good'" and are a misuse of public taxpayer's monies. This becomes especially relevant when taxpayer funded programs, such as Headstart,
are
allowed to discriminate in hiring based solely on religious belief. Why should James Dobson, a "religious/political" figure (my opinion), be
privy to information not released to the public at large regarding the appointment of a judicial figure whose decisions will matter to
everyone?
I could go on, but I suspect I have lost what few points I have after this longwindedness and, besides, I think you get my point.
Jesus did not seek the help of the Roman government
even after His ressurrection; Paul did not seek Roman help in his work, although he did
appeal to Ceasar for his rights as a Roman citizen
for a fair trial, something that government granted to
all of its' citizens, though
in the end it turned out poorly for him (actually, persecution took him to Rome, where he was allowed to preach the gospel message freely while under
"house arrest") IMHO, it is the spreading of this message which we, as Christians, are called to. It is inappropriate for an earthly government to
assume this role for itself, even in ways which may seem innocuous.
Make Government do its' job and we will all gain some things:
Freedom to spread the gospel
in the open marketplace of ideas without any fear of loss of the full rights of citizenship
Freedom not to accept that teaching, if we so choose,
without any fear of loss of the full rights of citizenship
If you believe in the Christian God, then let Him be the God of
your life. I am quite sure he is big enough to take care of Himself.
. 
