A Day to Bare Our Souls - and Find Ourselves

CHRISTIAN NATION... OF IGNORANCE

With a presidential election coming in about a year, there's been much chatter in the blogosphere about the candidates. Some even on this blog. I have lamented with other bloggers that there are no real leaders anywhere in either party. To me, it all seems very homogenized.

I love politics and history. Always have. My late mother, however, would draw me into a political discussion with her other adult friends then chastize me severely for having strong opinions as well being able to argue point for point with her friends. She didn't like it and made me believe I was being 'uppity.' My trauma counselors believe she was jealous. I learned to keep my mouth closed and just shut down that part of me until recently. Another family member is a big politics-junkie too. And that got me going again as well as into blogging in 2003.

Additionally, if I hadn't been so good with English Literature and Writing in undergrad school, I would have been a History or Philosophy Major. The old axiom is that "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Unfortunately, it looks like the majority have learned zip.

At the risk of sounding erudite, the other voters scare me more than the lack of leadership. Why? Because the core beliefs of a great amount of the voters in this country are skewed. Skewed because of the MSM and skewed because they simply can't be bothered to educate themselves about the simple facts that are the unpinnings of the United State's existence. They either didn't pay attention or didn't care during those basic history lessons regarding America's fundamental values and what the Founding Fathers intended for the "Greatest Nation on Earth."

A recent national survey by the First Amendment Center showed that far too many Americans are clueless about the basics of our Constitution. Particularly our rights regarding freedom of religion. How can this be? I don't know but - there it is.

These are the people we will have to worry about come election time. Because these deeply flawed beliefs will shape their choices. Choices ALL OF US will have to live with for four years.

National survey reveals lack of knowledge about First Amendment

By Ken Camp

Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe the Founding Fathers meant the United States to be a Christian nation, and more than half believe the U.S. Constitution establishes a Christian nation, a national survey revealed.

Produced by The First Amendment Center, the survey also showed 28 percent of Americans believe freedom to worship was never meant to apply to groups a majority of Americans considers on the fringe.

The State of the First Amendment 2007 report, which is based on the survey's results, said only 19 percent of survey respondents could name 'freedom of religion' as one of the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment, down from a high of 22 percent in 2003. The First Amendment Center has conducted the survey every year since 1997.

Similarly, 16 percent named "freedom of the press," 16 percent named right of assembly, and 3 percent named "right to petition." Almost two-thirds -- 64 percent -- named "freedom of speech."

Fifty-six percent agree that freedom of worship applies to all religious groups, regardless how extreme their beliefs are, compared to 72 percent who agreed with that statement in 2000.

Most of the people who responded to the survey said they believe teachers and other public school officials should be allowed to lead prayers in public school: 42 percent strongly agree, and 16 percent said they mildly agree.

The survey also revealed that more than one-third of Americans believe the press has too much freedom.

Other findings include:

• 46 percent strongly agree that the country's founders intended the United States to be a Christian nation. Another 19 percent mildly agree.
• 38 percent strongly agree that the U.S. Constitution establishes a Christian nation, and 17 percent mildly agree.
• 57 percent strongly agree that a public school teacher should be allowed to use the Bible as literature in an English class, and 23 percent mildly agree.
• 71 percent strongly agree that a public school teacher should be permitted to use the Bible as a text in comparative religion class, and 17 percent mildly agree.
• --33 percent strongly agree that a public school teacher should be allowed to use the Bible as a factual text in a history or social studies class.

Charles Haynes, senior scholar with the First Amendment Center, said the survey shows that Americans highly value religious freedom, but they interpret it in terms of freedom for the religion held by a majority.

"The strong support for official recognition of the majority faith appears to be grounded in a belief that the United States was founded as a Christian nation, in spite of the fact that the Constitution nowhere mentions God or Christianity," Haynes said.

"Of course, people define "Christian nation" in various ways, ranging from a nation that reflects Christian values to a nation where the government favors the Christian faith. But almost one-third of respondents appear to believe [that] the religious view of the majority should rule."

Actually, the First Amendment and the Bill of Rights are "counter-majoritarian," said Brent Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.

In a column in the 'Report from the Capital' newsletter, Walker lamented the survey findings that revealed many Americans display "woeful ignorance of the Constitution and history."

"It does not matter what the majority thinks," he wrote. "The protection for religious liberty in the First Amendment protects against the tyranny of the majority.

"But, we must do a better job in convincing the culture. Eventually, it does matter what the majority thinks. They can elect new members of Congress and vote for presidents that will make new appointments to the Supreme Court and, in rare cases, a super-majority can amend the Constitution. So, ironically, for this counter-majoritarian understanding of the First Amendment to survive challenges, it must be embraced by a majority, if not a consensus, of the American people."

The survey of 1,003 respondents was conducted by phone between Aug. 16 and Aug. 26 by New England Survey Research. The sampling error was plus or minus 3.2 percent.


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