Is America a Christian or Post-Christian Nation?

Europe is post Christian because of the centuries spent fighting religious wars. This was the very reason that our Founding Fathers wanted reason, not religion to be the ruling force in America. Most of them were Unitarian / Freemasons and had a humanistic view of the world.

America will never get to the same place as Europe - we are a religious people. We do not have the same history of religious wars.

In the future, I believe the population of America will remain mostly Christian (although with a tendency towards plurality), but our leaders and popular culture will become more materialistic and hedonistic.

The one thing America and Americans always do is presume,we can't imagine the world without us in it....how did the world function 236 years ago ? did the world even exist at all before us ? silly questions perhaps but the attitudes behind them are very much with us....it is entirely possible that America will be nothing more than a blip in history and i have often thought that America's real purpose was to bring forth the fruits of freedom and invention (technology) and at the right time the fruits will be harvested for the next empire that will be the last if for no other reason than there will be no way of defeating it other than God himself doing it.The next empire will be in a sense all knowing,all seeing and all hearing thanks to technology and human beings will be complete slaves to it.....only God will be able to deliver them.

It is neither as it is not possible for a nation to be Christian. If we see Christianity as a man made and man sustained religion then yes America is a nation of...Christendom.

Hebrews 11:10
For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Galatians 4:26
But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Hebrews 12:22
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

1 Peter 2:9
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;


Only mention of a Christian nation that I can find is the Kingdom of God.

Axehead

What matters is how God defines peoples on earth, not what man thinks of labels or nations. I shall never give up on the Western Christian Nations, because I know Who established them per His Promise by The Gospel. As long as Christ has a 'remnant' in that nation there is hope for that nation, regardless of what the enemies of Christ among that remnant want us to think or believe.

Some seem to forget, this EARTH IS OURS THROUGH CHRIST JESUS. We inherit it, the wicked do not. So I advise those who claim to believe on Jesus Christ as The Saviour start believing it as written.

Ps 25:12-13
12 What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall He teach in the way that he shall choose.
13 His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.
(KJV)

Ps 37:9-11
9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
(KJV)

Ps 37:22
22 For such as be blessed of Him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of Him shall be cut off.
(KJV)

aspen2 said:

Europe is post Christian because of the centuries spent fighting religious wars. This was the very reason that our Founding Fathers wanted reason, not religion to be the ruling force in America. Most of them were Unitarian / Freemasons and had a humanistic view of the world.

America will never get to the same place as Europe - we are a religious people. We do not have the same history of religious wars.

In the future, I believe the population of America will remain mostly Christian (although with a tendency towards plurality), but our leaders and popular culture will become more materialistic and hedonistic.

Click to expand...

The church that is looking for an identity outside of Christ...like feeling like they belong to the popular culture and society...will follow the world down the path to more materialism and hedonism.

Rather Christianity is to be on a higher level than merely a cultural or societal level. It is to be on a civilizarional level. Culture is transitory as well as societies. So the more that these trends infiltrate the churches the more the churches become identifiable with said socities and the end result is always syncretism.

I wish America were still a pro-Christian nation.

What's happening instead are many of the people who call themselves Christians are acting like heathens. We have blacks (who supposedly are majority Christian) voting for a man - Obama - who is pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, pro-redistribution of wealth (a practice which covets other people's money), pro-debt, etc. The same holds true for many Catholics who support Obama. What should be happening is that the milquetoast Catholic ministers who are presently giving communion to the pro-abortion leaders in Congress should be escorting them out the door until they quit supporting unbiblical practices.

Here's an interesting link on Milquetoast Christianity which gives examples of what I'm talking about:

Milquetoast Christianity

[background=rgb(238, 238, 238)]Milquetoast Christianity teaches salvation without self-denial; the crown without the cross, and has compromised the word of God in order to make friends with the world. Biblical Christianity says that it is a bad sign for the Christianity of this day when it provokes so little opposition from the world. When the Church and the world can jog along together side by side comfortably, you may be sure there is something wrong.[/background]

http://righterreport...t-christianity/

First, I would mention that the Catholic church is not the primary problem with Church's in America.
We have denominations that not only want to sanction gay marriage, but allow openly gay homosexuals in non-celibate relationships to be ordained in their denominations.
Then there is the larger "I'm in church and am no worse than anyone else so I am going to heaven" crowd that is what Keith Green called "Sleeping in the Light."

Having said that, you do have a point about leadership within the Catholic church.
Ted Kennedy was pro-abortion and voted that way, yet he was never denied Communion.
Nancy Pelosi is rabidly pro-abortion yet is still allowed to receive Communion when she goes to Mass.
There are several other Catholic congressmen and senators who are the same way.

Giving them Communion is in direct conflict with the Church's teaching and is a mockery of what the Church is supposed to stand for.
Especially since it is a Church that will refuse to give Communion to born again, Jesus loving Christians just because they are not Catholic.

While the US was started on Christians principles, it is far from being a Christian nation and never was.

Jon-Marc said:

While the US was started on Christians principles, it is far from being a Christian nation and never was.

Click to expand...

The Supreme Court once said otherwise. Here's some information on America's Christian heritage:

(Excerpt


Additionally, the United States Supreme Court specifically recognized America as a Christian nation. In the case “Church of the Holy Trinity vs. the United States” (Feb. 29, 1892, US457-458), Justice Josiah Brewer, following a lengthy and exhaustive search of early American historical literature, commented, “We find everywhere a clear recognition of the same truth….that we are a Christian nation….”

In another Supreme Court Case, “Zorach vs. Clauson” (1952, US306 307 313), Justice William O. Douglas categorically stated, “We are a religious people and our institutions presuppose a Supreme Being.” Further, in “United States vs. Macintosh” (1931, 283 US 605, 625), Justice George Sutherland affirmed, “We are a Christian people….affording to one another the equal right of religious freedom, and acknowledge with reverence the duty of obedience to the will of God.”

http://righterreport...s-of-america-2/

Episkopos said:

The church that is looking for an identity outside of Christ...like feeling like they belong to the popular culture and society...will follow the world down the path to more materialism and hedonism.

Rather Christianity is to be on a higher level than merely a cultural or societal level. It is to be on a civilizarional level. Culture is transitory as well as societies. So the more that these trends infiltrate the churches the more the churches become identifiable with said socities and the end result is always syncretism.

Click to expand...

That's what's called the "Social Gospel" movement which began back in the 1800's, with men's ideas of Socialism creeping into the Church.

Satan's servants on earth intend to use that to Socialize Christianity to the point that it will blend with all other world religions in prep for their false one-world brotherhood. They have been busy trying to socialize other religions also, not just Christianity.

For proof of modern christianity's desire to be accepted by the world on need look no further than the constant parade of "alternatives" they offer..."christian movies" "christian rock" christian books" "christian fitness programs" christian alternatives to celebrating pagan holidays....if the world offers it modern christianity has a christianized version of it.

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

What people say and what is the actual truth are not always the same. A lot of people claim to be a Christian for all kinds of reasons. On e woman told me she was a Christian because she was an American. The publisher of a porn magazine claimed to be born again and want to do an issure of his porn magazine on Adam and Eve. Some people will say they have ALWAY been a Christian; that would mean they were born that way--like the homosexuals claim they were. People can claim anything they want, but claiming it doesn't make it so.

HammerStone said:

http://spectator.org...an-or-post-chri

There has obviously been a good bit of ink spilled on this discussion, but the paragraph that resonates with me comes at the end of this sobering assessment. For the record, I think the assessment that we are a post-Christian nation to be true. I don't view that as a positive thing, and we can begin to look a lot like secular Europe if we are not careful.

I don't think many Christians desire a theocracy, which seems be the great neo-liberal/neo-atheist red-herring fear. Instead, I think we're losing the binding that ties us together.

Anyway, here is the quote:

Click to expand...

I'm re-quoting your quote because it didn't come across for some reason;

[background=rgb(247, 247, 247)]Too many religious Americans romanticize America's religious past while obsessing over the deficiencies of the present. Heeding Neuhaus, who regrettably has no clear successor as Christian public thinker in America, they need to recall history more realistically. And they need to accept responsibility for today's burdens and opportunities.[/background]

It's true, really. Notions about America being Christian are romantic ones and those notions are as full of logical, statistical and historic holes as the proverbial cheese. In fact, nearly every notion about America is false - from being a peace loving people, to a selfless people, to a nation that loves liberty. In point of fact none of these romanticisms is true. They are, however, reinforced by our national holidays, everyday speech, and newspaper sales flyers that advertise 'liberating' predatory banking scams and mall sales events.

In truth one doesn't need to go very far to discover Christian posts or Christian attitudes that deny civic political responsibility. Another hot topic is whether Christians ought to participate in the process. By and large Christians don't. Oh yes, there are a few who dedicate themselves to assisting the community. I have personally spent my entire adult life in community service. I don't consider that special in any way, but I do find myself incensed and frustrated with Christians who deny ANY duty at all. If you live in this country you ought to help a little bit.

The argument about American Christianity ignores facts and history. 80% of our legal inhabitants state that they're Christian. What of it? Using 1948 attendance records as a benchmark, only 43% of the population attended church services on a regular basis in 2010. That's a Gallup Poll figure. According to Christianity Today the figure is just a tad under 25% for the same time period. According to another group that uses actual head counts the figure is about 17%.

Any way you look at it, the numbers are dropping drastically. Why? Protestant leaders have been very busy committing theological suicide for the past fifty years. The numbers prove that they are succeeding. They've been working to make God relevant to man, to bring God down as St. Paul would say, instead of making man relevant to God - to raise man to the level of Christ. Such discipline requires a severe amount of personal restraint and sacrifice as any sincere practicing Christian will tell you. Americans don't seem to be willing to submit to that sort of discipline any more.

"the United States has always been a nation of ongoing hustlers from the prisons and disaster areas of old Europe. I do not think that the American System in its present state of decadence is worth preserving. The initial success of the United States was largely accidental. A rich empty continent was exploited by rapacious Europeans who made slaves of Africans and corpses of Indians in the process."
- GORE VIDAL

Despite our deceptive opinion of ourselves, Americans have always been a brutal and hawkish people. The fact that modern American Christians don't seem to want to actively participate in the political process bears this out. In October of 2001 we threw out our old republic and began the finishing touches on our proud new fascist police state. We love it! In a recent poll, NBC learned that the TSA is now more popular than congress. With the exception of Ron Paul and Gary Johnson, no legitimate political figure has expressed the least concern over the fact that the United States is now involved in more than ten concurrent wars abroad. We are at war on a dozen fronts as we joyously continue to convert innocent young men into military murderers. Christian nation? I think not.

America was never a Christian nation. As to whether it is one today, the facts history and present dependence upon the defense industry to shore up our economy illustrate the truth to everyone who honestly seeks it. Politics are almost never discussed from the pulpit and as a result the ship of state is in danger of foundering on serious economic and military rocks directly in our path. When that happens, as surely it must, many will ask God why He abandoned us. The answer is obvious; we told Him not to interfere with our lives.

but that's just me, hollering from the choir loft...

Jon-Marc said:

While the US was started on Christians principles, it is far from being a Christian nation and never was.

Click to expand...

agreed

But if you review history you would of seen God in the White House, in Congress, the first printed bibles for schools were printed by the US congress. They prayed in the name of Jesus, they had church services on Sunday's in the Congress, the ten commandments, and crosses were in court rooms.

Our existing government is doing it's best to remove any sign of Christian material or reverence to the Christian God.

This government of the United States is no longer of God, but is involved in the development of the "new world order", the "one world government"

I don't doubt the intention of some of the early founders were sincere, but whatever the measures they took to establish a Christian nation were doomed to fail because a nation can not be Christian, people are.

How can we, as believers in America, even view any of the activities our government has done as godly in nature?

We are killing the innocent on a daily basis! We judge those countries different than our own, it is all about power and money?

After all of this, we ask if we're a Christian nation!

I think it's a form of idolatry.

That's how I see it.

The only hope for America is disaster...Americans despise reality and real life and they are running just as fast as they can into every form of hedonism, escapism,foolishness and nonsense....only when the lights go out,the TV goes off,the computer screens go blank,the gas pumps go dry,the shelves at the supermarket go empty,the music stops and they are dragged kicking and screaming into reality will they ever realize just how foolish they have been,what they have lost and have any notion of how if ever to get it back.

veteran said:

That's what's called the "Social Gospel" movement which began back in the 1800's, with men's ideas of Socialism creeping into the Church.

Satan's servants on earth intend to use that to Socialize Christianity to the point that it will blend with all other world religions in prep for their false one-world brotherhood. They have been busy trying to socialize other religions also, not just Christianity.

Click to expand...

That's the way i see it to.
Political correctness is worshiped full on in Australia and don't cross them or you will find out just how vicious they are and the fact is they are just as bad as, if not worse than the Nazi's and Communist low life. it's a religion of man.
They do think they are good ?

A nation is considered to be Christianized when its society assumes Christian values and attitudes. It has never meant that no people sin. It has never meant that every person accepts Christ.

The U.S. was founded on faith and family. Religious pluralism was important to the founders, but their own faith was explicitly Christian. This is well documented. America prospered because faith was considered foundational to democracy. People without it are not trustworthy to keep a democracy functioning.

There has been a war of faith in the U.S. for the last 45 years at least. In '62 praying in schools was banned. In '63 the Supreme Court then found that reading the bible in public schools was unconstitutional. In 1980 they invalidated a state law requireing the 10 commandments to be displayed in classrooms. In 1985 they struck down a law requiring just a moment of silence for private prayer or meditation. In 1989 they found that displaying a nativity scene in a county courthouse vioalted the constitution. IN '92 religious figures were prohibited from offering prayer during public school graducations. In '93 the court ruled that it was unconstitutional for a Christian club to meet on the campus of a public school. In 2004 a student who earned a state scholarship to college was denied the right to use the funding to pursue a degree in theology. In '05 a display of the 10 commandments in two Kentucky courthouses was ruled unconstitutional.

In NJ, a 2nd grader was prohibited from singing "Awesome God" in an after-school talent show. In Texas, senior citizens meeting in a community senior center were prohibited from praying over their meals. In St. Louis an elementary student was caught praying over his lunch by a school oficial and was lifted from his seat, repremanded in front of the other students, and taken to the principal who ordered him to stop praying in school. In 2006 William and Mary College removed a cross from the Wren Chapel becuase it was an unwelcoming religious symbol. There's much much more I could list - all of these are documented in Newt Gingrich's book "A Nation Like No Other".

I believe in American exceptionalism, and I believe America has been exceptional because of its Christian character. I believe it is in extreme danger unless Christian people begin to nonviolently resist the assaults on our faith. Where are the pray-ins in public places? Why are we not marching? Why do we not insist that Christianity be treated as least as respectfully as other religions? Why are Christians silent? "America" is not a soul that will go to heaven or hell. It is just made up of people. If the Christian people don't take the country back to faith in God, who will?