We’ve all heard the adage, “With friends like these, who needs enemies?” Sadly Christianity in America has reached this point. Its friends are making it less and less attractive not only to the general population, but to a lot of Christians themselves. A piece of legislation introduced in the North Carolina legislature is a case in point.
Republican Reps. Harry Warren and Carl Ford introduced a bill with two sections that deal specifically with religion: 1. The North Carolina General Assembly asserts that the Constitution of the United States of America does not prohibit states or their subsidiaries from making laws respecting an establishment of religion; 2. The North Carolina General Assembly does not recognize federal court rulings which prohibit and otherwise regulate the State of North Carolina, its public schools or any political subdivisions of the State from making laws respecting an establishment of religion.
Apparently they did this in response to law suits by the American Civil Liberties Union challenging the right of county boards of commissioners to open their meetings with explicitly Christian prayers. A federal court ruled against one county board in 2011, suggesting others would face the same fate. So Warren and Ford decided they would fix the problem by having the state declare federal jurisdiction prohibiting the establishment of religion null and void should it conflict with state law allowing for such establishment.
This bill will, of course, be ruled unconstitutional, if it ever becomes law, which it probably won’t. But my concern is the damage it does to Christianity in the meantime. Christianity not only does not need its friends to try to make it a state religion, it does not benefit from such misguided efforts. Our nation’s founders knew the tragic story of church and state collusion in Europe, and they were also well aware of the excesses of New England Puritanism that led to persecutions and hangings of non-Puritans. That is why they consciously chose to leave out any reference to God in the Constitution, made all the more significant by the fact that Jefferson (who was not a Christian) did reference the Creator in the Declaration of Independence, and why they established a Republic that gave no official sanction to any religion, including Christianity.
People who want to force religion into the public square don’t seem to realize it doesn’t benefit religion when this happens. Just as none of us thinks Islamic theocracies around the world are a good thing, neither should we want any hint of a Christian theocracy here at home. And Christians should be the first ones to say so. If Americans cherish anything, it is freedom. Religions, including Christianity, do not enjoy a reputation for protecting freedoms. Most, in fact, including Christianity, having a history of suppression of free thought and oppression of certain groups of people. It does not enhance Christianity’s role in society when foolish politicians try to pass laws that use it to circumvent the Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of and freedom from religion.
Here’s the deal with church and state relations. It does not in any way inhibit the free exercise of religion for courts to say Christian prayers, practices, and ceremonies have no place in government sponsored institutions, agencies, and gatherings. Efforts to put them in such places and events is called civil religion, and it has never served Christianity well. Quite the opposite, Civil religion does harm by giving the appearance of Christianity’s sanction of state actions. A Christian chaplain praying at the opening of a legislative session that supports suppression of voting rights or the right of women to choose, that prevents equal rights for gays, that cuts aid to the poor while giving bigger tax breaks to the wealthy is a de facto endorsement of these decisions that polls consistently show most Americans don’t support, including a majority of Christians. But this happens every day across the country and in Washington, and Christianity is the loser.
So, if you will excuse my English, as a representive of Christianity I say to politicians like Reps. Harry Warren and Carl Ford, leave us the hell alone. We don’t need your help. We can do just fine without it. Keep the influence of Christianity on society in the hands of faith communities and give your undivided attention to being better at your own job.
