Is Sarah Palin Right?

Is America a Judaeo-Christian nation in the sense that it was founded on Judaeo-Christian principles?

Sarah Palin recently argued that our commitment to freedom, justice, equality, and human rights makes us a Christian nation. Was she right?

Sarah Palin is a demagogue. She is not right about anything. She is out to make her fortune, after having abused her office as Governor of Alaska by using that office to carry out a personal vendetta against a state trooper, whom her sister had broken up with. Instead of facing the consequences of her actions she resigned. She is now out for herself to make money.

To the extent that the great thinkers of the enlightenment reflected Judaeo Christian ethics in their ideals of the natural rights of man, and to the extent that these ideals were reflected in the Declaration of Independence then yes a case can be made that the US was founded on Judea Christian principals. Not all of the founding fathers were Christian. And in fact only one signer of the Declaration knew the truth, the Catholic Mr. Charles Carroll.

The constitution reflects principles of Roman and Greek law, as well as those ideals from the enlightenment as depicted in the bill of rights -- the first 10 amendments to the constitution. The Constitution also reflects the unique political ideals of the framers, the ideal of federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, the methods of electing our representatives including senators, members of the house of representatives and the executive branch, and also the supreme court. Of these in the original constitutional design only the election of member of the house of representatives was designed to be democratic. Initially the president was elected by electors chosen by the individual states’ legislatures, members of the senate were also appointed also by the state legislatorss in conjunction with the governor of the individual sates. Since these principles are not strictly democratic there is an element of elitism in the selection of these officials. Over the years we have expanded the principal of democracy such that the president and the members of the senate are now elated in a more democratic fashion with the people voting directly for their senators and the people voting for the slate of electors pledged to carry out the wishes of the voting public when electing a president. To the extent that democracy is a Judaeo Christian principal, then a case can be made that the constitution now reflects Judaeo Christian principles. However, the founding fathers who directed the framing of the constitution were thinking along purely secular lines when the constitution was drafted. They wanted a constitution, that would best sustain a country and overcome the excesses they perceived in British Rule.
To the extent that the framers were guided by the hand of God, then the constitution and the thinking of the founding fathers can be considered Judeo Christian, however this claim is dubious at best. Our legal system is modeled after that of ancient Rome; hardly a Christian institution, since they crucified Christ; and not mosaic law and certainly not by the values expressed in matt 25:31-46. However, the freedoms delineated and codified in the bill of rights allows for religious freedom and a separation of church and state, which restricts the government from imposing a state religion, while allowing citizens to be free to worship as they see fit.

Current fundamentalist thought perverts the actual history and thinking of the framers by trying to lead us to believe that somehow the framers we guided and directed by purely Christian principles. This line of thinking is clearly false, and is used by fundamentalists in specious argument that would allow them to take control of the government and impose a mosaic or old testament law, which is their goal. Fortunately due to democratic reforms and changing demographics in the country these so called "Christian" fundamentalists are losing ground. Their ideas are also losing ground in the free market place of ideas, as many of us see their true motives which is the imposition of a Mosaic law and the imposition of a state religion a particular brand of so called "Christianity." A "Christianity" which is neither Christian nor biblical.
This country was not founded by Catholics and in fact as Charles Carroll’s life indicates there was much Catholic prejudice to be overcome in this country. Charles Carroll was the only Catholic founding father and he had to use his financial and political resources and skills to defeat a very heavy anti-catholic prejudice in colonial and constitutional America. In fact he was instrumental in defeating a Maryland state law that restricted Catholics from holding public office. He is the cousin of John Carol the first Catholic bishop in the US.

Trying to characterize the founding fathers as evangelical Christians is a very dangerous and completely false ploy by so called fundamentalist "Christians" to subvert our freedoms and, thus take the first step to their end of world domination by imposing Mosaic law on the US. As Catholics we must not forget, that even though we share common views with the fundies on abortion and the government sanction of homosexuality, or their philosophy in other areas is completely outside of Catholic doctrine, in such a way that even though brought into the fold of Catholicism via baptism, they remain heretics and place themselves outside of the kingdom of God/Heaven on earth – the Catholic church as soon as they commit a mortal sin after their baptism, as they do not seek proper absolution. Let us also not forget that were they to come to power in the US, they would first rid the country of homosexuals and then rid the country of we Catholics, whom they hate and see as the great whore of Babylon. They also consider the pope and President Obama as the antichrist in their perverted understating of the book of revelations.

copyright 2010 fred celio