This is different than saying that Christianity is the official religion of the United States. The founding fathers had the wisdom to declare this nation not have an official religion. Instead guaranteeing all of its people the freedom to worship freely as they please. An ideal imbedded in the First Amendment to the constitution. This means that all of its people are equal citizens under the law regardless of what their religion is.
This is why I consider myself a full fledged American with all the rights and privileges afforded them. At the same time our founding document, The Declaration of Independence, recognizes that we are endowed with inalienable rights given to us by a Creator. Underscoring the existence of God and that He is the ultimate Grantor of those rights. God was an integral part of America at its founding. Which is how the founding father envisioned the ethos of the American future.
I am therefore pleased at how many speakers at the RNC convention spoke about God. That one or two of them mentioned their belief in the god of the New Testement didn’t bother me a bit. As I said, this is a Christian nation and we are each allowed to worship in any manner we choose.
I was glad to hear God mentioned so many times because He has been absent from the national dialogue. A dialogue promoted by a progressive agenda that speaks only of human rights. Not Godly obligations.
We don’t have to look very far to see where this attitude has taken us when progressives can’t even define what a woman is. And consider a fetus something that is expendable - if - because of inconvenience - that is a pregnant woman’s choice. Or that the sexual morality of the bible is considered an unfair burden on individuals whose sexual desires lead to violations of God's law that they consider arbitrary.
This brings me to a column by journalist, Jay Michaelson. Someone whose views about Judaism is a gross distortion of what it actually is.
By his own admission Michaelson has chosen to entirely ignore the RNC convention. And then comments that he thinks it will promote and bring about if Trump’s polices are restored. That s so typical of the progressive left. They think have the gift of prophecy. They know in advance what will be promoted and will refute it in advance. Michaelson thinks that Christian Nationalism is the theme of the convention.
While there are some Christians that want to the US become an official Christian nation, that is not going to happen with the Republicans that currently control the party. And it was clearly not evident at all so far. The opposite is true. The following are some examples that demonstrate that.
Leora Levy, a Jewish Republican from Connecticut spoke on the fist day and made the following prayer:
“O Lord our God, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, your eternal city, and for all the children of Abraham, we remember and pray for freedom for the hostages kidnapped and held so cruelly against their will,” Levy said. “Lord, please keep them in your sight and hasten the day of their freedom.”
This was followed by a spontaneous coment from the floor (By a Christian no doubt) who said: ‘Beautiful prayer!’
This morning JTA had the following headline for one of its stories
In a first, Republican Jewish Coalition CEO addresses RNC as Republicans vow to make American Jews safe again.
The following is a quote from that article:
“President Trump will bring back law and order so that American Jews can once again wear a kippah and walk the streets without fear,” (Matt)Brooks said in a fiery speech, waving a red kippah emblazoned with Trump’s name. “President Trump will stop the mobs on college campuses so Jewish students feel safe when they go to class.”
In addition there were many Jewish Trump supporters on the floor carrying signs with Trump’s name in Hebrew. One Trump supporter with sign like that - which the camera’s focused on a lot last night looked like a Lubavitcher!
Tonight’s convention theme will be foreign affairs. Scheduled to speak will be a Jewish college student (and former Bernie Sanders supporter) talking about his experience of antisemitism on campus. Also scheduled to speak will be the mother of one of the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas!
I’m pretty sure that unequivocal support for Israel will be on display. Nothing about ‘Israel going to far’ or too many Palestinians being killed. To the extent that they do mention civilian casualties, it will be blamed entirely on Hamas. Where the blame belongs,
They will also remind the audience about the breakthrough of the Abraham Accords and the fact that Iran was broke under Trump, while under Biden they have been allowed to have enough money to support their proxies (like Hamas and Hezbollah) in their goal of annihilating Israel.
I will be surprised if all those things are not mentioned. If the RNC is trying to make the US a Christian Nationalist country, they have a funny way of showing it.
Michaelson who is openly gay also fears the following:
Four more years of stacking the courts (will) likely end…legal same-sex marriage, the further erosion of women’s legal autonomy as human beings (i.e. the right to end an inconvenient pregnancy)
Ending gay marriage is not a bad thing. Neither is opposing abortions for women who seek them because having a baby is inconvenient. While some of the other things he fears happening I too am opposed to, the idea of bringing God back into the picture is a good that overrides my other concerns. That is something the country is sorely lacking. Restoring God back into the culture of the American people is something the Republican party supports. And so do I.