What happens for those who don't agree with your idea of American Culture?

Because from what I have been reading all around here, my idea of what it is to be an American is far different from the majority.

I know a bunch of you would probably like to label me a "secular progressive," ala Bill O'Really, but that's a term which means nothing. Absolutely nothing. Oh, I am secular, if you have looked at my blog you can probably tell that.  But progressive? Hardly.

I am libertarian to a point. Insofar as the structure of American government is concerned, the less there is, the better I like it. The purpose of government is not to redistribute income, nor to guarantee equivalent outcome, nor to ease the road for any group or groups ahead of any others. The purpose of government is to provide for the commond defense, and to guarantee that no entity can initiate force against any other without justice.

Many of you would agree with that to one extent or another. But where does that leave us? If it is not the government's job to promote Islam, it also isn't the gov's job to promote Christianity. If it isn't the gov's job to tax us into oblivion, it's not the gov's job to give that money to evangelical institutions through faith-based initiatives.

I like the idea of getting rid of the departments of the Interior, Commerce, Education and probably a couple of others. I like the Fair Tax proposal so far. (I still want to study it some more).

But this culture war I am hearing about....what has government to do with that? You may say this nation was founded as a Christian nation...but to do that you take a great many quotes out of context. We know what a "christian" nation looks like, even writ small in American history. Connecticut had enshrined Congregationalism as the state religion, and all citizens were taxed to support it. Later developments allowed members of other churches to have their religious taxes go to their own churches (if they followed the degrading process).

Can you imagine religious taxes in today's society? Would you approve of that?

Mike Huckabee wants to amend the constitution to bring it into alignment with "the word of the living God." So many say amen and amen, but what does that mean exactly? Are you hoping to outlaw contraception? Dishonoring the father and mother?

I am considered quite conservative fiscally and governmentally. I am quite liberal socially. So whose culture is better? I believe mine is, because mine is based on reason alone. Does this mean I think I am right in every opinion? No, it means I believe I have a rational basis for each. I am open to evidence to the contrary.

But a culture that is based on faith alone is difficult to deal with, because each of you has your own ideas about that faith, and  to each of you, it is the one true faith handed down from God. The Mormon believes it, the Baptist believes it, the Catholic believes it, the Muslim believes it. Which one is right? And how can we enshrine whichever one you all decide is closest in our constitution?

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Chris Your argument is only valid if we were living in utopia, you can't weed out the sick or the criminals in any society. This country has many ills and it's populous Is becoming very tired of giving what little they have to people that would soon jump to the front of the line not caring who they trample on getting there. The American dream is alive and well and we are not looking for a Pope or a Minister or a Rabi we are looking for a President that will uphold the office and Do right by the people of it's land.

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Just exactly what happened to you, Chris, to make you hate America so much?  You want to let anyone in with no responsibilities at all and ask only that they not be criminals or sickly.  Who's going to determine what constitutes a crime and what disease is enough to nix you from coming in?  And what is wrong with American culture?  You don't like our holidays?  You don't like President's Day or Memorial Day or Independence Day or Thanksgiving?  You prefer Ramadan or Cinco de Mayo or what?  Something wrong with assimilation or should we be a nation that is so multicultural, multilinquistic, etc. that virtually every day is a holiday or holy day and no one knows what the next person is saying because we don't understand their language?  Did you just come here to get a rise out of people?

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Chris, you seem to pride yourself on being rational while the rest of us on this site are irrational for having emotions.

All human beings are guided by emotions to some extent.  It's the first thing we are guided by.  An emotional reaction is much quicker than a rational response.  A rational response takes time to work through and organize.

I believe you came to this site and had an emotional reaction.  You either had preconceived notions about religion and our culture based on your own experiences and emotional reactions to your experiences and found our site by accident or purposely looked for it as a way to stir up trouble.

You already had a point of view based on your emotions and you have rationalized your views after you made your emotional judgement.

Everyone does that.  To say that you are strictly going on reasoning and rational thought is just not true.  Everyone uses emotions to guide decisions and to formulate reasons for their thoughts and behaviors.

Our culture was founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs.  Our laws are based on that.   There is a culture war going on.  There are those who would choose to follow sharia law.  There are many who refuse to learn the language of our nation.  There are many who want to turn us into a socialist nation and throw away the ideals that have made us strong.

Every nation must protect its culture and ways in order to survive.  The divisions created by trying to allow each group to continue its way of life from wherever they came from only serve to tear a nation apart. 

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Very well stated, ConcernedMom.  Unless he's a robot or Mr. Spock, he's guided to at least SOME extent by emotions.  We all are!

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Chris Johnston said:

Because from what I have been reading all around here, my idea of what it is to be an American is far different from the majority.

I know a bunch of you would probably like to label me a "secular progressive," ala Bill O'Really, but that's a term which means nothing. Absolutely nothing. Oh, I am secular, if you have looked at my blog you can probably tell that.  But progressive? Hardly.

I am libertarian to a point. Insofar as the structure of American government is concerned, the less there is, the better I like it. The purpose of government is not to redistribute income, nor to guarantee equivalent outcome, nor to ease the road for any group or groups ahead of any others. The purpose of government is to provide for the commond defense, and to guarantee that no entity can initiate force against any other without justice.

Many of you would agree with that to one extent or another. But where does that leave us? If it is not the government's job to promote Islam, it also isn't the gov's job to promote Christianity. If it isn't the gov's job to tax us into oblivion, it's not the gov's job to give that money to evangelical institutions through faith-based initiatives.

I like the idea of getting rid of the departments of the Interior, Commerce, Education and probably a couple of others. I like the Fair Tax proposal so far. (I still want to study it some more).

But this culture war I am hearing about....what has government to do with that? You may say this nation was founded as a Christian nation...but to do that you take a great many quotes out of context. We know what a "christian" nation looks like, even writ small in American history. Connecticut had enshrined Congregationalism as the state religion, and all citizens were taxed to support it. Later developments allowed members of other churches to have their religious taxes go to their own churches (if they followed the degrading process).

Can you imagine religious taxes in today's society? Would you approve of that?

Mike Huckabee wants to amend the constitution to bring it into alignment with "the word of the living God." So many say amen and amen, but what does that mean exactly? Are you hoping to outlaw contraception? Dishonoring the father and mother?

I am considered quite conservative fiscally and governmentally. I am quite liberal socially. So whose culture is better? I believe mine is, because mine is based on reason alone. Does this mean I think I am right in every opinion? No, it means I believe I have a rational basis for each. I am open to evidence to the contrary.

But a culture that is based on faith alone is difficult to deal with, because each of you has your own ideas about that faith, and  to each of you, it is the one true faith handed down from God. The Mormon believes it, the Baptist believes it, the Catholic believes it, the Muslim believes it. Which one is right? And how can we enshrine whichever one you all decide is closest in our constitution?

 

Blinded by your own arrogance and your own "spin" on what our founding fathers said. Go live in sweeden or some othe liberal country who cares little or nothing about its citizens.

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Chris, I believe your stance is reasonable.  It was followed by a lot of emotional response. 

What you need to realize, though, is that people are angry that the country we once knew is being taken from us, as we live in it. We have, for the most part, gotten along with each other, respected each other's religion and accepted differences in each other.  Of late, maybe the last ten years, we have been assaulted by media and ethnic groups who have demanded that we see the differences in each other.  Well, that is not what America is, not what it had come to in the 20th century.  Yes, we saw great strife, segregation, civil rights issues, the feminine movement, abortion issues.  We got through it.  Right now, the leaders, elites, media, these ethno-centric groups, seek to divide us.  We Americans have had enough of that.  We are the most generous of countries both within and outside our country.  We are being led to great racial, economic and political divide and so the once homogenous nation that we were is now "falling for the trap" of divisiveness.  It's ugly and we are fighting with all our might to keep what we had and reject this major step backward. 

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Chris,

Remember this?

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This may be a bit off topic, but I have seen more good looking female avatars on this forum than anyplace I have ever been!

 

 One more post by Chris, just to prove a point.

It comes off of the thread titled "Religious Discussions".

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