Have We Lost our American Values?

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
~1st Amendment

         When Herman Cain, U.S. Georgia candidate, discussed his position regarding same-sex marriage he said that “the courts have failed the American people. Congress needs to enact a constitutional amendment to protect the sacred institution of marriage.” He goes on to say, “liberal-minded judges have opened a floodgate of judicial tyranny that will chip away at the core values of this country until nothing is left! It started with not allowing prayer in schools, not being able to display the Ten Commandments, attempting to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance, and now making same-sex marriages legal.”1   America, according to Cain, has lost its values consequently its citizens loose the values that many Christians believe America are founded on. Is America founded on Christian values? Does Cain have a point that we, America citizens, are changing and discrediting the values and morals that once was, such as taking prayer out of schools to allowing same-sex marriages? With these arguments that will continue for a long time and with more issues to come, I have no more better arguments in regards to both points of view. I understand that we are chipping away at our once held Christian values and that the opposing party says that the founding fathers never mentioned we were a “Christian nation.” The latter point of view, I understand because when the founding fathers said to “[make] no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” we are giving up our Christian values in favor for a country who now welcomes variety of beliefs in addition to Christianity. I strongly side with the opposing views; however, there is truth in what Cain says, and this is what I’d like to focus on.

         Although the first amendment does not state we are a Christian nation, I believe that we are by majority and the underlining Christian practices we exhibit via how we live, believe, and our decisions whether political, personal, or both. Our founding fathers, whom I assume to be Christian, saw that to have a peaceful nation we must give no weight to one religion over another. We do not discredit another person’s faith nor they ours. When we do not allow prayer in schools, the right to display the Ten Commandments, taking God out of the Pledge of Allegiance, and allowing same-sex marriages, we are stumping on what our fathers quoted. They did not want us to disrespect others practices, such as the above, because outside parties feel otherwise. We are chipping at America’s core values. It is hurting America to where our culture becomes nonexistent.

         I have a friend who asked me once, what is America culture? What do we base our lives and morals on? To be American says what a person’s nationality is not his or her race or ethnicity. Saying a person is an American is not saying that we are Christian as if we say one is Cree, we automatically assume he or she is born, raised, and shares the beliefs of his family and tribe. When we say someone is Italian, we unintentionally incorporate core beliefs that Italy shares within their country. When we say someone is an American, we do not automatically identify our nationality with a belief system. We are slowly losing our identity as Americans. I believe this is the crux of Cain’s statement. As we take away, change, or allow non-Christian values to evolve our country, we chip away at its values.

         Of course, it would be ignorant of me not to say that there are Americans who are from other countries and minorities, such as gay individuals, who are indeed Christian. Certainly there are. However, the point to be made about America and its dissolving values is not what individual Christian’s claim. A straight Christian may just as well believe that gay Christians do go to heaven regardless of their behaviors or lack thereof. While a gay Christian individual will insist that all gay individuals will not be with God as long as they continue to be gay (looking at orientation and/or behavior) like the ex-gay movement proposes. The point is about the claim of countless Americans insisting that breaks America’s relationship with the faith it is founded. The forefathers wanted us to be at peace with each other by respecting each other for our freedom to practice our belief. Children should be able to pray in schools, as, for example, some schools let Muslims have an area for them to pray. God’s name should not be taken from the Pledge of Allegiance. It should be said as the writer and those who stand for it meant it to be read and said. We should not allow same-sex marriages because marriage is a sacred term defined for man and woman only. If we let America practice their core values of this country, we will be doing what our four fathers wanted us to do: and that is give every individual the freedom to exercise his or her faith no matter who says otherwise.

© 2010 JCWash

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