Do the Christian Roots of America Undermine the Freedom of Other Religions?

 Do the Christian Roots of America Undermine the Freedom of Other Religions?

Introduction

The United States of America considers itself to be the epitome of freedom, which is expressed in multiple instances in various statutes and amendments of the constitution (Baker, 2009). Despite its history with slavery and other forms of discrimination, the modern American government has established its position as a leading force towards the achievement of universal rights across the globe. However, inequality is a subject that sparks controversy in America, especially when it comes to the treatment of people from differing religious backgrounds by the government. While America has reiterated its position as a defender of equality and universal human rights, religion remains one of the controversial issues in America. In this regard, the separation of politics and religion has remained quite impossible due to the political history of the country (Baker, 2009). That said, America has struggled with the separation of church and state, which is against its promise of religious freedom for all people who reside in the country. The treatment of Muslims and peoples of other religions by the law is proof of the inequality that has persisted in the United States. This begs the question of whether the Christian roots of America are the reason behind inequality if religions in modern times. This paper argues that the Christian roots of America have undermined the full acceptance and accommodation of other faiths by conservative Americans. This is evidenced by the discriminatory attitudes from the system towards Muslims, especially the criminalization of the religion by the political elite. The portrayal of association with Christianity by politicians has been at the core of making America seem like a Christian state, instead of the Free State it is assumed to be.

Background

Christianity is the most popular religion in America, with a majority of the population having a Christian background, regardless of their varying levels of commitment. It is safe to say that if America were a religious state, it would be a Christian state. The foundations of the Free State can be traced from the amendment to the American constitution, which saw the importance of separating the church from the state. However, it is important to note that the United States was founded under the core values of Christianity, such as love, compassion, and value for life. Thus, it is arguable that the United States constitution has many elements which link it to Christianity than any other religion (Baker, 2009). Also, the Christian roots of the United States are evident in various cultural practices and events such as Easter holidays and Christmas, which are celebrated nationally. In recent times, politics in America have assumed a Christianity-oriented approach, which has contributed to divisions across the country (Baker, 2009). Besides, many politicians have resorted to associating themselves with Christianity in order to appeal to the Christian majority, which makes up a significant part of the electorate. While an argument can be made that these associations do not aim to seclude other religions, they have determined voting patterns and opinions along the lines of orientation. In other words, voters who have a Christian background are more likely to vote for a politician who sells his ideas with a Christian undertone.

In recent years, terrorism has become one of the divisive developments in Amerisociety. Notably, the aftermath of 9/11 has seen the United States government adopt a proactive system that can be termed as discriminative at its most fundamental level. The use of Islam as a tool of war has made it even worse for Muslims across the globe, who have found themselves on the receiving end of the condemnation of terrorism. In America, Muslims have faced targeted anti-terrorism campaigns both from the government and from society as a whole. In this regard, mosques have been raided in pursuit of terrorists and the prevention of another 9/11 (Boot, 2019). This has created a situation where the equality of all religions has been challenged, which makes this topic relevant. The American society should be the model for other nations, by living up to the expectations of an equal society that is characterized by freedom and equality of all people regardless of their religious orientation.

How the Christian Roots of America have Undermined Religious Freedom

According to Hunter Baker (2009), the secularism of the state provides the best environment for the advancement of society. Secularism succeeds by creating a society where everyone is welcome to be a part of, and be treated equally regardless of their beliefs, religious or otherwise. At an ideological level, this is the kind of society America had intended, and still maintains is at the core of its constitution and governance. However, in recent times, especially since the events of 9/11, the Iraqi war, and the subsequent occupation of the Middle East, the American society has witnessed broad divisions along religious lines, with Muslims being on the receiving end. Another challenge to the success of secularism can be attributed to the actions of the political class, whose pursuit of votes has led them to associate themselves with Christianity. These, coupled with the media representations of terrorism, war, and peace, have led to the reinforcement of religious stereotypes that have diminished any hope of establishing a secular society. While some actions are justifiable and are necessary for national security, it is beyond doubt that the Christian roots of America have contributed to religion-based discrimination and distrust among religious sections of the American society (Baker, 2009).

The portrayal of the Islam religion by the media has been at the centre of the reinforcement of religious stereotypes (Boot, 2019). Conservative media in America is quite famous for its controversial views on various topics. However, their coverage of acts of terror involving Muslims shows the bias that is created through the assumption that America is a Christian state. For instance, reports of terrorist attacks have failed to acknowledge that terrorism is different from religion and that Muslims should be separated from the terror attacks. According to Boot (2019), Americans have been led to assume that Muslim extremists are the only threat to their safety and security. Boot (2019) notes that this is understandable due to the fact that the worst atrocities in modern America have been caused by terrorists whose acts of terror are done in the name of Islam. However, this has blinded society against the fact that right-wing extremists have caused more deaths more than Islamic extremists. Surprisingly, the coverage of right-wing extremists’ shootings and bombings by far-right has blamed mental illness and stress instead of racist ideologies. Besides, some sections of right-wing media choose not to term these actions as terrorism, which has made it harder for Americans to separate terrorism and religion. Therefore, the association of terrorism with the Islamic faith has led to the focus of anti-terrorism towards the religion, while limiting the success of security forces in combating right-wing terrorism. As Baker states, secularism is the only way a society can be able to avoid a conflict of interest involving different religious parties. Thus, it can be said that by failing to embrace secularism, Christianity has emerged as the dominant religion, much to the marginalization and discrimination of Islam.

The political class in America has done little in terms of separating politics and religion. In recent times, leaders like Trump and pence have powerfully portrayed their association with Christianity, in their pursuit of political success and appeal to the electorate (D’Antonio & Eisner, 2018). With Christianity being the more popular religion than any other in America, the line between politics and religion have been blurred. In “Understanding Cultural Christianity”, we get to see how Christians fail to follow the teachings of Jesus and opting to apply the religion for their own interest and benefits (Wilberforce, 1989). In America, politicians have resorted to the use of Christianity for their political interests. This is reflected in policy-making processes where the policies are formulated to benefit a select portion of the population that leaders feel indebted to. In other words, leaders who utilize Christianity as a tool of facilitating their political success, are more likely to create policies that benefit those that voted for them, instead of those that benefit the country collectively.

The attachment of emotions and faith is another area that has led to religious inequality in America. In section 2 of chapter 3, the author discusses the role of emotion in faith and the importance of separating emotions and faith. According to the author, emotions can be very powerful and unreasonable in most cases (Wilberforce, 1989). Therefore, their application in religion can affect decisions. In American society, cases of emotional faith can be seen in the political seclusion of religions that do not conform to Christian beliefs. The cause of this is, in most cases, the cultural attitudes towards certain sections of society. For instance, sections that are not Christian are seen as the enemy, which inspires hatred and imbalance in the distribution of power, creation of policies and allocation of resources (Wilberforce, 1989). This can also be attributed to the failure of the society to separate Christianity and state, which leaves non-Christian sections out of the groups that are favoured by Christian-oriented political systems.

Conclusion

            This paper identifies the Christian roots of America as the primary cause of religious discrimination in America. The media and its coverage of terrorism have created stereotypes which associate Muslims with terrorism. On the same note, the failure of the media to identify right-wing terrorists as such has limited the separation of religion and terrorism. Politicians have also contributed to the division among religions by associating themselves with Christianity, much to the alienation of other faiths. Emotional faith has also undermined objectiveness in governance and creation of policies that benefit the entire country. This highlights the need for separating the church and state and the importance of secularism in creating a society that accommodates everyone regardless of their religious orientation.

References

Baker, H. (2009). The end of secularism. Crossway.

Wilberforce, W. (1982). Real Christianity: Contrasted with the Prevailing Religious System. Multnomah Press.