Tara Carleton and Scott Britt read differently into the values upon which this country was founded because the opinions of historical figures, like the stories contained within any holy text such as the Bible, may be interpreted in a multiplicity of ways.
Carleton is able to infer that America was founded on Christian values because many of our “founding fathers” were indeed Christian and their ideas reflect their Christian values (“Welcome to the land of forgotten purpose,” ODE, 3/11). Britt, on the other hand, is able to determine that our country is founded on values of religious freedom because this freedom, too, was an ideal valued by the founders of our country (“Bush’s crusade is anti-American,” ODE, 02/20). One’s conclusion here is ultimately decided by the quotes one chooses to cite.
Regardless of the light in which one chooses to view the founding fathers, Carleton’s call for our government to align with Christian morality is wholly inappropriate. First, there is no such singular entity as “Christian Morality.” The Bible offers to its devotees a religion of kindness, peace, brotherhood and charity to those less fortunate, and righteous self-sacrifice. At the same time, depending on one’s interpretation, the Bible advocates a culture of misogyny, patriarchy, homophobia, harmful subordination to authority and exaltation of man above the rest of nature, leading to destruction of the environment. In fact, many a racist has used the Bible to justify his or her ideology, declaring dark skin the mark of Cain. The essence of “Christian Morality” is in the interpretation one chooses, not the text itself.
Additionally, the views of the founding fathers and even the set of values upon which our country was founded have no bearing on what course of action is appropriate today. It is logically fallacious to make a hollow appeal to tradition. Just because the United States was founded on certain principles does not mean that those principles are still useful or just today. This begs the question, “What values are appropriate for contemporary American society?”
America is a liberal democracy, meaning that our government enacts the rule of the majority through electoral representation while at the same time establishing rights for significant minorities (the question as to whether this form of government is appropriate is beyond the scope of this letter). Furthermore, current American society is religiously pluralistic.
Thus, to protect the rights of all Americans, a distinct separation between church and state is wholly appropriate. This leads one to conclude that President Bush’s Christian moralization of the state is not in the best interests of America, and is therefore un-American.