America was founded by many great Christian men on many great Christian principles and as many American Christians believe, God blessed America for being founded on His word. Historically we have been a nation of people who fear and bow to the Almighty God. The current population of those who consider themselves “Christian” is in the multiple digits.
However somewhere along the way we have slightly tampered with our Christian attitudes. We have added to our Christian attitudes what I will refer to as The American Attitude.
The American Attitude believes that patriotism is next to Godliness. Patriotism of course, means that no matter what, America is better and smarter and more wonderful than anywhere else. Patriotism means that when someone fights you, you fight back. Patriotism means that if someone threatens your shores, you wipe out theirs.
The American Attitude comes from a deep rooted pride and yes even arrogance, in what “we” have here in America. We have freedoms that other countries cannot even imagine. We allow the free worship and speech so many countries censor. (Sort of – a future post….)
The American Attitude, when struck by terrorists who take the lives of nearly 3,000 innocent civilians traveling or working on a very normal day, is to scream bloody murder. The American Attitude demands that the terrorists pay, that those who dare to attack our country be brought to their knees in repentance for their crimes.
The American Attitude goes proudly off to war, and doesn’t care when common decency and the rules of war are left in the dust in order to accomplish the means to an end. I refer to the abuse of prisoners, excessive force, and the lack of concern for the innocent citizenry in an attempt to squelch the insurrections of the violent political enemies of our country.
If you’re a red-blooded American, your red blood boils at the thought that a foreigner has killed your fellow countrymen. You recoil in horror at the tragedies and the incomprehensible execution style murders occurring on foreign soil. You quiver with anger at the price paid because of the horrible acts committed in the name of a degrading and aggressive religion like Islam. You cry for the lost soldiers and the civilians who gave their lives in this war.
If you’re a typical American you also believe that these people gave their lives for freedom, and the cause thereof. You proudly wave the American flag and belt out the words to the Star Spangled Banner, your eyes bright with patriotic fervor. This is all well and good.
Like many Americans, you might also profess the cross of Christ as your ever-present emblem. Your heart has been given to Christ, your life has been dedicated to being a tool of God’s hands as He works mightily throughout time and space. You might read your Bible, attend church regularly, pray at every meal and most likely consider yourself to be what is called a Christ follower – a Christian.
As a Christian, your heart has been washed clean of vile sins. Most likely, you have never committed murder or worshipped another god. You may have never committed adultery, or even looked at a woman to lust after her. You may have never bourn false witness against a brother, or stolen. You consider these to be abhorrent sins that as a Christian you cannot and will not commit before the Holy God you claim as Father. The Christian Attitude is one of righteousness.
But The Christian Attitude and The American Attitude often get mixed together and turn out something a little less Christian and a little more “American.”
As Americans, we do have a duty to our country, a patriotic feeling based on a sense of right and wrong. When an enemy strikes us, as a country we strike back. We have done so since the beginning of our existence as a group of colonies. When war breaks out, we have tearfully kissed our men goodbye and sent them off with prayers of a safe return. Many of them did not return and many still will not return to us in America. This is the cost of war, the cost that we are all too well aware.
As Christians, we have an even higher duty. A duty to our God and to His word, His teaching.
There are a few key things that are very specifically addressed in the Bible that I fear especially in these times the Christian American has fallen away from. Namely, I refer to the words of Christ in Matthew 5. It says Jesus saw the crowds and sat down to begin teaching them. He said,
“Blessed are the gentle for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me…. You are the salt of the earth…. You are the light of the world…. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven. You have heard that it was said ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’ but I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two…. You have heard it said ‘you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?”
God forbid it, but I don’t know how many Christians have completely lost sight or fail to see in the first place the absolute and pure voice of Jesus behind these words. I am not a Christian who thinks we are now only bound to the New Testament – no, God made it very clear that EVERY word of His was tested (Proverbs 30), that we are to live on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4).
Every word in the Bible, whether written prior to Jesus or after Jesus lived is to be considered perfect and holy as the sacred word of God. To say we are no longer bound to a portion of it is to me blasphemy. Jesus did say
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. …Until Heaven and Earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.”
But I digress into yet another topic for a future post….
So to bring up the wars and somewhat gruesome qualities of some of the Old Testament battles is pointless. I do not believe God as of today has called all “true Christians” to run out and try to kill everyone who teaches and practices Islam. This attitude I have come across is very serious. I have encountered those who believe it is our Christian duty to eliminate the possibility of Islam taking over. I agree – Islam cannot be allowed to take over. But we would do well to start correcting our attitudes into a proper Christian attitude rather than declaring a Jihad against the Jihad.
The long and short of it falls into this: a Christian attitude does not agree to Islam’s beliefs. A Christian attitude does not declare that diversity in religion is part of what the founding fathers were adamant about…no, Islam is a horrible religion and must be combated as much as possible. However, the point is with a CHRISTIAN ATTITUDE, which does not involve killing every Muslim one encounters.
A Christian attitude does not proudly hate and revel in uncaring brutality like this self-diagnosed “angry woman” who is now plastered all over the internet and forwarded to millions of email address nationwide. She writes:
I will when I care Letter from one ‘Angry Woman’ I don’t know who wrote it but they should have signed it. Some powerful words! This woman should run for president. [GOD FORBID!]
Written by a housewife from New Jersey and sounds like it!
This is one ticked off lady.
‘Are we fighting a war on terror or aren’t we?
Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001?
Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan, across the Potomac from our nation’s capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania?
Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn’t they?
And I’m supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was ‘desecrated’ when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet?.
Well, I don’t. I don’t care at all.
I’ll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.
I’ll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia.
I’ll care when these thugs tell the world they are sorry for hacking off Nick Berg’s head while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.
I’ll care when the cowardly so-called ‘insurgents’ in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques.
I’ll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.
I’ll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution’s Bill of Rights.
In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don’t care.
When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college-hazing incident, rest assured: I don’t care.
When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank: I don’t care.
When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed ’special’ food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being ‘mishandled,’ you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts: I don’t care.
And oh, by the way, I’ve noticed that sometimes it’s spelled ‘Koran’ and other times ‘Quran.’ Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and-you guessed it-I don’t care!!
If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to all your E-mail friends. Sooner or later, it’ll get to the people responsible for this ridiculous behavior!
If you don’t agree, then by all means hit the delete button. Should you choose the latter, then please don’t complain when more atrocities committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great Country! And may I add:
‘Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don’t have that problem’ — Ronald Reagan
I have another quote that I would like to add AND……I hope you forward all this.
‘If we ever forget that we’re One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.’ Also by… Ronald Reagan
One last thought for the day:
In case we find ourselves starting to believe all the Anti-American sentiment and negativity, we should remember England’s Prime Minister Tony Blair’s words during a recent interview. When asked by one of his Parliament members why he believes so much in America, he said: ‘A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in.. And how many want out.’
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you:
1. Jesus Christ
2. The American G. I.
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
While this woman proudly proclaims her American attitude and tries to justify her beliefs with a Christian belief system, instead she is spitting on the words of Jesus I quoted before.
I am not a pacifist. I am not against war or our soldiers in Iraq – I’m related to a few. I am an American patriot. But I do not feel pride or revel in the hateful attitudes of those around me – in fact, I’m rather disgusted by them. Especially by those who also claim to carry the cross of Christ in their lives. Those who by all accounts, should know better.
My honest belief is that we as Christians should be more concerned with our personal lives and spend our time and efforts on affecting our local government and even our church government than on declaring a religious war on those we are called to love and witness to and pray for, as Jesus said of those who persecute us.
What makes a Christian with a lack of Christian attitude (but full of the American attitude) any different from the Islamic radicals if evangelical Christians believe they are justified in getting a plane ticket to Iraq and randomly gunning down local citizens? (See Also) (Also see…)
I ask you, American Christian –
what makes you any different?
There are six things which the LORD hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers. (Proverbs 6)
