Christian Nation? Finally, a Point by Point answer!

The idea that Trump is an admired "Christian" and that the US is a Christian nation kinda shows you how hollow and odd many of these Christians have been for decades. My conservative friend in Milwaukee believes both. I recently found a bible quote in a tweet that I thought beat back his claim, plus the following...: 

Mark 7:6, NIV: "He (Jesus) replied, 'Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ''These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.'"

True, right? My friends response was...well, so Trump-like, so much projection:

Then by accident, I came across this local broadcast of The Freedom From Religion Foundation's Attorney and Director of Strategic Response Andrew L. Seidel, who talked about his new book, 'The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism Is Un-American.'" I called and was happy to get permission to offer up a shortened version of their half hour show.

Here's Seidel's view of natural law:

Natural law: When discussing the Declaration of Independence, the Religious Right typically focuses on four phrases from it: “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God,” “their Creator,” “the Supreme Judge of the world” and “Divine Providence.” Notice that not a single one of these is Christian. There’s no mention of Jesus or Yahweh or the God of Abraham.

There are two competing views on natural law. The first is that laws or rights are given to us by a divine being. The second is that we have rights because we’re human.

We know which one of these Thomas Jefferson was talking about because he wrote about natural law in several other places. A great quote from his opinion of the French treaties: “Questions of the natural right are triable by their conformity with the moral sense and reason of man. Those who write treatises on natural law can only declare what their own moral sense and reason dictate.”

Human rights — natural law — are discoverable by reason.

Oklahoma Public School District adopts Hobby Lobby Bible Class

An unbiased public school course on the Bible? Students aren't coerced into taking the class because it's voluntary, and the curriculum has been designed to pass constitutional challenges. 

So what would make me suspicious of something so meticulously designed to indoctrinate school kids into the Christian faith? 

ChristianPost: Dan Barker, The Freedom From Religion Foundation of Madison co-president and a former pastor, stated in the press release that he was troubled about the possible content of the elective course.

Mustang Schools Superintendent Sean McDaniel (said), “When our pre-enrollment packets were returned by students earlier this semester, more than 170 students indicated the course would be their first choice for an elective class."

Barker detailed what an FFRF attorney found in the course, and how crosses the line in so many ways. Remember, this is just the toe in the door. It truly is amazing. Radio Audio:

Hobby Lobby's Common Core alternative? 

Dallas News: The president of the Hobby Lobby chain of craft stores is working to add the Bible to the curriculum of public high schools nationwide. His purpose, stated more clearly at some times than at others, is for students to learn its text and put America on a righteous course.

“This nation is in danger because of its ignorance of what God has taught,” Hobby Lobby's Steve Green said last year to the National Bible Association, announcing his plan for the high school course. “There are lessons from the past that we can learn from, the dangers of ignorance of this book. We need to know it, and if we don’t know it, our future is going to be very scary.”

The public Mustang School District in suburban Oklahoma City will begin teaching a class about the Bible as an elective beginning this fall. The goal is to place the Bible course in thousands of schools by 2017. The Green Scholars Initiative wasn't intended to proselytize or “go down denominational, religious-type roads,” and persuaded the board that the plan would pass any constitutional challenges.

A constitutional challenge would conceivably cost the district more money. Perhaps Steve Green will foot that bill?