A Christian Nation?

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TRANSCRIPT

Almost half the country wants America to be a Christian nation. But dig a little deeper, and you'll find what's desired has little resemblance to Christianity.

In tonight's In-Depth Report, Church Militant's Paul Murano uncovers the ignorance wrought by secularization and sin.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.: "The Church is supposed to direct the government; the government is not supposed to direct the Church."

In a new Pew Research poll out last week, a full 45% of American adults want the U.S. to be a Christian nation. And yet, by a 2 to 1 ratio, respondents say religious belief should be left at the doors of the church building or at home.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.: "The only time religious freedom is invoked is in the name of bigotry and discrimination."

The poll also indicates that while 6 in 10 respondents say the nation's founders intended the U.S. to be a Christian nation, many people define "Christian nation" very differently.

Some see it as a nation whose social ethos reflects Christian morality — a nostalgic vision of America before the sexual revolution. Others see it as more of a Christian nationalism, which enacts Christian doctrine into law against the will of the majority. People who define Christian nation this way are less likely to want one.

Robert George, PhD, professor and author, Princeton University: "The argument goes this way. Since the Constitution establishes a strict separation of Church and State, religion has no place in how the country is to be governed. Religion is a purely private matter. And therefore, must be kept out of politics or public policy making. There is a problem with this claim, however. It's false."

Nevertheless, it's evident most people don't understand the first word of the term "Christian nation." With a nationwide mixture of cafeteria Catholics, cultural Catholics and Protestants, coupled with a growing nonaffiliated population, only a small remnant even knows what Christianity entails.

Fr. Richard Heilman, pastor, St. Mary of Pine Bluff: "There's an infiltration of evil going on in our world, our culture and in our Church at this time."

While 63% of Americans "advocate for moral values shared by people of many faiths," another Pew poll showed nearly 70% of Americans say the government should force companies to provide contraception — despite having a religious objection.

Doug Wilson, pastor, Christ Church, Moscow, Idaho: "Our rights come to us from God and not from the government."

Several years ago, a Gallup poll showed that after Jews, Catholics have become the most secularized population in America, increasingly adopting agnostic values.

While many Americans today know society is profoundly broken and bleeding, most have a confused notion of what it means to be a Christian nation.

In a clear example of our society's lack of principles and the power of leftist media, Americans opposed so-called same-sex marriage by a margin of 2 to 1 in 2004. Today those numbers have flipped.

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