A Nation of Heretics

New York Times columnist Ross Douthat writes that American Christians have fallen from faithfulness into heresy in his new book, Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics.

According to Douthat, Americans create and experiment with a variety of offshoot religions. We are no longer orthodox. We are influenced by Christianity, but we are not traditionally Christian. We are heretics.

For instance; believers often commit to political causes at the expense of their faith convictions. Americans have also bought into the self-help journey and finding the god within. Many believers now blush at the exclusive claim that “I am the way and the truth and the life.” They are more interested in the “pray and grow rich” gospel than the journey from spiritual impoverishment.

Julia Thompson writes a most interesting review of Douthat’s book titled, “Have we Become Heretics?” You will find it here at tothesource. . .

One Step Follows Another

Quoting columnist Arnold Ahlert:

“We have become a nation where far too many people believe we can set the parameters of good and evil as we go along, and that we must all worship at the altar of non-judgmentalism. Yet the concept of non-judgmentalism is yet another progressive manipulation of the language: those who refuse to ascribe value to anything are not non-judgmental. They are amoral. Furthermore, a society with substantial numbers of amoral people is easily manipulable. But don’t take my word for it. There are more than a few people still alive with tattooed numbers on their arms who can attest to the depths that easily manipulated, ‘reasonable’ people can sink. Fanaticism rarely occurs in a vacuum. It proceeds from that which is initially perceived to be reasonable to utter depravity. From abortion to infanticide. From a classless society to the ninety-nine percent versus the one percent. From the so-called one percent to the ovens of Auschwitz and Dachau. One incrementally amoral step after another.”

The Press and Religion

Chuck Colson

From the desk of Chuck Colson:

The United States is often referred to as a “post-Christian” nation. In one sense, that is true: The moral and cultural assumptions shaped by Christianity that used to hold sway in American society, can no longer be taken for granted. They must be defended and contended for in the public square.

But that’s not the same as saying that Americans are becoming more like Europeans when it comes to matters like church attendance or belief in a personal God. In many ways the shift in cultural assumptions I just noted is taking place in spite of what Americans believe and do, not because of them.

You would be hard-pressed to know this judging from media reports. These reports seize on any bit of evidence, however suspect, to promote the thesis that Americans are becoming more “secular.” Every few months we are told about some new study that purports to show how secularism and even atheism is on the march.

We are supposed to conclude that instead of going to church our children will spend Sunday mornings reading the holographic edition of the New York Times on their iPad 15 while sipping a latte made from coffee beans grown hydroponically in zero gravity.

It’s a tidy, convenient story. But unfortunately for its tellers, it just doesn’t square with the facts. . . .

Read more here. . . .

Do You Know American History?

When it comes to American history, government, and economics, Americans are largely ignorant. When over 2,000 people were administered a 33-question test last spring on our American history and our political and economic institutions, 71 percent (college and non-college) failed.

Some of the results according to Pete Winn are:

Less than half of Americans can name all three branches of government.

Only 27 percent of Americans know that the Bill of Rights prohibits the government from establishing an official religion in the U.S.

54 percent do not know that the Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, not the president.

Seventy-nine (79) percent of elected officeholders did not know that the Bill of Rights expressly forbids the government establishment of an official religion.

A large number (43 percent) of politicians did not know what the Electoral College does.

Only 32 percent of politicians can actually define what the free-enterprise system is – even though many of them may have campaigned for office pledging to defend it.

One of the reasons why there is such appalling civic ignorance is political correctness and multi-culturalism on college campuses, according to New York Times columnist David Brooks, who spoke after the press conference. . . .

Continue reading. . . .