Warrior's Dilemma, 7&3/4

Continued from "Warrior's Dilemma, 7&1/2"

Historically, Christianity has had a large influence on the government and laws of our nation. But it has by no means provided the sole influence. The Enlightenment made its influence felt through such proto-unitarians as Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin.

Since the source of a society's laws is the god of that society, we can see the Enlightenment influence in the fundamental law document, the US Constitution. In America, the Constitution -- the vaunted "supreme law of the land" -- is the product of we the people.

Since man is the source of its fundamental law, man is America's god, and democracy is its de facto religion. The word democracy comes from two Greek roots:

1. demos, meaning people and
   
2. kratos, meaning power

Of course, from the beginning, American civil religion (invoked ceremonially and to motivate the nation in crises) has included elements from both Christianity and the Religion of Man. Institutionally, Christianity's influence has receded as humanism, the Religion of Man has advanced.

This is a highly abbreviated account, but it is not merely an obscurantist exercise. It reveals the heart of a system that the power elite have used so many times to deceive so many Christians into supporting their schemes, including unjust wars.

If the average Christian only knew how easy he/she is to manipulate. All it takes is someone who can spout a little evangelical lingo and push the hot buttons.

Meanwhile, the undiscerning wonder how to make a bad tree bring forth good fruit without going to its roots.

If only we could elect the right leaves. . . .