I would not want to live in a Christian nation. I also would not want the 10Cs to be the law of the nation. Why? Because God gave us all free will. We have the right to worship other Gods. We have the right to work on the sabbath (who decides which day is the sabbath, btw?)
Are many Christian values good? No doubt. Do I want to impose someone's interpretation of what Christian law is on others? EMPHATICALLY NOT!
What if the Christian in power says you must baptize your babies because his or her version of Christianity demands it? What if the government dictates praying the rosary? Making a pilgrimage to Salt Lake City?
Because Jesus wants them in our hearts, not by force, but by choice.
Jesus even goes so far as to chastise the Pharasees who display their faith practice in public for all to see.
He tells us to go into our room and lock the door behind us and seek the Father privately.
I think that Jesus would look upon copious public displays and see them in the same manner as the pharasees.
But truthfully, LE, Jesus wants faithful people who know the difference between yelling "Amen" in public and seeking God in the depth of our hearts in private.
SO long as there are those people, like you, like me, like most of the folks on this board, then Jesus is truly alive in this world.
"You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal." Exo 20:13-15 (NIV) These are - A: a good idea and should be covered by laws, or B: a bad idea and should not be covered by laws?
Some of you be careful here, if you answer A you might secretly really want a Christian nation to at least some degree after all
;)
:D
"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Mat 5:27-28 (NIV) ...But we really shouldn't have any laws against any sort of pornography because that would be imposing a religious view...??
....and it's way past
time here, so to be continued later
The Ten Commandments are not "Christian" per se. They were given to Israel, not the rest of the world. We do well to try and obey them but let's not forget they were given to Israel and are not Christian.
What about "thou shalt not covet" or "thou shalt not make a graven image" or "keep the sabbath day holy"?
Looking at the whole of the 10C's it's clear that these are not intende to be laws of man to be enforced by legislation, but laws of God that are to be adopted in men's hearts.
The Ten Commandments are not "Christian" per se. They were given to Israel, not the rest of the world. We do well to try and obey them but let's not forget they were given to Israel and are not Christian. </font>[/QUOTE]Jesus affirmed the "law", which includes the Ten Commandments, in the Sermon on the Mount.
To go back to the OP:
I think it depends how you define a "Christian nation". I do not want a nation that is ruled as a theocracy, Christian or not. I do not want the government telling me how, when, and where to worship. It would be a nightmare, and I fear the mainline denominations would be in control, making it pretty rough on us.
However, if by "Christian nation" you mean a nation of people that turn to the One Living God, the God of Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac, when things turn bad, I am all for it. If you mean a nation that is focused on God's eternal law. A nation
that turns from wickedness and seeks God's face, I am all for it. If you mean a nation made up of Bible believing, God fearing, people; I am all for it.
KJ, it will be the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ.
That's probably what people on here mean when they say they want a Christian Nation.
It certainly is exactly what I mean by the phrase "Christian Nation."