Many discussions have been fueled by individual beliefs on what constitutes the definition of "American." Similarly, "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus," a spoken word piece by Jefferson Bethke, has sparked a debate over definitions – mainly the definition of religion. Ultimately, the core of the buzz that surrounds Bethke's video is clearly about American values, as it is the common belief that America was founded on religion, on Christianity. The same atmosphere that labels Bethke's view as naive or unsafe, is the same war-like atmosphere that infiltrates American life.
America, a Christian Country
Jim Walker, author of the article "Little-Known U.S Document Proclaims America's Government is Secular," dispels the idea that America was built on Christianity:
"The Founding Fathers, also, rarely practiced Christian orthodoxy. Although they supported the free exercise of any religion, they understood the dangers of religion. Most of them believed in deism and attended Freemasonry lodges. According to John J. Robinson, 'Freemasonry had been a powerful force for religious freedom.' Freemasons took seriously the principle that men should worship according to their own conscience. Masonry welcomed anyone from any religion or non-religion, as long as they believed in a Supreme Being. Washington, Franklin, Hancock, Hamilton, Lafayette, and many others accepted Freemasonry."
Although Walker, like many others, makes a solid argument on the side of a secular country, Christianity has apparently still held America hostage – especially within the political environment. We define ourselves as a free people, living the American Dream. And yet, we have difficulty separating our "religion" from the freedom of choice, from what it means to be American.
Religious Politics Breeds War-like Views
Dan Gilgoff, a CNN.com Religion Editor, in "Why's Religion so Big in American Politics" explains why the unification between "Religion" and "American" might exist:
"In the United States, unlike Europe, we didn't have state-backed religion. There weren't sanctioned churches and so what that did is create the conditions for this kind of vibrant spiritual marketplace and to this day you have all these churches, the Mormon Church, the Southern Baptist [and] Catholics all competing very vigorously for American worshipers."
Our society sees life as war, a struggle between good and evil, right and wrong. For instance, this war-like view can be seen through our social issues (war on drugs and war on terror) and even our entertainment (shows like Cake Wars). When looking at today's box office hits, the main themes usually seem to be that of war. Often movies are about alien invasions or some impending disaster threatening the world in which we live. War in some form or another is in our societal veins. Therefore, it shouldn't be surprising that the competitive nature of religion in the United States brings with it dissension and divisiveness.
Amidst the hostile atmosphere of politics today, one would think that Bethke's repudiation of Republicans' Godliness would be the main source of the push back:
"What if I told you, Jesus came to abolish religion?
What if I told you getting you to vote republican, really wasn’t his mission?
Because republican doesn’t automatically mean Christian,
And just because you call some people blind, doesn’t automatically give you vision...."
Instead, the uproar about his video has actually been about Bethke's personal views on what spirituality means. His video has sparked some strong responses from other bloggers, seemingly people of faith, who have touted him as being, above all things, misguided. Bethke's view, that spirituality (Jesus) and religion (the institution of the Church) are not always one and the same, has uncovered the same hypocrisy and war-like mentality that has long fueled religion.
Gilgoff mentions in his blog article, "Many religious bloggers echoed [the same] criticism on Bethke, alleging he’s trumpeting tenets of Christianity while purporting to blast organized religion. Critics called Bethke’s take on religion overly simplistic and dangerous."
These responses are proving Bethke's point - hypocrisy hides within religion. If we responded with love and acceptance, then we would be able to see the deeper message of what his video preaches – the rejection of hypocrisy and understanding of true love. Instead, Bethke's video was met with insults and character judgments. If judgment and insult is what defines Christianity, or religion for that matter, it isn't surprising that the number of atheists in America has grown.
One video response, by blogger Gsherbs, stood out more than the rest. His YouTube rebuttal video accuses Bethke of being hypocritical and a world atrocity. Gsherbs's defense of religion, even in the light of a similar core foundation that he shares with Bethke, once again proves Bethke's point. Gsherbs claims to have written his video response to "promote a healthy discussion," while his defense shuts that discussion down.
Furthermore, Gsherbs asserts to have a direct line with God, in which he reigns victorious in the correct view: "I struggled with whether I should even upload this video or not, but I prayed about it, and you obviously can see the outcome of that. One World, One Love, One God." The problem with responses like Gsherbs is not that they share their beliefs, but they often tear down someone else's in order to win the "war" of religion.
Where to Go from Here
I don't know what the "right" answer is, but what I do know is that Bethke's video has opened the door of discussion for many people of different backgrounds and belief systems. However, what Americans need the most is less discourse about who is right or wrong and more discussion about what freedom of choice and freedom of speech really means in this country. The definition of "American" should center more on acceptance, innovation, and insight than on hypocrisy, war, and religion.
Sonya Dunham - Sonya studied English Literature and Writing at Park University and is currently working on a novel.
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