Is Christianity Hurting the United States? It is no secret that religion is still a very dominant force today. Everyday people are

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1 Typewriter 1 Grace Typewriter Professor Emelay English April 2016 Is Christianity Hurting the United States? It is no secret that religion is still a very dominant force today. Everyday people are influenced to make decisions and carry out actions based on whatever religion they follow. Some even go further and dedicate their lives to their faith. How much is too much though? Many religious views and ideals directly clash with modern perspectives. Often these clashes can lead to conflict, with the religious pushing their views on others. One major example is Christianity in the United States. Citizens are granted freedom of religion, though many times it does not seem like it. Christian values often permeate places that should be secular, like the government. Followers often advocate for decisions purely based on biblical ideals. This is a problem that is not getting any better. Progress as a society is being bottlenecked by this massive influence throughout the country. In this paper I argue that the influence Christianity has on the United States is mostly a harmful one. In the first section, I will look at the influence it has on education, through the teaching of creationism and abstinence. I will show how these teachings are wrong for students. In the second section, I will examine how Christian values have led to the denial of rights for some citizens. In the last section, I will show examples of violence motivated by Christian beliefs.

2 Typewriter 2 Christianity s Harmful Influence on Education Since Christianity is the dominant religion in the United States, it, of course, has a profound effect on education. Teachings and values from the Bible have made their way into school curriculums across the country. One major teaching is that of creationism and its clash with teachings of evolution. Another one is the idea of staying abstinent until marriage. While many moral values might be taught through the Bible, these two main teachings result in a lot more harm than good and show why religious values should not be taught at schools. According to the biblical book Genesis, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (New International Version Bible, Gen. 1:1). This is the first verse in any translation of the Bible. This verse and subsequent verses all convey the idea that the universe and everything in it was created by God. Of course, modern science does not agree with this, especially when it comes to the origin of humans and all other species. Modern science favors the theory of evolution, and there is plenty of evidence and more is always being found to prove it. However, to many people, the word of God still takes precedence. According to Randy Moore s article The Revival of Creationism in the United States, as far back as 1925, Christians have tried to replace evolution with creationism in schools. John Scopes, a substitute science teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, was put on trial and convicted for teaching evolution (Moore 17). For over forty years it was illegal in some states to teach about evolution. It was not until 1968 that the issue reached the Supreme Court when Susan Epperson, another teacher, challenged Arkansas anti-evolution law and won, making it legal to teach evolution across the country (Moore 17). However, many schools still teach creationism alongside evolution, and sometimes even provide disclaimers about how evolution is only a theory and not a fact (Moore 17). It is clearly a fight the Christian idealists are not giving up on easily, as denying that God created everything is to

3 Typewriter 3 deny the very foundation of their religion. However, teaching children to favor creationism over evolution is wrong. It teaches them to accept ideas without any credible proof. Creationist teachings or Creation Science has specific teachings that often are the complete opposite of the theory of evolution. In her article Alternative Viewpoints about Biological Origins as Taught in Public Schools, Casey Luskin provides the definition of creation science according to the Balanced Treatment for Creation-Science and Evolution Act from Arkansas in 1981: Creation-science includes the scientific evidences and related inferences that indicate: (1) Sudden creation of the universe, energy, and life from nothing; (2) The insufficiency of mutation and natural selection in bringing about development of all living kinds from a single organism; (3) Changes only within fixed limits of originally created kinds of plants and animals; (4) Separate ancestry for man and apes; (5) Explanation of the earth's geology by catastrophism, including the occurrence of a worldwide flood; and (6) A relatively recent inception of the earth and living kinds. (Luskin 585) All six of those ideas directly conflict with findings of modern science. It can be very confusing to a child when two opposing viewpoints on nature are taught. How would he/she know which one to believe? Obviously, schools willing to teach creationism put a stronger emphasis on it. As generations of kids grow up believing creationism is correct as opposed to Evolution, they teach these theories to new generations. Once again, according to Moore, as of 1999, large amounts of biology teachers across the country favored creationism over evolution (Moore 19). Clearly these teachings are a never ending cycle. Now, sure, having beliefs about origins that are not based on facts does not really affect day to day life. The harmful aspect is learning to accept ideas without

4 Typewriter 4 proper proof. It causes people to grow up and believe anything that is pushed on them without verifying. It can also teach people to not take actual science seriously. Overall, teaching creationism in schools is a detriment to a person s learning in general. Another way in which Christianity influences education is through sexual education. It is called abstinence. According to Jean Calterone Williams in his article entitled Battling a Sex- Saturated Society : The Abstinence Movement and the Politics of Sex Education, the idea of abstaining from sex before marriage is based on Evangelical Christian morality, sexual purity, and heterosexual image (Williams 17). Just like the issue with creationism, children and teens have ideas and values imposed on them instead of learning about scientific evidence. A major event in this educational movement is the passing of a bill to reform welfare known as the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. A section of it called Title V subsidized schools with $250 million to teach abstinence-only sexual education (Williams 17). Once again, Christianity s influence on the country resulted in Christian ideals being brought into schools that had no business teaching them. The actual teachings of the abstinence-only movement include refraining from any contact with another that could be considered sexual until marriage. Methods of contraception are also not discussed, aside from how they can possibly fail (Williams 17). With children and teens learning this, they don t know how to safely have sex if they were to choose to do it. In a study conducted by Kathrin F. Stranger-Hall and David W. Hall examine 48 states with varying degrees of abstinence education ranging from abstinence-only to no abstinence (Stranger-Hall and Hall 4). Stranger-Hall and Hall s article Abstinence-Only Education and Teen Pregnancy Rates: Why We Need Comprehensive Sex Education in the U.S. concludes that the states with the highest average teenage pregnancy rate of per 1000 girls were the states with the

5 Typewriter 5 highest stress on abstinence-only education while the lowest average rate of per 1000 girls was in the states that taught the least about abstinence (Stranger-Hall and Hall 4). It is clear that teaching abstinence-only does not work, with more girls on who received abstinence only education being pregnant on average than ones who didn t. On top of accidental pregnancies, abstinence-only education causes many more dangers. Without proper knowledge of STDs and how to avoid them, teens can easily spread them without being aware. The Christian ideals of abstinence and purity simply do more harm than good in the educational context, as do the teachings of creationism. Christianity s Denial of Rights In Christianity, the Bible is thought to be the word of God. When modern day ideas and values clash with those from the Bible, conflict is inevitable. Throughout the country, Christians try to impose their Biblical ideals on other people. Same sex couples are a main target. So are pregnant women seeking abortion. Despite what one s views may be on the aforementioned people, the Bible should not influence laws on how those people should be treated. That is not what is happening though. Those people are denied many rights based solely on what a very old book says. As the United States has progressed, tolerance for homosexuals has grown very much. This directly conflicts with biblical ideals of sexuality in which men should not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable (New International Version Bible, Lev. 18:22). Naturally, it makes sense that many Christians oppose same-sex marriage. In his article Religion by Any Other Name? Prohibitions on Same-Sex Marriage and the Limits of the Establishment Clause, Gary J. Simson discusses reasons people oppose same-sex marriage, quoting a critic who says I believe Christians must submit to the Bible s teachings, and I

6 Typewriter 6 believe the Bible is unequivocal in its teaching that homosexual behavior is sinful. That being the case, it is impossible for me to accept same-sex marriage, which legitimizes a sinful behavior (qtd. in Simson 132). Like most other religious arguments, this one is flawed. Yes, one of the foundational ideas of the United States is freedom of religion. However, it does not give the religious the right to impose their beliefs and values on others. Just because something is written in the Bible, it does not mean it has to apply to every single citizen. If it did, we would live in a theocracy. Yet, homosexuals are still denied rights constantly based on Christian values. Even though same-sex marriage itself was legalized in all states in 2015, there are still many problems homosexuals face. According to Kelly Catherine Chapman s article Gay Rights, the Bible, and Public Accommodations: An Empirical Approach to Religious Exemptions for Holdout States, it is legal for public businesses to deny service to people based on their sexual orientation on a federal level. Bills have often been proposed to stop this since 1974, yet none have been successful (Chapman 2-3). It has been over forty years, yet nothing has been done. The strong influence Christianity has on much of the nation has made sure of that. Homosexuals are denied simple things that all citizens should be entitled to in the United States. James M. Oleske Jr. provides examples of this in his article The Evolution of Accommodation: Comparing the Unequal Treatment of Religious Objections to Interracial and Same-Sex Marriages. Oleske Jr. observes: Examples include innkeepers and restaurant owners who do not want to host same-sex weddings, bakers and florists who do not want to provide their services for such weddings, employers who do not want to extend family health benefits to married same sex couples, and landlords and hotel owners who do not want to rent apartments or rooms to such couples. (Oleske )

7 Typewriter 7 All of the people mentioned are working class people, which are hard to avoid in day to day life. It is a tragedy that homosexual people who happen to live in or visit predominantly Christian areas have to deal with this. The Bible and Christianity being used to justify this once again shows how Christianity has a harmful influence on the United States. Another topic of debate today is abortion. The government funding of it and the legality of it always lead to heated discussions. People who are against abortion (pro-lifers) are often Christian. They believe that aborting a fetus is taking a life. According to Mary Ann Castle in her article Abortion in the United States' Bible Belt: Organizing for Power and Empowerment, Christians preach anti-abortion rhetoric on television very often calling women who receive abortions baby killers to sway public opinion to their side. Also, many churches endorse political candidates with similar views on abortion (Castle 1). As mentioned before, this is not about whether abortion is morally right or not. It is about decisions being made based on Christian ideas and values in a country that supposedly separates church and state. With its strong influence, Christianity proves that to be false. The major influence of Christianity has been effective in suppressing abortion. In Reproductive Health, Mary Ann Castle also lists legal restrictions on abortion that have been put in place in various states. They range from limiting the amount of abortions a physician can perform to denying Medicaid to cover the costs of abortion (Castle 2). This shows how Christianity can cause harm to women. Perhaps a low-income woman accidently became pregnant, could not afford an abortion by herself, and would not be able to sufficiently support her child. This is a strong possibility, and she should not be denied that right based on religious ideals. Clearly the topic of abortion is not something that is simply black or white and requires case by case analysis. However, with Christianity s strong influence on the United States, that

8 Typewriter 8 hypothetical woman is being denied rights strictly based on what an old book says. People shouldn t be denied rights because they are doing something that is forbidden in the Bible, like marrying someone of the same sex or aborting a fetus. Especially if they themselves are not even Christian. Violence Resulting From Christian Views Some Christians take their values in a different direction than simply denying rights. There have been numerous violent attacks carried out by American people in the name of Christianity. They are sometimes even referred to as Christian terrorism. The issue of abortion mentioned earlier has been a major factor in many of these attacks. General bigotry resulting from Christian ideals has also contributed to many of these attacks. With these people, Christianity is causing physical harm in the United States. When legal action doesn t do enough to stop abortion, some people take the matter into their own hands. According to the article Abortion, Ideology, and the Murder of George Tiller written by Angie Young, John Tiller, a top abortion physician, was shot and killed at his church in He helped many women from around the world receive the proper abortion care they needed. The shooter was a man named Scott Roeder. He was connected to Operation Rescue, an anti-abortion group who had been targeting Tiller for a long time (Young ). Something is clearly wrong. The fact that there are groups dedicated to preventing people from getting help is astounding. It is one thing to use legal action, but resorting to violence is something completely different. This occurrence was not an anomaly either. There have been multiple attacks on Planned Parenthood facilities by ant-abortionists. An editorial from Church and State, entitled Radical Rhetoric: When Lies Lead to Violence and

9 Typewriter 9 Death, discusses an attack on a Planned Parenthood facility in late 2015 in which three people were killed and several others were injured. The shooter, Robert Lewis Dear, referenced antiabortion propaganda videos which spread misinformation about Planned Parenthood ( Radical Rhetoric 15). Once again, the actions of a group resulted in the deaths of innocent people who were just trying to help. Christian anti-abortion ideals and propaganda created because of them lead radicals like Dear to commit violent acts. If this continues, it could definitely hurt legal abortion, and thus hurt the women who seek them for various reasons. There have also been attacks carried out by Christians on people with different beliefs and ideals. According to an article entitled The Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church Shooting from the Unitarian Universalist Association website, a gunman attacked the church in Knoxville during a presentation of a musical by the children of the congregation. Two people were killed, and others were injured. The shooter, David Adkisson states This isn t a church, it s a cult. They don t even believe in God. They worship the God of secularism ( Universalist Church Shooting ). This man attacked a church simply because they didn t believe the same things he did. His rationalization for the shooting demonstrates a superiority complex common among attacks like this. It is a serious problem if people can t even practice other ideologies without risking their lives. Similarly, in his article Ideologies of the Christian Secular Continuum for Sikh Formations, Arvind-Pal S. Mandair discusses the shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin in 2012 that left six people dead. He talks about the shooter, Michael Page, and his self-projection as a crusader on behalf of this victimized American Christian moral majority (Mandair 200). Like the church shooting, this attack shows what can result from conflicting ideologies and the people who choose to do something about it. Both shooters had no motivation

10 Typewriter 10 for their attacks aside from the fact that the people were different from them. Clearly something needs to be done. Christianity is harming the United States by influencing others to commit acts of violence in the name of God. Conclusion If the United States is to progress as a society, something needs to be done about the influence that Christianity has. The harm that it causes definitely outweighs the good it does, a notable example being charities. The abandonment of science in educational settings can potentially hurt a student. Being taught creationism as a fact paves the way for people to accept more harmful ideas without proper evidence. Being taught only abstinence seems to have an inverse effect on teenage pregnancies (Stranger-Hall and Hall 4) and does not provide teens with the proper knowledge to safely have sex. Furthermore, people should not be denied rights based on religious doctrines. Homosexuals should not be treated as second class citizens because some Christians do not agree with their way of life. Also, women should be allowed to do what they want with their bodies; including having abortions without having to resort to more dangerous methods because Christians won t let them do it legally. On the flip side, doctors should not have to fear for their lives because they help women to get abortions. Neither should people who simply follow a faith other than Christianity. Of course many of these arguments can be applied to any religion. Christianity simply has the largest influence on the United States and serves as a good example of why religions should be reformed to better fit with the more progressive views of modern day society. If not, then people should at least keep their religions to themselves without trying to force their values on others.

11 Typewriter 11 Works Cited Castle, Mary Ann. "Abortion in the United States' Bible Belt: Organizing for Power and Empowerment." Reproductive Health 8.1 (2011): Academic Search Complete. Web. Chapman, Kelly Catherine. "Gay Rights, the Bible, and Public Accommodations: An Empirical Approach to Religious Exemptions for Holdout States." Georgetown Law Journal (2012): Academic Search Complete. Web. Jeffries, William L., et al. "Beyond Abstinence-Only: Relationships Between Abstinence Education and Comprehensive Topic Instruction." Sex Education 10.2 (2010): Academic Search Complete. Web. Luskin, Casey. "Alternative Viewpoints about Biological Origins as Taught in Public Schools." Journal of Church & State 47.3 (2005): Academic Search Complete. Web. Mandair, Arvind-Pal S. "Ideologies of the Christian-Secular Continuum." Sikh Formations: Religion, Culture, Theory 9.2 (2013): Academic Search Complete. Web. Moore, Randy. "The Revival of Creationism in The United States." Journal of Biological Education 35.1 (2000): 17. Academic Search Complete. Web. Oleske Jr., James M. "The Evolution of Accommodation: Comparing the Unequal Treatment of Religious Objections to Interracial and Same-Sex Marriages." Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review 50.1 (2015): Academic Search Complete. Web. Rose, Susan. "Going Too Far? Sex, Sin and Social Policy." Social Forces 84.2 (2005): Academic Search Complete. Web. Scott, Eugenie C. "Antievolution and Creationism in The United States." Annual Review of Anthropology 26.1 (1997): 263. Academic Search Complete. Web. Shriver, Peggy L. "Evangelicals and World Affairs." World Policy Journal 23.3 (2006): Academic Search Complete. Web. Simson, Gary J. "Religion by Any Other Name? Prohibitions on Same-Sex Marriage and the Limits of the Establishment Clause." Columbia Journal of Gender and Law 23.1 (2012): Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. Singh, Jaideep. "Memory, Invisibility, and the Oak Creek Gurdwara Massacre." Sikh Formations: Religion, Culture, Theory 9.2 (2013): Academic Search Complete. Web. Soni, Sharad K. "Gauging the Implications of the Wisconsin Sikh Temple Shooting." Asian Ethnicity 14.1 (2013): Academic Search Complete. Web. Stanger-Hall, Kathrin F., and David W. Hall. "Abstinence-Only Education and Teen Pregnancy Rates: Why We Need Comprehensive Sex Education In The U.S." Plos ONE 6.10 (2011): Academic Search Complete. Web.

12 Typewriter 12 "The Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church Shooting." Unitarian Universalist Association. 19 Jan Wiley, David C. "The Ethics of Abstinence-Only and Abstinence-Plus Sexuality Education." Journal of School Health 72.4 (2002): 164. Academic Search Complete. Web. Young, Angie. "Abortion, Ideology, and the Murder of George Tiller." Feminist Studies 35.2 (2009): Academic Search Complete. Web.

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