And how many of those 80% are not actually religious?
They're christian. Whether they go to church every single day of the week and don't let their children watch Pokemon because it's satanic, is another matter altogether - but doesn't change anything.
Being religious has nothing to do with going to church, otherwise religion would be nothing more than a cult.
That is
your personal opinion - but is meaningless to those that do go to church. The very action of going to a church shows that one is religious. They might not be devout, but they're certainly not atheists or unbelievers - they are infact christians.
Today, I can say "I'm a Christian" and you would believe me.
Certainly a 'breed of christian'. You're all different, you all have differing views, differing interpretations of the bible, different 'god' experiences etc, different methods with which to be religious - that doesn't make any of you any less christian.
What I'm saying is that America's laws have degraded from Christian morals as the people have become more liberal. And these liberal ideas bring more "freedom," and that in itself is not a bad thing.
That's because the morals of christians have had to change as mankind has developed. Christian women realised that they
do have a right to speak, teach and have authority over a man even though the bible says otherwise, ("Let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness. I permit no woman to teach or have authority over men; she is to keep silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor." - Timothy 2:11). Christians have realised that they
can be gay, can have female priests, can work on a weekend and so on.
It is not the atheist telling you what you can or cannot do, it's you - it's the christian turning against his own book and set of beliefs because he realises they stink like t-rex turd. For a couple of thousand years christian men have been telling the women they ain't worth shit. The women finally got the courage to state that you, and god, are completely wrong. It is your own doing, nobody elses.
You give me a number of 80% of self-proclaimed Christians, but in the actions of American citizens and the laws that are allowed that conflict with Christian ideals, we can only conclude that this nation is becoming less and less Christian.
Certainly, but only because that's how you christians want it. The christian women did not want to be servants to men, christian gay people wanted the right to go to church instead of being stoned to death and so on. The unbeliever has not made you change, you've done that all by yourself. As time goes on more of god's word will become meaningless - and still, nobody will be any less christian. How many christians in the world are rich, even though it's easier for a camel to go through a needle than a rich man to go to heaven? How many christians have given away all their worldly possessions as jesus commanded etc?
It doesn't make you less christian - christianity is just evolving as everything does.
If 80% of America are Christians, then why are non-Christian ideals being circulated and laws allowed to pass that conflict with basic Christian themes?
They call it human rights, welcome to 2005. I think jesus himself was big on human rights, shame you never noticed.
No, we cannot conclude that America is a Christian nation if its people do not act and vote like Christians, upholding Christian values.
Yes you can, and yes it is. They might not be christians that are identical to you, but that does not make them any less christian.
Besides, I've tried to make the argument that America is a Christian nation a few months back, but non-theists have not accepted the argument...and here you are supporting the idea.
Oh the joys of being unique. The fact is that if someone says: "I am a christian", he is a christian - maybe not to your standards, but that doesn't change anything. He's just another breed of christian, an individual christian who believes in jesus.
I agree with the other non-theists on this forum, this nation is not a Christian nation anymore.
But it is. And until the day you can show statistics of American religiosity at under 50% then it will remain as a largely christian nation. On it's current 75-80% it is almost completely christian. You're wrong no matter who you agree with.
P.S Let's do a quick test to see if you even qualify as a christian, or religious. Ready? Here we go..
James 1:26-27
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Do you keep a tight rein on your tongue? Do you look after widows and orphans? If not then you can't be considered christian. You are engaged in a faulty and impure religion. Well?