I stated that the United States is based on Christian values. Not that the United States is a Christian state.

Do you value separation of state and religious authority? Women's rights? Minority rights? Human dignity? Equality before the law? Sanctity of life? Individual moral responsibility? Monogamous marriage? The objective study of history? Fair trial? Witnesses at trial? Tolerance of alternative viewpoints?

Those are all Christian values. For what it's worth, I'm not Christian.

▲ jedberg 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> I stated that the United States is based on Christian values. Not that the United States is a Christian state.

And I said:

> Christians do not own the idea of being nice to others and trusting others.

But let's look at your list:

> Do you value separation of state and religious authority? Women's rights? Minority rights? Human dignity? Equality before the law? Sanctity of life? Individual moral responsibility? Monogamous marriage? The objective study of history? Fair trial? Witnesses at trial? Tolerance of alternative viewpoints?

First of all, these are all Jewish values that Christian's adopted. And secondly, none of these are exclusive to Christianity. In fact they appear in many religions worldwide, as well as secular societies.

These are all just common decency, which is why they appear in most religions, and non-religions.

	▲	dotancohen 3 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		`> These are all just common decency, which is why they appear in most religions, and non-religions.` You and I both wish these decencies were common. Some cultures have some variations on some of these decencies, but they are not common. Assuming that they are common is projecting your culture onto others. This is why I mentioned the importance of high trust society.
	▲	TheOtherHobbes 2 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Christian values are always whatever individual Christians say they are. There's really no such animal in practice. Over time Christian values have included charity for the poor, rapacious capitalism, slavery, the abolition of slavery, anti-science, science, war, peace, and the rest.

▲ JumpCrisscross 28 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

> stated that the United States is based on Christian values. Not that the United States is a Christian state

I believe most of the founders expressed disdain at the notion that the United States was built on Christian values. They were privately Christian. But publicly American. They were trying to break the cycle of history that building countries on religious values brings.

Saying we were built on Christian values is arguing for a continuing role for Christian values. Which, in turn, leads to a Christian state. And then we’re back to popes and mullahs in charge, and the SecDef and Speaker of the House giving sermons.