You've not run me off, I simply meant that I wouldn't keep saying the same thing over & over (which is standard military protocol when someone doesn't "get it"

)
But you hit on a point I'd like to expound on:
muddyboots wrote:
I think the difference is that in America we have a history of fighting for each other. When one person gets beat down and needs help, we believe in fighting for him. In my opinion it's what makes America great. No other factor in our community defines us better. I have, and I bet you have, reached out to a perfect stranger who needed a hand. I once had a truck driver loan me 20 bucks so I could get home on time to make roll call. Middle of the night, the man didnt know me from Adam, or have any reason to believe he would ever get his money back. THAT is what for me defines America. I'm almost positive you've done the same at sometime or another. Because your parents and community instilled in you the idea that when a person in need is there, it's your job to help him. That's not Christian. That's American. Something we share, I'd bet. It's not even something we feel pride in for ourselves. Just sort of grateful that we were able to help out a little bit.
One thing I inadvertently left out of the social contract theory is that it is very much based on morals, values, ethics, & norms the collective establish. What is right & wrong is very much a perception based on one's background & beliefs (not necessarily religious) & by electing to join the community, you accept that these are the acceptable standards by which you are allowed to live in the community.
I was raised Catholic, complete with church, school, nuns w/rulers, etc. While I may not currently subscribe to life as espoused by the Roman Catholic church, I have no doubt where my morals & values come from - my upbringing - and Catholicism played a huge part in that (yes, along with my parents & community (which was mostly Christian, BTW)).
When you say above that, "That's not Christian. That's American.", I think you're marginalizing the role Christianity played in the formation of this country. The majority of our founding fathers were Christian (in some form or another) & those that weren't accepted the tenets of the value system Christianity brought to the formation of the government. Consequently, a very strong argument can be made that our great nation was founded on Christian principles with Christian morals, values, & ethics as their background.
Now before you think I'm being reactionary, let me quickly add that our founding fathers were also very smart & added in a separation of church and state to the fabric of our government. What the First Amendment does seems clear to me, but less so to the ACLU & others of their ilk. The First Amendment prohibits the establishment of a state church (like the Church of England) & prohibits the gov't from regulating other churches (as well as guaranteeing free exercise of religion).
That is my long-winded way of saying that this great country is founded on Christian principles, not Christianity - there is a difference. These Christian principles have been internalized into our government & subsequently, you view them as American - I cannot disagree with that view, but don't agree with the way you expressed it, as you seem to have divorced the two when they are virtually inseparable...unless the ACLU has their way.
There will always be religious zealots. Like zealots of any flavor, they create a lot of problems. But make no mistake, atheism is a religion insofar as it is a belief system & to foist that upon our government as the ACLU does, under the misconception that it is not a theistic belief system so it is somehow superior &, is supported by what the Constitution says, is just as wrong as establishing a Church of the USA because that's what would be happening. It borders on anarchy as well - the lack of a gov't-backed moral compass (not necessarily religion) welcomes chaos.
Religion is a funny thing, but serves some purpose, I think. It teaches morals, values, ethics and also that the individual is subservient to the god. Bear with me a moment. That there is a greater good to work for, be it heaven, valhalla, 72 virgins teaches people to control their own personal desires in the interest of a better future. The same can be said for good government - successful government requires a mutual work for the common good. This means, sometimes we have to do things because they're right & not because we want to.
I firmly believe that people like Madeline Murray O'Hare & that clown in California that wants to change the Pledge of Allegiance to remove references to god both there & on our money are the death knell of our society. Every time one of these zealots is successful in foisting their belief system on the collective, it's like pulling at the loose strings at the edge of a sweater; eventually, the sweater unravels because the underlying support of the thread is gone. This great nation will die a death of a thousand cuts.
I'm wavering now as I can't quite put into words what's in my head. I'm not religious by any means - I was dead serious in a previous post when I said I'm a non-practicing agnostic (the humor is just extra). But I also believe that people, left to their own devices, are generally selfish. Religion isn't a cure, but can be a guide.
There's been an email floating around over the last few years - I think I've received it four or five times now. Basically, it proposes that a democracy has a life cycle. While snopes has second-handedly refuted some of the statistics & attributions of text, the theory is sound. The lifecycle is thus:
-From bondage to spiritual faith
-From spiritual faith to great courage
-From courage to liberty
-From liberty to abundance
-From abundance to complacency
-From complacency to apathy
-From apathy to dependence
-From dependence back into bondage
And while I haven't read the entire work by Lord Woodhouselee, Universal History, I have scanned enough of it to know that in a meandering way, he does espouse the above while comparing many great democracies.
I believe we're somewhere between complacency & dependence. I see the apathy with the "It's just..." mentality many use to give away their freedoms & rights.
Lastly, make no mistake. The collective good has zealots who are every bit as dangerous as the individual rights zealots. These are the people who want to protect us from ourselves, these are the "if it saves one life it's worth it" brigade (who counter any rebuff with "if it was your son/daughter, you'd feel differently" emotional tirade) and we sacrifce freedom on the altar of safety.
It comes back to loose strings. Our republican democracy is not perfect, it's not new, & it cannot cover 100% of the situations. These are the loose strings around the semi-frayed edges of the fabric of our society. Unfortunately, someone's always pulling at those loose strings & eventually it will unravel.