George Weigel (CR, April 23) correctly takes issue with President Barack Obama’s assertion, “that America is not a Christian nation.” However, Mr. Weigel incorrectly falls into the trap of President Obama’s doublespeak by accepting his use of the word nation and concludes that Obama’s statement is “true in one sense: the U.S. government does not endorse Christianity.”
“Nation” is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as “a community of people composed of one or more nationalities and possessing a more or less defined territory and government.” Wikipedia defines nation as “a body of people who share a common history, culture, language or ethnic origin.” The key point is that nation involves more than just the government. Given the historical, community and cultural elements that make up the American nation, it is inconceivable that we are anything but a Christian nation. There is no sense that President Obama’s statement is true when his statement is stripped of its political doublespeak.
Words are important. Relativism permeates most aspects of our culture. As intelligent people, we must insist on correct word use in our communication. If we let the politically correct redefine language, our ability to communicate and engage the truth becomes impossible. This is why some have so much trouble with other concepts such as marriage, personhood, abortion and when human life begins. It all boils down to sloppy thinking.