I have lived through periods about - and, as an historian I know about - times when the mantra of being a real American excluded native folks already here and specific others who had come from different parts of the world. Despite the first Europeans who came over and claimed the whole continent for either: England, Spain, Sweden, Holland or France, they looked on “Native” peoples and people of color who were enslaved and sold here as property in a way they could not possibly be thought of as American.  There has been a notion that some White Europeans are more American than others. I see a drawing together of those Americans who put “Christian” in front of “American” when they describe themselves.

You may have noted that other peoples who are not Christian and “White”, reverse the words such as: African American,  Muslim American and  Latin American. We do not see Catholics enumerated as Catholic Americans.  They are American Catholics.  The same can be said for Baptists, Methodists and Evangelicals. I take comfort in that when referred to by religion I am noted as an American Jew. My problem with this is that I do not think about myself either first or second in terms of religion.  I am first and second and so forth American and only think of myself as Jewish when I read the papers about Jews who are targets for most of the non-Jewish and non-Israeli world - and that includes me.

There is an overweening smugness about those who consider themselves real, authentic, or true Americans. It is they who set up the divisiveness in America.  It is not solely about the distribution of wealth and the gulf between the few ultra rich and the vast numbers of poor.  It is about the small group of believers, the saved and the born again who designate themselves as destined to rule this country and all the other LESSER people.    

We must think about the appropriation of the religious symbolism of a number of COMMANDMENTS. Carved in stone, they cannot be interpreted this way or that but only in the way a certain sect believes they must be applied to everyone despite differences in their understanding of religion.

I think that Christian Americans or Born Again Christians are a problem for the rest of us thinking Americans. Their religion comes first and they want to impose their narrow beliefs on the rest of us. Americans should unite to show them and the world that they stand for the amalgam of all peoples since ours was a new land and a new opportunity for those seeking religious freedom and economic opportunity. Religious beliefs are best expressed internally rather than imposed on the rest of us. Singing Hallelujah in a group just doesn’t do it for me.