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"Readback" refers to the final stages of any Newsweek piece, as reporters and editors trade comments about how to make each article we run the best possible. But even after a piece lands in print or goes live online, that doesn't mean the story is over. This blog will call attention to the most interesting, amusing and insightful conversations that are happening in response to the news and Newsweek's stories. It will be updated daily to include viewpoints from reporters, editors and, most importantly, readers.

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Posted Thursday, April 09, 2009 1:12 PM

After 4,000 Comments, Taking the Pulse on Modern Christianity

Kurt Soller
With Easter approaching on Sunday, the media has made much of Christianity this week. And with NEWSWEEK's cover, "The Decline and Fall of Christian America," many pundits have been addressing where modern religion stands (see my previous blog entry to find a round-up of the media mob regarding Christianity.) The latest comes from Colleen Raezler, a guest columnist for onenewsnow.com who wrote: "This Holy Week has been typical. Newsweek proclaimed "The Decline and Fall of Christian America" on its cover. The Washington Post/Newsweek "On Faith" blog featured a post that belittled the significance of Jesus' death and resurrection. The Discovery Channel aired a documentary that painted Jesus as little more than an opportunistic politician who caught a bad break in a trial."

Whether valid or not, it's portrayals like these that have you readers -- especially Christians -- up in arms. Yesterday, we had to disable commenting on Jon Meacham's essay because nearly 5,000 comments in a short period of time were making the site wobbly. The majority were using our forum to share their beliefs on where Christianity is headed. And as Christians, there were some great first-hand accounts of life in an increasingly "post-Christian" society. "As an Evangelical Christian from Africa, I should say this article was long overdue... I have always been bothered by Political Evangelical Christianity in America and the spreading of the same Political Christian dose in Sub Saharan Africa," wrote commenter Katm. "Any thinking and discerning evangelical Christian should take the critique in this article as a positive." Many agreed, echoing an overarching idea that Christianity in America has long been too political, and that this post-Christian America may be well-warranted. "Raised as I was, I am very familiar with the teaching of Christianity, and I am painfully aware of the holes my parents conservatism left in my education," echoed one reader."But, my favorite bible verse is the one about man being created in the image of God. Isn't that another way of saying that God and man are the same? To me it's just that simple."

With the numbers of believers down in this year's American Religious Identification Survey -- the inspiration for our cover -- I was surprised by the commenting Christians who were open about why the left organized religion. "People are not abandoning Christianity so much as abandoning organized religion," offered commenter xargaw. "Many of us have found a deeper faith in our own searching and in our communities outside of the church where irrelevant doctrine and hypocrisy are hard to ignore. There is often more of God at work in volunteerism in your town and being a true friend to someone in need than in the church building. Many are striving to live as Jesus directed rather than simply warming a pew once a week." But why forget organized Christianity? Others were quick to explain: "Most Americans still believe in God. But the last several decades the most visible voices of Christianity have been those who preach judgment, hatred, anger and violence."

Getting even more specific, there seemed to be an overwhelming amount of blame placed on the previous administration and the effect it had on politicizing religion. "I watched with dismay as the religious right hijacked the political process and decisions that were previously individual became part of a movement to impose a group's religious views on all of us," wrote Bookfan. "Abortion, intelligent design, stem cell research, and gay marriage became the property of voters' sectors--rather than a personal moral decision." Even Christians agreed, many of whom were unwilling to refute Meacham's assertion that we've entered a new era when discussing how the church interacts with the state: "Although I was raised in the US and in the Christian faith, I have come to see it primarily as something very ugly and divisive," wrote the reader 'Meditating.' "Instead of concentrating on loving one another, the Old Testament Christians (yes, it's an oxymoron) seem to have taken over the religious dialogue of my faith and turned it into a weapon intended to wound anyone who disagrees with them. What moral person would want to identify themselves with a faith like that? I don't and I am now one of those people who would not want to be identified as a Christian. It seems no one injures the name of Christ like the Christian have done."

That's certainly a harsh response, and it's worth pointing out that many Christians who read the piece were justifiably worried that Meacham and the magazine were dismissing Christianity. That's not the case; since the cover's publication, Meacham has published a follow-up -- asserting that faith, regardless of how it interacts with politics and American society, will never disappear. "The Newsweek of my childhood would have included historical data on church affiliation/attendance in America over the last two centuries," wrote Bobsf_94117. And others agreed that they wish our article had provided more context into how we've been approaching this post-Christian status." With that, came myriad arguments explaining what the Founding Fathers intended, as Christians or non-Christians, when they wrote The Constitution. But obviously, constitutional interpretation -- even as it interacts with religion -- is a different, and very huge, topic. Another time? On that note, I won't address the hundreds of comments that went back and forth arguing whether Hitler was a Christian. Not relevant...

Of all the thousands of comments though, the story about declining Christian identification focused squarely -- and nicely -- on one topic: the purpose of Christianity in society. I'm obviously not the right person to answer that, but I was intrigued by the hundreds of readers who wished religion away in sum, despite it's long history in American society. "This can only be good for the United States," argued one commenter. "We have lost our competitiveness in Science and the quality of our Education has been declining thanks in part to religious minded people who have been corrupting both Science and Education with nonsensical concepts such as Intelligent Design." In a less-specific away, hundreds agreed: "I am pleased!," wrote commenter Thevail. "How wonderful that humans have chosen once again to think for themselves, rather than depending on "the big book of answers." Religion is supposed to inspire us to be better people, make us aspire to higher goals, make us think before we act. But the truth is that if Christianity is wounded..it's a self-inflicted wound." Immediately, a committed Christian took it a step futher: "Another sensational title by Newsweek; however, as Christianity goes, so does America....maybe, that's why this country is going into the toilet."

As I'm sure you realize, it's impossible to cull more than 4,000 thoughts on Christianity into a few concise paragraphs. But from all these viewpoints, we can glean a few things: Faith isn't headed away, but our country an impasse between what Christians want from their government, and how the rest of non-Christian America views Christianity. Whether you believe Christianity is impure, or that our Democracy itself is faulted, it's clear that both politics and religion are in a time of flux. When do you think it will settle? And how will both religion and democracy -- even in a post-Christian society -- intersect? Your comments below.
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Posted By: chubsoda (May 13, 2009 at 2:01 PM)

Let me restate something; we allowed ourselves to kick out the Holy Bible from our schools in beliving that this was the correct course of action. Madalyn Murray was merely a vehicle used by Satan to fulfilled his intended purpose. And no, we were not perfect by any means before this happened, but at least with teaching scriptual concepts, even to those that choose not to believe the Bible, at least we offered a society to our children that was more balanced and sane that it is today.

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Posted By: chubsoda (May 13, 2009 at 1:46 PM)

An area of concern that is rarely brought up is Satan’s malicious and vindictive behavior. Do any of you not think that the cause of our arguing is perpetuated by him and his followers? Each of his followers has a specific purpose, whether it is for war, causing us to be sick, or dividing us up by religions. Satan loves the idea that few discuss him and put him away for another day. This is his intended purpose: The more we focus on God, the less on him and that is for his liking because we will never then develop a “big picture” of God’s true purpose for us through Christ. Another area of concern specifically for the United States is that in 1962, we allowed a woman to kick out the Holy Bible by arguing up to the Supreme Court stating in conclusion that it is illegal to have it present in the public school system. Because of that day, we have watched our country fall into a tailspin of decadence not seen since the Old Testament. We’ve since become fat, lazy, uneducated, greedy, immoral, liars, cheaters, covetous, and stricken with illnesses never before seen in us and our children. Yet, our arrogance refuses to accept that facts that we need to repent through Christ. We are our own worst enemy and Satan is laughing at us because he told us a good story and we ate it up and now we’re paying the price.

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Posted By: Aditya Mookerjee (April 30, 2009 at 6:13 AM)

Jesus Christ is very important to all humans, belonging to all religions. His life is priceless, in the study of the life of spirituality. But it is also true, that one cannot blindly lead another on the path to Christianity. This is just a surmise. The Roman Catholic Church is setting a fine example, in gently guiding it's followers along the right path. I am a great admirer of the previous Pope, and of the present Pope too. The present Pope is a known intellectual, and he is an admirable person. The last Pope John Paul, was a peaceful person, in the center of his suffering. Some of the most important personages in Hinduism, have been inspired, just as Christ is inspired, by praying to him

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