by James Lynne

Created on: October 05, 2010   Last Updated: October 07, 2010

Jesus is America’s mascot.  We place his name on bumper stickers, tee shirts, book covers, and yes, we use it in vain when we are cut off in traffic, hit our fingers with hammers, or we become angry.  "Jesus!"  There is power in the name. Jesus is alive and well in the American society.

Unfortunately, there is also a distinct disconnect between what Americans claim religiously and how Americans behave religiously.  We love the celebration of Christmas, the birth of Jesus.  It is a magical time of music, family, generosity, and marketing.  It is somewhat difficult, though, to determine what exactly is being celebrated, the birth of humankind’s savior or Capitalism.  At Christmas time, finding Jesus in the marketing midst is almost as difficult as finding Waldo in his maze.

The secularization of the birth of Jesus as a time to purchase gifts, decorations, and holiday paraphernalia almost completely overshadows the religious celebration associated with the Christian message of Jesus’ birth, but we love it anyway.  In our hustle and bustle to purchase gifts for the mail carrier, the co-worker, the neighbor, and Aunt Sally and her three children, we forget the “reason for the season.”  It is not unheard of to read about people being trampled to death in stores, as they fight for the toy “gimmick” of the year.  Buying that perfect gift for the child who already has everything is paramount in the minds of holiday shoppers, overshadowing the humble story of the manger.

Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, symbolizing the eventual resurrection of all believers, is only slightly less merchandised than Christmas.  At Easter season, we are not quite certain if we are commemorating the death and resurrection of our Savior or celebrating the pagan rite of spring.  With the hiding of Easter eggs, the purchasing of Easter dresses and, and the advent of spring flowers, many Christians are not quite clear where Jesus fits the season.  At times, it seems as though Christians have Easter and Groundhog Day intermingled.   It is as though Jesus arose from the tomb, saw his shadow, and said, “Let’s hunt the eggs.”  We are not quite sure in America how Jesus fits into the celebration of Easter and what his death and resurrection symbolize because we are distracted by the merchandising of Easter and the rites of spring.

Recently, in the United States, it has become the fashion of political activists to claim the United States is a Christian nation.  Setting aside the obvious, that our forefathers insisted upon the separation of church and state for a reason, it is now acceptable in the US for candidates to use the name of Jesus in manipulating the all-too ignorant voter.   It has been said that the most ethical atheist has no chance in a political campaign against the most back-slidden Christian in American society.  Political elections in the US would seem to support this general statement.    

Even though research statistics support that atheists and agnostics know more about the Bible than do those claiming to be Christian in the US, and that less than fifty percent of Americans regularly attend church,  Americans place great faith in the power of the name of Jesus.   We may not practice what he preached, but we wear the name, the jewelry, and we claim the keys to the kingdom. If not our Savior, he is definitely our mascot.

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