Knowing

IN AN ARGUMENT, the first thin most Americans are likely to do is to become, instantaneously, an accomplished historian, with an encyclopedic knowledge of historical facts. It truly an astonishing transformation. it happens from eighth grade dropouts to the especially erudite business degree recipient. Perhaps not so astonishing, when you consider how often, which is almost always substantive disagreements of any kind eventuate as historical scenarios presented to justify or prove assertions about the present or future. History underlies everything filed of knowledge, and behind every winnable argument is historical fact, ready to be taken from the shelf and opened for all to scrutinize. Americans, arrogantly and temperamentally unsuited to losing arguments of any kind with grace or dignity, seldom, therefore do. Often, and always in the bible belt, the very buckle of which I tenuously reside within, historical knowledge is especially strong concerning the United States, the Christian faith, and that most dreaded of all combinations, the two, together. Invariably the combination of strident political conservatism and devout christian faith in a single human mind produces dangerous volatility of varying types, fueled by the ability of the person so encased to become a world class historian ad the first hint of a disagreement. I finally decided what to do when one of these right wing evangelicals says something like: "America was founded on Christian values", or, worse: "America is a Christian country". I mumble, audibly: "u....not really", or, "maybe in some ways, but not in others". i give them just enough to clearly reveal my confident disagreement, but make them decide if they want to hear the whole truth. I really do, after all, have an advanced degree in history, which means only that I know enough history to know that I know hardly any of it. I explain to people that there is one tangible way in which the United States is a "Christian country"; in the percentage of its citizens who identify themselves as Christian. The other part, the part about whether the government, the legal, and the political system of the United States was founded on "Christian values", I dismiss with a single sentence. "The founders wanted a completely non religious government, so they gave us freedom of religion and freedom from religion. God is purposely not mentioned int eh constitution." If necessary, I throw in a few facts about Madison, Jefferson, deism, Thomas Paine, enlightenment values, and so on. sometimes I even throw out the title "Natures's God" The Heretical Origins of the American Republic" by Mathew Stewart. Regrettably, none of this even remotely fazes your average American die hard rock solid right wing evangelical Trump support Christian, but, hell, why should I expect anything else from these people? Their minds were made up before they ever opened an American history book by anyone. And besides, every damned time, the zealous religious patriot always miraculously turns out to be a renowned historical scholar.