The
United Kingdom and the
United States are often said to be
Christian countries. Now, while it is true that both countries have legal systems founded on essentially Christian moral bases, and the
UK has an
established church, in neither country is it compulsory to be Christian, or is there any constitutional imperative for laws and ordinances to reflect a Christian ethos. Arguments for social change, usually conservative or reactionary, founded upon the claim that 'this is a Christian country' should be scrutinised with the utmost care.
Typically, an argument backed up by this clause is advocating measures contrary to the human rights of
freedom of religion,
freedom of speech, assembly and expresson, or freedom from oppression on the grounds of lifestyle or personal characteristics.
For example, the
Texan talk-show host
Alex Jones used a 'Christian country' argument to attack the visitors to the
Bohemian Grove, despite the fact that Freedom of Religion is a right guaranteed by law in the United States.