Columbus and a Christian/pluralistic(?) nation

Reconsidering Columbus Day:

I wanted to post this video about a national movement called Reconsidering Columbus Day:

To reconsider this day means that we are listening to the voices and experiences of those who have very little reason to celebrate this day. I greatly enjoyed Zinn’s chapter on Columbus’ discovery and first encounters with the native peoples. At the end, he makes a poignant statement about justice: “The cry of the poor is not always just, but if you don't listen to it, you will never know what justice is.” Justice requires that we listen to the voices of those who are voiceless in society. This population has definitely been rendered voiceless or been deemed an insignificant voice in the history of our nation.

Discussion question based on the Voices section:

Do you consider the US a religiously pluralistic democracy, a Christian nation, or a combination of the two?

I consider the US to be a combination. I suppose I would call it a Christian nation with some pockets of religious pluralism. It is a Christian nation in that from the foundation, was formed for the hope of religious freedom, however the reality was that this religious freedom was relative to Christianity and various forms of it. This is seen in the intolerance of the American Indian religion and spirituality during the initial founding of this nation and the ensuing religious domination. As we discussed in class as well, the very fabric of our society reflects the Christian religious foundation. This can be seen in our holidays and in the fact that we refer to time as AD or BC (before or after the birth and life of Christ).

I also consider the US to be a religiously pluralistic society, in that there are many different places of worship. Followers of different religions are able to go to these places and even set up schools to teach their children, such as Jewish day schools or Islamic schools. While there is vast and great privilege for Christians because of the majority and the power, this still indicates some form of pluralism.

I was thinking about this question and found myself asking what would a religiously pluralistic democracy look like? In most societies, religion permeates the culture and affects the life of a society/community, which isn’t an inherently good or bad thing. It is just what happens. In Nepal, the calendar and the culture have been formed around the religion of Hinduism. I wonder how this affects Muslims and Christians in that country. Is the problem that there is a dominant religion in the US? Of is it in the fact that we believe in a myth of religious freedom and that we should accept the fact that this nation has never had religious freedom?