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Connor Owen
Professor Morean
16 October 2014
English 100.15
CIT Paper
Does calling yourself a Christian really make you a Christian? Bill McKibben would
argue that it definitely does not, and most people would agree with him after reading his article
The Christian Paradox. The overwhelmingly Christian America is not living up the obligations
brought out by the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. The blame does not fall solely onto the
Christian community though. Because of the peoples lack of education and hypocrisy, Christian
values in America are not important. This paper will support Bill McKibbens stance on
Christian Americans while connecting it to the Catholic Intellectual tradition.
Since only forty percent of Americans can name more than four of the Ten
Commandments, most people are probably confused on what the Catholic Intellectual Tradition
is. CIT basically tells the meaning of being human and how the intellectual journey leads to God.
No intellectual endeavor can ever take us away from God. Because God is the absolute truth,
we hold that any attempt to discover the truth leads the person closer to God (Ingham 1). God is
the ultimate answer. As one searches for the answer they are searching for God. Each person was
created by God out of his own image and likeness. We are all important to this world. God has
written two books: nature and the Bible. This means that all creation carries the sign of the
Creator (Ingham 2). It is our obligation to take of Gods creation: nature and each other. One of
the most important aspects to the Christianity is faith. To have a strong faith one must participate

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in Christian practices. Performing the Sacraments, following the commandments, and doing
good works are a just a few ways to practice the Christian faith. Living this way will lead one
closer to God and to the ultimate goal: heaven. As McKibben clearly points out in his article,
Christian Americans have not been living as they should.
McKibben continuously points to Americans lack of knowledge on the Christian faith in
his article The Christan Paradox. One major explanation to this is the insufficient education of
religion. There are approximately fifty million students that attend public elementary and
secondary schools compared to five million students that attend private schools (Fast Facts). We
do not know why kids in America are Christian. Maybe they are being forced to, or are simply
being brought up that way, but we do know the majority are not learning about their religion in
school. Like Mckibben pointed out in his article, most Christians, including himself, simply go
through the motions. They do not engage in their faith and are not engaging in their obligations
to Christian values. If kids keep growing up not knowing about their religion the cycle of not
engaging in their faith and Christian values will never end.
Eighty-five percent of Americans claim to be Christian. America has more Christians
than Israel has Jews (McKibben). But claiming to be Christian and acting like a Christian are two
very different things. One reoccurring theme of the Christian faith and the Bible is: to feed the
hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and imprisoned. A theme that can be summarized by
what Paul wrote to the Galatians: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. In his article,
McKibben points out that America is the most professedly Christian nation in the world and the
least Christian in behavior. A few examples of Americas lack of Christian behavior that
Mckibben states is his article are: in 2004 among developed countries America ranked second
to last in government foreign aid, nearly eighteen percent of American children lived in poverty,

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and for childhood nutrition, infant mortality, and access to preschool we come in nearly last
among the rich nations. Not to mention we are the most violent rich nation on earth with a
murder rate of about five times that of our European peers and our prison population is six to
seven times greater than other rich countries. The facts clearly show the overwhelmingly
Christian Americas hypocrisy. We are not attending to our needy nearly as much as we should,
we are committing crimes, and disobeying the Ten Commandments. We are not loving our
neighbor as we love our selves. This country is professedly Christian, but the blame should not
fall solely onto them.
Where are Christian values? Suburban Faith
Although the affairs that America is failing in are part of the Christian values, they are
also moral obligations. For a nation to be successful it takes the entire community. The
responsibility for the common good of our nation lies on everyone. The human person cannot
find fulfillment in himself, that is, apart from the fact that he exists with others and for others
(Paul II). This is saying that one must not live for themselves, they must also live for others.
Doing for others is not only a moral obligation but also an obligation for the common good of
society. One of the best means to happiness is to do for others. The citizens of are not the only
components in the common good of America. The State plays a huge role for attaining the
common good.
The demands of the common good are dependent on the social conditions of each
historical period and are strictly connected to respect for and the integral promotion of the person
and his fundamental rights. These demands concern above all the commitment to peace, the
organization of the States powers, a sound juridical system, the protection of the environment,
and the provision of essential services to all, some of which are at the same time human rights:

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food, housing, work, education and access to culture, transportation, basic health care, the
freedom of communication and expression, and the protection of religious freedom. Nor must
one forget the contribution that every nation is required in duty to make towards a true
worldwide cooperation for the common good of the whole of humanity and for the future
generations also (Paul II). Pope John Paul II hits the nail on the head with this long quote. He
explains the duties the State should be providing for its citizens and also for the rest of the world
to obtain the common good. This is directly related to Christian values and the topics Mckibben
talks about in his article.
Claiming to be a Christian is very different than acting like one. Christians in America
are not living up to the expectations of the Christian faith. People are hypocrites and uneducated
on their faith. Although it is the Christians obligations, it is everyone in a society to maintain the
common good. We must live for others and not ourselves.

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Works Cited
"Back to School Statistics." Nces. National Center for Education Statistics, 2014. Web. 23 Oct.
2014.< http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372>.

Bolt, Andrea. "A Decline in Children's Sunday School Attendance." The109. Schieffer School of
Journalism, 4 Dec. 2010. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.the109.org/community/story/2010/12/4252.decline-children-s-sundayschool-attendance>.

Ingham, Mary Beth. The Catholic Intellectual Tradition. myweb. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.
<http://myweb.lmu.edu/tshanahan/The_Catholic_Intellectual_Tradition.html>.

McKibben, Bill. The Christian Paradox [How a faithful nation gets Jesus wrong]. Yurica
Report 27 July
2005: 1-8. Print.

Paul, Pope John, II. "The Principle of the Common Good." Readings for ENG 100: Writing
Seminar I. Third
ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2014. 118-21. Print.

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