We the People - Imago Dei

As we approach the 250th birthday of our country and as I continue to see more and more bumper stickers touting the power rightly granted to “We the people”, I am wondering just exactly who is included in the “We the people” of our Constitution’s preamble.  It seems to me that there is a serious attempt going on to redefine who and what is truly American.  But, this is really nothing new.  Our nation has always struggled with the battle between those who seek to narrow the definition of “We the people” (historically white men) and those who seek to expand the definition to include more and more.

The latest Pew and PRRI surveys show Christians, more specifically white evangelical Christians remain more fearful and resistant to our nation’s changing demographics than other religious and non-religious groups.  “Pew Research Center Religious Diversity studies highlight that 38% of white evangelical Protestants believe the country's growing diversity weakens American society. This demographic stands out as uniquely resistant to shifting societal norms compared to other religious and non-religious groups.”   

Rather than a source of pride and a glimpse of God’s kingdom, Adam Russell Taylor, President of Sojourners says that our trend toward racial and ethnic diversity “is being used to build political power by stoking anxiety and prejudice.”  This has culminated in going so far as an attempt to end birthright citizenship which has been a cherished principle of our country for  more than half of its existence.

The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution says, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”  The Supreme Court ruled in the 1898 case United States v. Wong Kim Ark that the 14th Amendment guarantees birthright citizenship to anyone born in the United States, including the children of parents who are not U.S. citizens.  

Even if our history books have tried to whitewash the beginnings of our country, we were founded on the original sin of the slavery of Africans (slaves were only counted as three-fifths of a human being in our Constitution) and the displacement and genocide of Native Americans.

*Note - I heard an argument recently by a conservative talk radio host that Native Americans are not native at all.  It is true that Native Americans migrated to North America from Asia over tens of thousands of years via the Bering Land Bridge during the last ice age.  It is also true that since human life originated in Africa, the inhabitants of all other countries outside of Africa are technically migrants…including us.  However, anthropologists and historians agree that Native Americans have inhabited the Americas for at least 15,000 to 20,000 years. This long-standing presence and deep cultural adaptation to the local environment qualify them as the region's indigenous, or native.

Later many other immigrant groups (including Catholics) were met with bigotry, violence, and legal attempts to limit their rights and freedoms due to their race, ethnicity, and religion.  However, I believe that our holy scripture teaches another way. 

Again, Adam Russell Taylor reminds us that, “The core Christian belief in “imago dei” that all of us are created in the very image and likeness of God, provides us with a powerful antidote to the forces of racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and homophobia that undergird efforts to limit who is included in “We the people”.  He concludes with, “By giving more people access to determining the future of the country, we show that we believe every human bears the image of God.”

As Christians let’s celebrate our nation’s semi-quincentennial with the incredible accomplishments and the regrettable injustices heralded in the history of our nation in mind.  And, let us look for the imago dei in all our fellow Americans whether they be native, immigrants, or migrants like the rest of us.