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Is modern society based on "Judeo-Christian values"?

Many American conservatives, at least the devout Christian ones (which probably 99% or more of American conservatives are), often like to tout how the modern American society and culture, and in fact the entirety of the western society and culture, is based on centuries of "Judeo-Christian values". In other words, that modern western society, its moral values, its justice system, its customs and traditions, are largely based on Judaism and Christianity, and their morality, justice system and traditions. (This is the main reason why some American conservatives claim that the United States is "a Christian country".)

But is this actually true?

Well, consider for example one of the fundamental pillars of society: Matrimony and the family unit, which American conservatives at large keep in very high regard, and consider one of the most important aspects of American society, one of its founding pillars.

It might come as a surprise to many, but nowhere in the Bible, not in the Old Testament nor in the New Testament, is matrimony established nor defined, nor are there pretty much any laws, commandments, instructions or even recommendations about it.

Indeed, if you ask a Christian scholar when or how, exactly, are two people officially "married" in the eyes of God, or even in the eyes of society, the answer will not be any concrete Bible passage mandating, describing or delineating that. There are no rituals, no ceremonies, no mandates, no commandments, no descriptions of any kind with regards to matrimony, how and when two people become officially "married" to each other, in the eyes of God or society. Neither is there any list of requirements and restrictions on marriage. Nothing.

Perhaps the only vague restriction that's extremely indirectly alluded to is that a man can only be married to a woman, or women, but that's it. And this isn't really directly stated, only indirectly implied. In fact, there isn't even a restriction that a man can only be married to one woman (not even in the New Testament.) There are also no age restrictions listed anywhere.

All current legal and moral requirements and restrictions on marriage, and even the very definition of "marriage", of when two people are officially married, are extra-biblical.

On a different topic, let's look at another core pillar of American society: The United States Constitution, and more particularly the so-called Bill of Rights (ie. the first ten amendments.)

Ironically, the First Amendment to the United States constitution is in drastic contrast to the First Commandment of the Old Testament. The First Commandment not only establishes the God of the scriptures as the one and only God, but moreover it categorically forbids worshiping any other gods, any other religions.

In contrast, the First Amendment guarantees the right to follow any religion you want, or no religion at all, and categorically forbids the government from establishing a state religion. (This is, rather obviously, in direct contrast with Israel in antiquity, where scriptures and these Commandments were closely followed, where Judaism was inherently and extremely strongly the state religion.)

How about the other four rights guaranteed by the First Amendment? In other words, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of congregation, and the right to redress your grievances to the government? None of these are based on any Judaic or Christian scriptures. The Bible has no concept of such things, nor is there really anything that could be considered implying any of those rights. (And this even though even by the culture, language and concepts of the time something like "freedom of speech" could have well been established as a commandment, where freedom of expression, even freedom of criticism of the religion itself, was guaranteed and not to be punished.)

We could go through the rest of the Bill of Rights and likewise examine whether they are based on, have any precedent, or could even be implied from the Judeo-Christian scriptures, but I don't think it's really necessary. The fact is that most if not all of it is in no way based on those scriptures, much of it not even on Christian tradition and culture (as an example, there's nothing in scripture or even Christian historical culture that would really imply the Second Amendment as a fundamental right.)

Much if not all of modern justice system is based on secular scholars, philosophers and politicians.

Some of the most fundamental aspects of the modern western justice system, very much including the parts that American conservatives fully agree with, is in fact contradictory to the Biblical justice system. For example, nowhere in the Bible is slavery forbidden. There are a few passages relating to the treatment of slaves, but nowhere is it forbidden.

The total abolition of slavery is in fact a relatively new development in the western justice system. This anti-slavery movement came into full force as late as the early 1800's. (The famous Blockade of Africa, where the United Kingdom outlawed slave trade and enforced it by literally blocking slave trade ships from Africa to America, began in 1808.) It wasn't until the 1860's that slavery was finally completely banned in the entirety of the United States, via the bloodiest war it has ever experienced.

The anti-slavery movement was not based on the Bible. It was based on secular moral principles.

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