Unpause, part 2 of 2:
[A list of twenty-two, count 'em twenty two quotes meant to demonstrate that it's objectively false to claim that "we’re a Christian country at heart, and we always have been, founded on Christian values"]
Did they teach you to keep a file of such quotes in your atheist training seminars? If your goal was to overwhelm me, congrats, you succeeded. This conversation is already so long and unwieldy that there's no way I'm going to address each of these. Suffice it to say that you're wrong about this, and a suitable reply would be book length. And I'm not talking about a small or medium-sized book.
I will just briefly address the first one to mention that it's from an international treaty with a Muslim nation to protect American lives. We told them what they wanted to hear, to get them to agree. So goes international treaties. They're rhetoric devised to achieve political goals, and they mean nothing beyond that. Yes, we assured Muslims that our government is not founded on Christianity, and if you believe that I've got a bridge to sell you.
Each of these quotes you offered either has a similarly simple rebuttal, or is actually correct without implying what you think it implies. Some of them are taken out of important context. I'll leave it at that.
I find it dystopian and creepy because it’s the same sort of thing that North Korea does, China does, and Nazi Germany did. Forcing people to swear loyalty to the state is a gross misuse of the power of the government.
Listen, we agree that North Korea, China, and Nazi Germany are all bad countries, and we wouldn't want to imitate them. So let's at least take a moment to appreciate our agreement.
As for the alleged similarity of our Pledge, it's only superficially similar in that citizens are naturally loyal to their countries, right or wrong. Yes, the Bellamy Salute looked a whole lot like our enemies' patriotic gestures, but even though that similarity was superficial, we changed it.
The elephant in the room is that the US is at heart nothing whatsoever like any other country, including the ethnostates of North Korea, China, and Nazi Germany. We're so dissimilar from other countries that it's wrong to compare us in almost any way at all. No other country in the world was founded in an act of revolution formed as an appeal to heaven.
[Replying to "I have to wonder if you know your neighbors very well. Honest question: do you?"] That depends upon what you mean by “neighbors”, and “know”. Sorry, that’s just a very broad question. Can you elaborate?
As for what I mean by "neighbor", I refer you to Luke 10:29-37:
But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
As for "know", it's a broad spectrum ranging from "stranger" to "wife". I'm asking how well you know them, and it could be anywhere along that spectrum.
Unpause, part 1 of 2:
I paused before, so here's the remainder of my reply:
You have to be actively seeking out negativity, because it's nearly impossible to find unless you go looking for it.
The personality type of leftists (admittedly I'm painting with a very broad brush here) is the type of person who feels comfortable when they're criticizing things. I think it makes them feel smart, or better than whatever (or whoever) they're criticizing, or maybe the motivation varies from person to person, but whatever the reason, leftists typically seem to find comfort in criticism.
One of the most visible manifestations of this preference is the rise of CRT, which is like a cancer spreading to all of our institutions. CRT is a part of Critical Theory, the broad set of philosophical works lauded by leftists for attempting to "deconstruct" western civilization. To a normal conservative American, the very fact that Critical Theory (CRT included) has the word "critical" in its name indicates that it's an evil way of thinking, seeking out negative thoughts instead of praising God. The fact that the theory lives up to its disturbing name, and actually uses criticism as its core methodology, only goes to show that this is one of those cases in which it's valid to judge a book by its cover.
To normal conservative Americans, we know America is blessed because our Lord is God. Our history is chock full of divine providence. When you criticize America, you criticize God. Criticism is an evil way of thinking. That's not to say we're perfect, at all, because we're all sinners. But as we each repent for our individual sins, seek continued favor from God, and work to do God's will on earth as it's done in heaven, we know that our fate is in God's hands, so we choose faith and love where leftist criticizers choose discontent, anger, and hatred.
I certainly wasn't suggesting lethal injection. I was looking back to our nation's early practices. Someone might get tarred and feathered if he deserved it, while someone else might be drawn and quartered. We burned witches at the stake. These are the principles of our nation, and our early history that gained us favor with God. So it's certainly not antithetical to the principles of our nation at all. But it is antithetical to God's will for us to practice forgiveness, which is why I instead call for compassionate deportation.
I do agree with you on this, believe it or not. I enjoy this discussion because I enjoy the free interplay of beliefs. I wouldn't want you silenced.
But at the same time, I believe there's a limit to how far it extends. Just as you can't legally yell "fire" in a crowded theater (remember crowded theaters?), I see the toxic hatred for America as being principally unwelcome.
And I'm not really advocating for the government to do anything, other than say "if somebody hates America then we decline to offer that person any police protection for their natural rights."
There's an abundance of evidence for it, everywhere I look. Our Creator put us here for a purpose. To ignore that fact is evil. We are responsible for raising children to become moral, and that's impossible without a firm reliance on Christ. Again, you're either with God or you're with Satan. To raise a child without emphasizing God's role in everything we do and think is to raise that child as an unknowing agent of the Beast.