On Being Christian in America

         Today, millions of people in the U.S proclaim to follow the Christian traditions set forth in the Bible. Thou shall not steal, thou shall not kill, thou shall not lie, and so forth. But in the twenty-first century, do American Christians follow a literal interpretation of the Bible? The more famous passages of the Bible are frequently quoted to us as children and as adults. However, how often do we follow the passages that fall between the lines? Exodus 31:15 of the New International Version states, "For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death." Has anyone noticed any executions taking place for working on Sunday? 
         It's not just the Old Testament, Matthew 6:24 of the same translation states, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Money". Has any one noticed the consumerism in America and the arguments against raising taxes that would ultimately benefit lower income families? Where were the Christians during the healthcare debates? Universal healthcare seems like an idea Jesus would have loved. To be fair, Christians did show up in droves to protest Proposition 8 in California. Perhaps, it's holier to deny civil rights than to provide adequate healthcare. Perhaps it's impossible to have a literal interpretation of a religious doctrine without having a human rights record like Saudi Arabia. In any event, it's interesting to wonder if Christianity will one day be as literal as the ancient Greek and Egyptian religions we read and shove to the side as fiction.