Is American an English-speaking Christian Country?

This rant was sent to me as an email. It was (allegedly) written (or spoken) by the Prime Minister of Australia.

'IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT... Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians.'

'This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.'

'We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, learn the language!'

'Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God
offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.'

'We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.'

'This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom, 'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE'.'

'If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.'

NOTE: IF we circulate this amongst ourselves in Canada & USA , WE will find the courage to start speaking and voicing the same truths.

MY COMMENTS ON THIS RANT
At first I just deleted it. But then I couldn't stop thinking about it and decided I needed to respond.

First, please note that this was written about IMMIGRANTS. For those of you who would like to extrapolate this to include all people of the US who don't speak English or are not Christian, the rest of this commentary is for you. The fact is, THE TWO MAIN POINTS ABOVE DO NO APPLY TO PEOPLE  IN THE U.S WHO ARE CITIZENS.

POINT 1: 'We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, learn the language!'

FACT: While the majority of Americans speak English, we have no national language. It isn't "the language of the people". If we were to speak the native language of this nation, we would all have to learn one of the 56 indigenous languages of this land like Algic, Iroquoian, Salishan, or Uto-Aztecan. English was spoken by one small group of settlers that came over here 500 years ago and started spreading themselves across a land that was not theirs. To say that English is our native language both dishonors those who first lived here and gives a sort of secondary honor to those against whom we fought for our independence. English was the language of our oppressors. It is NOT our national language. The number of people that speak English in the US has nothing to do with being American.

The majority of people in England speak English, the majority of the people in Spain speak Spanish, and the majority of the people in Italy speak Italian. Good. But the US isn't a country like one of these smaller countries with its own language and culture. To say that everyone in the US should speak English is like saying everyone in Africa should speak African (not that such a language exists). For one, this nation of ours is HUGE. We have room for many pockets of various cultures. Also no one is actually really from here. Except, of course, the Native Americans.

Many people who live in this country have generations upon generations who have lived in this nation longer than many English-speaking people. So to say that English is the language of our forefathers is only true for a handful of us. My forefathers, for example, spoke German and Scottish. My family has only been here in the US for 150 years or so. Guess what? It is NOT just immigrants who have maintained their lingual diversity. Just because Hispanics, for example, choose to teach their children the language of their family and my German parents did not does NOT mean that they have done something un-American. These people are just as much American (perhaps even more so) than I am. There is no such thing as a language called American. Yes, English has an American dialect. But it's still English.

Should everyone in the US learn English? Honestly I think they should just for their own benefit, but ultimately it's up to them. If they feel like they cannot succeed or get along or travel well in the US because they don't speak English, then they probably should learn. But they don't have to if they don't want to. If they prefer to maintain their cultural heritage, who are we to tell them that they can't? And for the sake of all that is good and right in this world, we ABSOLUTELY should not discourage them from maintaining their own language. No one language is superior to another (frankly English is pretty ridiculous if you've ever studied it) and the nuances that are inherent to every language allow for a much wider array of communication possibilities. Language diversity is a POSITIVE thing. 

POINT 2:  'Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.'
'We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.' 

FACT: Just because the majority of the US population (76% as of 2008 census) declares a Christian faith does not mean that the government needs to, can, or should make any decisions or laws based SOLELY on Christian principles (which I'm not sure is possible anyway). While it is true that the "founding fathers" were (mostly) Christian, Christianity has nothing to do with our Constitution. While some of the principles of the Constitution are clearly parallel to Christian beliefs, these same principles parallel the principles of other faiths as well. Christianity does not have a monopoly on moral rightness. The fact that our Constitution specifically states that there shall be no establishment of religion precludes any kind of connection to any kind of faith-based belief system. This doesn't mean we should just ignore such principles, but we CANNOT as a nation force Christianity on anyone. God is part of EVERY culture in various ways and forms. And yes, we should live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment and accept the beliefs of others. But to accept their beliefs also means to accept the fact that it doesn't matter if the majority of US citizens are Christian--the majority doesn't have the right to use their beliefs to guide any kind of laws or rules that govern everyone. Laws and rules need to be founded on moral principles OUTSIDE of religious beliefs, so it is not acceptable to use the Bible as a reason for anything within the boundaries of government. Moral grounds must be found outside of any religious tenets. 

Frankly, if any person or group cannot form a sound, logical argument for their ideas or proposals without using the Bible, then their ideas are pretty weak. I know the Bible well, and every law and moral precept in there is reasonable for the time and the culture for which it was written.  So anyone who has the urge to use the Bible to make an argument should understand the logic behind the Biblical principle and can make their point using that principle without ever mentioning the Bible. 

Seriously folks. If you want to put the 10 Commandments on the walls of the schools, go for it. Just don't call them "The Ten Commandments". Instead, put a list of rules up that every faith could agree to. I don't think any Muslim or atheist or Buddhist will mind if you post something on the wall of the schools that says "Don't steal" or "don't kill"--or even the more closely Christian-related idea of honoring your father and mother. We all want the best for our children. Why do Christians feel the need to label these things as Christian? This is a Christian principle. This is a Christian song. This is a Christian ketchup packet. Kids can learn love and respect without telling them they have to love and respect others because God says so. 

SO: Sure, immigrants shouldn't enter a country and not be willing to adapt. I agree 100%. But if someone reads this and makes the assumption that every person in the US who doesn't speak English (or doesn't speak ONLY English) and isn't Christian is an IMMIGRANT, then that person is IGNORANT and needs to get out more. Meet some people that aren't white English-speaking Christians. Learn a second language or even a third. Make friends with someone who isn't just like you. You'll find that this country is richer, grander, and MUCH better off as a place of diversity and cultural difference.

And if diversity offends you, I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because diversity is part of our culture.

And just in case you're wondering, I'm white. I speak English and a little bit of French that I learned in school. I was raised as a Christian and still am one. And I teach English as a profession.