Did McCain call USA "Christendom"?

[thorny locust]

Did John McCain once refer to the United States, in a speech or an interview, as "Christendom"?

I remember somebody doing this, and it unnerved me; but I can't find the quote, and am not sure it was McCain. It was several years ago, maybe during the 04 round of presidential primaries.

I checked the main Snopes pages, and tried a fast search on the boards, and didn't find it (apologies if it's there and I just missed it). I tried Googling for it; but discovered, to my dismay, that there are a very large number of sites that have both used the word "Christendom" and mentioned McCain. And, aside from the number of them, if the couple I sampled are typical, I find that I don't really want to read those sites.

Does anybody else remember this? Anyone know where to find it?

[AnglRdr]

"Christendom" is a term, as I understand, that was/is used to describe, essentially, those nations that were/are Christian.

I hadn't heard anybody use it to refer exclusively to the United States, though.

[moonfall]

If he did, McCain does not understand the meaning of the term. "Christendom" means "Christianity as a whole," and last I checked, there were Christians outside the US.

[thorny locust]

Last I checked [looks at self, for example] there were non-Christians inside the US, also. Which is what bothered me about the statement.

However, if I'm the only one who remembers this, maybe it never happened (or, at least, maybe it wasn't McCain, but somebody from whom such a reference wouldn't cause comment).

[Not_Done_Living]

Originally Posted by moonfall

If he did, McCain does not understand the meaning of the term. "Christendom" means "Christianity as a whole," and last I checked, there were Christians outside the US.

Yes, but as a US Politician, it is unlikely that he would be aware of anything that exists outside of the USA, other then "the enemy".

[London Wolf]

I'd be worried if he used it at all, even in the correct sense of the word. Two reasons:

Firstly, it's archaic. It means all Christian countries, but was used to mean 'all civilised countries', with an implication that they are one and the same. It would be worrying if someone still used it in that sense today, particularly if they are running for president.

Secondly, even if he's using it just to mean all Christians, that necessarily means he's saying something about Christians that he doesn't believe applies to anyone else, therefore singling out one religion for special status.

Hey, this could almost be a perfect illustration of what I was trying to tell someone last night - there can be words that shouldn't be used at all by certain people, without the word itself actually being illegal or even particularly offensive (and that doesn't amount to banning a word).

[Hip Zu]

Originally Posted by London Wolf

Secondly, even if he's using it just to mean all Christians, that necessarily means he's saying something about Christians that he doesn't believe applies to anyone else, therefore singling out one religion for special status.

I'm not sure this criticism can be levelled until two things are established: One, that McCain indeed said it; and, Two, the context in which he said it.

If, for instance, he was addressing a gathering of evangelicals or Christians (a very common event for US politicians on both sides of the aisle), and used it in reference to them and their brethren around the world, I don't think that necessarily expresses any sort of "singling out one religion for special status."

(For example, if he said, "it has long been a tenet throughout all of Christendom to 'love thy neighbor as one loves thyself.' That tenet ultimately provided the foundation for the belief, forever inscribed in the Declaration of Independence, that 'all men are created equal'...." I don't believe that expresses any particular "special status" toward Christianity.)

-- Hip Zu