The Orthodox churches also seem to agree. In this regard, an article in the Calgary Herald reports a speech by a member of the Russian Orthodox Church (excerpted) in which a thoughtful perspective is expressed.
"The American people may have an unrealistic perspective on their war in Iraq as a result of their peculiar 'civil religion.' "There are all kinds of Islam and all kinds of Christianity," said Fr. Thomas Hopko, dean emeritus of the Orthodox Church in America's St. Vladimir's Seminary in New Jersey.
"And it seems to me that the leaders in this war are not representative of the real traditions of their religions on either side."
About America's involvement in Iraq, Hopko said his main concern is "what passes for Christianity" in the U. S., in matters like the reverence invested in political affairs.
"From early on, America became a civil religion, with its holy fathers (Lincoln and Washington), its holy scriptures like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and its holy places," he said. "As a result, Americans consider themselves to be called by God to show the world how to live."