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Articles:
Religion
America
is a Christian Nation, Founded on Christian Ideals?
Saturday, March 24, 2007
I
sometimes hear people positively state that "America
is a Christian Nation, founded on Christian ideals."
Although this seems to be somewhat of a popular opinion, there
is substantial evidence that this is simply not true.
Consider
the following...
The
words "God", "Jesus", or "Christ"
do not appear in the United States Constitution, signifying
a secular document and therefore a secular establishment of
our nation.
The
phrase "Nature's God" does appear in the Declaration
of Independence, but this may not mean much. First, the Declaration
is not an official state document. Second, "Nature's
God" suggests, if anything, deism or pantheism, not Christianity.
"In
God We Trust" did not appear on US coins until 1864.
This was largely due to an increased religious sentiment among
devout Americans living amidst the horrors of the Civil War.
As such, this action had nothing to do with the founding of
the United States.
"In
God We Trust" did not appear on paper money until 1957.
"In
God We Trust" did not become the official United States
motto until 1956.
"Under
God" was not added to the Pledge of Allegiance until
1954.
The
three changes above that took place during the 1950s were
done primarily to differentiate the United States from Soviet
"godlessness". They are a manifestation of the Cold
War, not of the founding of the United States.
The
following quotes from a number of prominent Founding Fathers
show a general contempt for Christianity, and underscore their
own self-stated deism. It's important to distinguish between
Christianity and deism. The latter became popular during the
18th century enlightenment, and is characterized by a rejection
of the Trinity, of miracles, and of prayer, among other things.
It suggests an impersonal God who created the universe and
then "retired", as opposed to actively being involved
in the daily lives of humans. Given the following quotes suggesting
such deism, it becomes evident that the Founding Fathers were
generally not Christian, and therefore, the United States
was not "founded on Christian ideals". Additionally,
even though most founders were deists, most of them suggested
a secular nation and as Jefferson stated, a "wall of
separation between church and State". One could even
argue that a number of these statements border on atheistic.
George
Washington and John Adams in the Treaty of Tripoli, 1796:
"As the Government of the United States of America is
not in any sense founded on the Christian religion - as it
has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion
or tranquillity of Musselmen - and as the said states never
have entered into any war or act of hostility against any
Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext
arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption
of the harmony existing between the two countries."
John
Adams:
"This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there
were no religion in it."
John
Adams:
"As I understand the Christian religion, it was, and
is, a revelation. But how has it happened that millions of
fables, tales, legends, have been blended with both Jewish
and Christian revelation that have made them the most bloody
religion that ever existed?"
John
Adams to Thomas Jefferson:
"I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most
fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of
mankind has preserved -- the Cross. Consider what calamities
that engine of grief has produced!"
Thomas
Jefferson's "Bill for Religious Freedom", passed
in 1786:
"No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any
religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall
be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body
or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer, on account of his religious
opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess,
and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of
religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge,
or affect their civil capacities."
Thomas
Jefferson in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association,
1802:
"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies
solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none
other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers
of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate
with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people
which declared that their legislature should "make no
law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation
between church and State"
Thomas
Jefferson in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association,
1808:
"Because religious belief, or non-belief, is such an
important part of every person's life, freedom of religion
affects every individual. State churches that use government
power to support themselves and force their views on persons
of other faiths undermine all our civil rights. Moreover,
state support of the church tends to make the clergy unresponsive
to the people and leads to corruption within religion. Erecting
the 'wall of separation between church and state,' therefore,
is absolutely essential in a free society.
"We have solved ... the great and interesting question
whether freedom of religion is compatible with order in government
and obedience to the laws. And we have experienced the quiet
as well as the comfort which results from leaving every one
to profess freely and openly those principles of religion
which are the inductions of his own reason and the serious
convictions of his own inquiries."
Thomas
Jefferson:
"To talk of immaterial existences is to talk of nothings.
To say that the human soul, angels, god, are immaterial, is
to say they are nothings, or that there is no god, no angels,
no soul. I cannot reason otherwise…without plunging into
the fathomless abyss of dreams and phantasms. I am satisfied,
and sufficiently occupied with the things which are, without
tormenting or troubling myself about those which may indeed
be, but of which I have no evidence."
Thomas
Jefferson:
"Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under
which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly
in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every
opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God;
because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage
of reason than that of blindfolded fear."
James
Madison:
"During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment
of Christianity been on trial. What has been its fruits? More
or less, in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy;
ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition,
bigotry, and persecution".
Benjamin
Franklin:
"Lighthouses are more useful than churches."
Thomas
Paine's "The Age of Reason", 1793:
"I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish
church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish
church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I
know of. My own mind is my own church. All national institutions
of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear
to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and
enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit."
The
next time you hear someone state that "America is a Christian
nation, founded on Christian ideals", or are yourself
tempted to utter similar statements, consider the above. There
is probably evidence that contradicts what I've shown, but
the mere fact that evidence exists for both arguments suggests
that there is no definite proof for either. As such, there
is no concrete basis to go around spreading the rumor that
"America is a Christian nation, founded on Christian
ideals."
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