A Christian nation?
Despite a preponderance of evidence to the contrary, certain people still insist the United States was founded as a Christian nation. As a believing, practicing Christian of evangelical persuasion, I contend there is little evidence to support this belief.
To be sure, led by Virginia’s Patrick (“Give me liberty, or give me death”) Henry, there were several proposals to establish Christianity as our official religion introduced at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. But each was voted down. Although practically all the Convention delegates were Christians (I would even argue that Jefferson was, in a sense, a follower of Christ) many had witnessed impressionable congregations influenced by spellbinding preachers getting into a heap of trouble. They therefore sought to keep religion out of government, and vice versa. Consequently, they chose to limit religion to the private domain through the “Disestablishment Clause” of the First Constitutional Amendment. The word “God” appears nowhere in the U.S. Constitution. Does that sound like a “Christian nation?”
In an early peace treaty negotiated with Tripoli in 1797, Article 11 declared, “The United states is in no way founded on the Christian religion.” This treaty was ratified by the U.S. Senate led by John Adams and signed by President George Washington.
I think it was particularly ironic that during the American Civil War both the North and the South were dead certain that God was on their side and would ultimately provide them with a victory. Which nation was Christian: Union or Confederate? Both? That requires further explanation.
Then what about the Declaration of Independence with its references to “nature’s God,” “Creator,” and “Divine Providence?” The Declaration was never a governing document. And the concept of “deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” is totally contrary to any rule by divine authority. And the Declaration never mentions religion in any sense.
Since in America Christians have always been a distinct majority, what about the principle of majority rule? Although our Constitution provides for rule by a repre
sentative majority, it was amended with the Bill of Rights in 1791 to protect individuals against the “tyranny of the majority.” Example: The majority in certain states supported racial segregation. But in 1954 segregation was declared unconstitutional by the nation’s highest court. And although “In God We Trust” began to appear on our currency in 1957, the original motto put there by our founding fathers 230 years ago was “E Pluribus Unum,” “Of Many, one.”
Many Americans today believe our laws are based on the Ten Commandments. But almost half of the Commandments are entirely religion-based edicts having little to do with legal or ethical behavior. The principle admonitions appearing in our legal codes — murder, stealing and lying — derive from world cultures that long predate the time of Moses. And, incidentally, if we were to faithfully observe the Commandment against coveting, free-market capitalism would quickly dry up. The Supreme Court has wisely ruled that posting the Ten Commandments in public places brings religion into public life and is, therefore, unconstitutional.
Although a nation overwhelmingly Christian, America has never been an officially Christian nation. But in ignoring our history and Constitution certain right-wing zealots are trying to reverse our founders’ sound judgment. Want to live in a country where God’s law and human law are one? Try Iran.
George B. Reede Jr., who lives in Rossville, can be reached by email at reed1600@bellsouth.net.