America: A "Christian Nation?"

In 1992, Republican Mississippi Gov. Kirk Fordice referred to America as a "Christian nation", a point which is still debated hotly today. In this 2004 op-ed from the Boston Globe (and circulated widely through the blogosphere) that incident is recalled in connection with the Texas GOP's 2004 plank that asserts that we a Christian nation and, while specifically affirming religious freedom, "affirms that... the public acknowledgment of God is undeniable in our history". The Globe piece was part of a general paroxysm (here and here) of outrage from those who believe that religious conservatives are endangering our secular heritage. Of course, religious conservatives believe just as strongly that they are protecting our Christian heritage from the history-rewriting secularists (here).

David Barton, of WallBuilders (and Texas GOP Vice-Chairman) asserts here that 88 percent of Americans call themselves Christians and that this is a good basis for calling us a Christian nation. I believe, however, that only a fraction of those who would call themselves Christians have a very strong understanding of and commitment to their faith, and that we might better be described as a "post-Christian" society.

However, to deny that this country's foundations are rooted in Judeo-Christian thought is somewhat ludicrous. Those who insist that there is no God in the Constitution should take a gander at another founding document, the Declaration of Independence, which declares: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights..." Our founders clearly state here that the rights that Americans hold dear were not conferred by them (the founders), but instead flow directly from God. If rights come from God but there is in fact no God, it follows then that He could not bestow rights upon humanity. Hence the Declaration not only acknowledges the existence of God but in fact credits Him as the source of the rights of Americans.

Below is the first chapter of a book called The Godless Constitution, whose authors argue that Americans have always carefully separated their government from religion.

WashingtonPost.com: The Godless Constitution: The Case Against Religious Correctness

By the second paragraph the book hits on what the key misconception in this entire debate when they mention "constitutional separation of church and state." "Separation between church and state" is a phrase from a letter by Thomas Jefferson in 1802, and is not contained in the Constitution or any other founding document. He was referring to the First Amendment, which addresses free speech, but also clearly says that "Congress" may not establish religion or prevent its free excercise.

This Amendment would prevent, for instance, any church from enjoying the official sanction of the federal government, as the Church of England does with England. It would also preclude the federal government from outlawing a religious act, such as a Christian baptism or a Muslim prayer. However, the key point in this debate is this: a literal reading of the First Amendment makes it clear that its intent was not to keep religous people and religious sentiment out of government, but to keep the government from interfering with religion. If the goal of the founders was to make sure no religious thought ever emanated the government, then they blew it with the very first act of that government, the Declaration of Independence!

Not to mention putting "In God We Trust" on the money.


filed: politics.us