Is there a misconception about the following?

Question

It seems to me that many Americans are under the impression that because the words "one nation under God" are in the pledge of allegiance and "In God We Trust" is the national motto that the USA's founding fathers were Christians or that the USA was founded on Christian concepts.

These phrases were added LONG after the USA was formed and the whole concept of a free republic has nothing at all to do with a deity so, for those of you that believe contrary to what I am saying, why do you so often assert that the USA was founded by Christians or Christian ideals?

I would also like to know why Americans are not mad at the use of the previously mentioned phrases as they are clearly contrary to the first amendment to the US constitution.

To the person who decided to do some quote mining:

Most of your quotes are either not from founding fathers, are actually false attributions, or are being used completely out of context. I suggest you relax on the copy and paste and actually pick up a book about Jefferson.

One person asked what religion using the word "God" establishes. The problem is not really establishing a religion (though you couldn't convince me in a million years that "God" isn't refering to the Christian faith) but it does exclude many and this is an area the government is not supposed to dabble in.

To those dragging out the use of the word creator in the declaration:

Creator is not the same as God or Christianity. Creator is anything that resulted in the creation of us. If you think Jefferson was talking about God then you're quite mistaken.

Answer 1

Many Americans are working to restore religious freedom, and very soon, unconstitutional government promotion of religion will be stopped. You have to remember that not so long ago, Christians KILLED non-Christians, so until recently, it hasn't been safe for them to speak out.

Unfortunately, many Christians have been kept ignorant and/or mis-educated by church propaganda. The internet and cable/satellite television are finally educating them, not only about the country's history, but also about their religion's sordid past, and what the Bible REALLY says (most of them haven't actually read the entire thing).

Answer 2

First, the two assumptions don't go hand in hand. People typically assume that the founding fathers were Christians because they opened their sessions with Christian prayer, attended (in many cases) Christian services, and quoted from Scripture more than any other source.

Second, references to God in the national motto, on money, and in the pledge is not a violation of the first ammendment. What religion do they establish?

And finally, I do not consider the United States a Christian nation, and I do not believe that the founding fathers were out to create a Christian nation. But I hate to see any position demonized. If a position is worth refuting, then it is worth refuting its actual arguments.

Answer 3

Ah, but we ARE mad about it. "Under God" was added to our Pledge in 1952. The Pledge was written in 1892.

A law passed by the 84th Congress (P.L. 84-140) and approved by the President on July 30, 1956, the President approved a Joint Resolution of the 84th Congress, declaring IN GOD WE TRUST the national motto of the United States. Our country wasn't founded in 1956, obviously, so another Christian argument loses credibility: America was NOT founded as a Christian nation. Which explains the First Amendment of our constitution:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

This also reveals as well as explains the current dilemma faced by those who worship Gods other than that of Christianity... or no God at all.

The struggle to maintain our constitution's integrity isn't helped by the fact that many of our leaders are Christian, and have a lot of self-interest riding on favoring the Christian faith.

Answer 4

Yes there is. Many say that without actually reading the constitution or researching the founding fathers. Next time someone says that, ask them if they ever read the constitution. When they say no tell them this quote by Thomas Jefferson (I believe) "As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion."

Answer 5

Let's see, George Washington was an Episcopal vestryman, and John Adams described himself as "a church going animal." These were our first two presidents. I'd say that covers the "founded by Christians" assertion you're having trouble with. Both offered strong rhetorical support for religion but both had enough sense of history to understand that a government based on a religion or religions would not work.

Lastly, nowhere does the Constitution of the United States guarantee you freedom FROM religion. It does guarantee freedom OF religion, but never an absence of it.

Answer 6

Read the articles of the confederacy and the federalist papers.
In them, you can see where the framers of our constitution were coming from, what they had in mind for our nation and why we are a republic and not a democracy.
In a nutshell, the reason those phrases are not contrary to the first amendment is that the framers of the constitution were in agreement that God is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him and we all are dependent upon his grace. Yet, like the God they worshiped, they would not require that the citizens of the United States of America believe in God (even if it meant extreme peril for them) or adhere to any specific religion.

Answer 7

Most Americans don't even know that. But I agree with you. Most americans know that the founding fathers believed in god, but they were Deists. They don't know that Deism believes in an aloof god who does not intervene on behalf of humans. Thomas Jefferson was one of the most skeptical as well as one of the most progressive despite his flaws. I'm from the south, and I'm still confounded by the obsession with church and god, yet there's still more racism. I recall the bible telling man not to judge others, but isn't racism and narrow minded religious zeal judging others who are different? Keep in mind, I'm not referring to everyone from the south, just the close minded racist assticks who think they are holier than thou. I agree with you that the religious phrases on our money and pldge of allegience is a violation of our first amendment rights. However, you can blame the 2nd Red Scare on that one.

Answer 8

In Congress, July 4th, 1776
The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America

Quoted from this Declaration of Independence:
"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, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Certain unalienable rights are declared to have been endowed to us by our Creator. The pledge of allegiance and the national motto may have come later - granted. But, you can't go much further back in official national history than July 4th, 1776.

Hey, facts are facts.

The first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence also uses the words "Laws of Nature and Nature's God". You stated agreement that "God" refers to the God in the Christian religion. In this little phrase the document clearly separates nature and God as being different entities entirely.

Again, facts are facts.

Answer 9

There are many things about laws and the constitution that defy logic and the Federal government has been making laws that interfere with religion for a LONG time.. like making polygamy illegal.

Answer 10

All I know is that the majority of people in America as well as the founders were Christians. George Washington instituted the first national day of prayer and the first Thanksgiving as a suggestion that we should meditate and appreciate all of the providence of God. Washington also would not even speak to anyone as president before spending three hours reading the Bible.
The first amendment was a reaction to the English system where all governing officials needed to belong to the Anglican Church in order to hold office. The founders felt it was important for no one to be barred from practicing their beliefs, forced to participate in something contrary to their understanding of right and wrong, or being of a certain "church" in order to have standing in the society.