Christians: Why do some followers of the Christian faith in America think?

Question

Why do some American Christians think/believe that America was founded on the basis of becoming a "Christian Nation"?

Do you think that the "Freedom of Religion" extends only to sects of Christianity?

st_louis_cardsfan: Actually, they do mention that fact. I'm more curious why you think that over 160 years AFTER that, that we were founded, why you think that it was founded on Christian principles.

Answer 1

Well, some American Christians are unfamiliar with the fact the the U.S. was born out the Age of Enlightenment - the Age of Reason - and our nation was based on the writings of Rousseau, and Locke, and Paine, and on classical greek and roman thinkers.

All the founding fathers were highly educated men of their time. They were typically deists, who did not subscribe to Christianity. Although George Washington was a Christian, he was also a Freemason, as were most of the founding fathers.

Thomas Jefferson LOATHED Christianity, and wrote about that explicitly.

Most settlers in America were Christian, for sure, but that's different than basing the nation on it. We had settlers YEARNING TO BREATHE FREE - most did not want to set up state churches and require one person to obey the religious doctrines of another. Hence the principle of freedom of and from religion.

Answer 2

America was founded predominately by Christians and Christianity effected the way the framers of our constitution setup our government and laws - That is a fact.

On the other hand, the framers of the Constitution did not want Christianity or any other religion for that matter to be forced. In fact, some of the framers of the constitution were deists and not Christians - Benjamin Franklin being one.

Even though Christianity may have had a huge impact on the founding of this nation, the founding fathers did not intend for "freedom of religion" to extend only to Christianity.

But that doesn't mean the framers didn't want our country to have some Christan aspects to it, it only meant that the government could not establish a formal religion or compel anyone to subscribe to a particular religion.

A government will always be a reflection of it's people in many ways and in time as society changes, so will the government.

Answer 3

You might recognize something about the countries you mentioned. None of them was founded by people designated that those nations would have no "national religion". As for America being predominantly Christian, even your most vehement Evangelical would tell you that most people that check that designation on a form when asked aren't practicing, church-going Christians or if they are they certainly aren't the right-wing 'turn-or-burn' types. There should be no one that has a problem with a church displaying religious symbols on their property, or with individual people doing the same. The problem is when those religious symbols are placed on public property. This property belongs to everyone in the community. Not only Christians or Jews, but Hindus, Muslims and Pagans EQUALLY. Why should you be represented, but all of those others be excluded? The argument that the country was started by Christians is flawed in that THOSE Christians never meant for Christianity to be sanctioned, promoted or even favored by the state. Despite feelings about their personal faith, this seperation of church and state is obviously what they meant for the nation, why pretend that it wasn't? And don't be ridiculous! Can there be any doubt that there are not people that haven't been preached at and evangelized anywhere in this country? Everyone and their children have heard those prayers. No one is afraid of the conversion of their kids. But then why should they have to worry about this? It is not the school's job to convert Jews, Muslims and all those other faiths' adherents to Christianity. When did that become part of their job? Why should you have to take down your crosses and commandments? You've answered your own question. Because they are YOURS. Not a Muslim's, not a Jew's, not a Pagan's, not a Hindu's. The public property belongs to them as well. Remember the religion may be yours, but the NATION belongs to ALL of us.

Answer 4

It was founded on the basis of becoming a Christian nation. The pilgrims came from england to get away from the King's church and form their own church. A Christian church. It is freedom of religion, which at that time meant freedom of denomination of a kind. Not Freedom FROM Religion.

Answer 5

It did not protect the freedoms of only Christians. It protected the rights of any people fleeing religious persecution.

The law was set in place by christian people who in their own had fled from the catholic church. Thus the country was founded under christian principals, and became a christian nation. The christian religion held majority for centuries.

It wasnt until recently that enough people came in with other beliefs to push christianity to the brink of minority.

Answer 6

Do you think that the "Freedom of Religion" extends only to sects of Christianity?

yes, do you think that these men such as George Washington, who if you study any at all you will find out that Washington was a devout Christian, who spent the last hour of each and every day of his live, both at home, on the battlefield, and in the House that served as the White-house until it was built, each day the last hour reading and praying over the bible, so do you think that he fought all those years on the battlefield, endured all he did to say, give the voodest the rights to eat the heads of living chickens? To give the Wicca the rights to raise up Trees to god status? To allow Muslims to set up mosques in Washington DC, and preach for the destruction of the new Nation of American as well as the death of the Jewish people. You may think so, I don't.

Answer 7

If you look at how our government is formed you can see they based it on the bible. Our government is broken up in 3 sections as is God. We have or had God we trust in almost everything. Or laws are or were based on the same human equalities as the bible had, All men are created equal etc... Now my poor country is tearing out God from it's founding structure. They don't see it but America will fall soon. You others see it getting rottener everyday, from the outside. Would you have said the same thing 50 yrs ago I wounder?
When America falls I believe it will be a sigh of the end of times and the begging of a new one.

Answer 8

It was founded as a secular nation and always has been. The mentioning of God in the Pledge of Allegiance and on the Dollar were added in the 1950's because of communism.

Answer 9

NOBODY thinks that "America was founded on the basis of becoming a Christian Nation."

However, we DO know that America was founded on Christian/Judeo principles.

Big difference!

Answer 10

Of course it was founded on Christian principles. Look at how much controversy their is now with God being on money and in the pledge of allegiance. Back in the day the BIBLE was used in schools, not some other religious book.