Do you think that the American government is founded on Christian values and/or beliefs?

Question

Why or why not? Supporting information?

This is an issue that has come up in my research for some opinionated research papers I have had to write for a government class, and while initaly i felt that it was founded on such principles now I am not as adamant in my thinking. What are your thoughts?

Also I am not asking anyone to do research for me. My papers were not on this subject or any related one. This is just a personal question I have after conducting my own research and writing the said papers.

Answer 1

The founding father's were Christians..it is impossible not to let some of your personal values and beliefs bleed over into something like that....but I do believe they tried to be considerate of other religions as well.

Our Declaration of Independence and Constitution are based on Judeo-Christian teachings. The textbook of these teachings in the Holy Bible. It is the "Owners Manual" or "The Book of Instructions" for our nation. The Founding Fathers and many others in position of authority ever since have recertified that fact. "America is a Christian nation." This does not mean that all the people were or are Christian. It merely means that there was a Christian consensus and all our founding documents, laws, moral codes and institutions are based on Christian principles from the Bible.
1620 - The Mayflower Compact written by the Pilgrims before they got off the Mayflower said: "In the presence of God, Amen. We ... do by these presents solemnly and mutually in ye presence of God, and one another, covenant and combine ourselves into a civil body politic."

1638 - The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (often called the first American Constitution) said, We "enter into a combination and confederation together to maintain and preserve the liberty and purity of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ which we now profess." It also stated for the first time that men's rights come from God, as later stated in the Declaration of Independence.

The Great Law of Pennsylvania Colony said, "Whereas the glory of Almighty God and the good of mankind is the reason and the end of government and therefore government itself is a venerable ordinance of God..."

1772 - Samuel Adams: "The right to freedom being the gift of God Almighty ... The rights of the colonists as Christians may be best understood by reading and carefully studying the institutes of the great Law Giver which are to be found clearly written and promulgated in the New Testament."

1777 - The First Continental Congress appropriated funds to import for the people 20,000 Holy Bibles as "the great political textbook of the patriots."

1776 - The Declaration of Independence says: "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 - That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men ... "

There you have some profound statements:

* There is such a thing as Truth, and Truth can be known by man.

* Men are "created" and their rights come from God, their Creator.

* Governments exist to protect these God-given rights.

This is the very essence of our Americanism!

1787 - The Constitution was written to "secure the Blessings of Liberty."

1787 - George Washington said regarding the Constitution: "Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the event is in the hand of God."

Thomas Jefferson, on his memorial: "God who gave us life, gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that the liberties are the gift of God?"

2 Corinthians 3:17: "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty."

1787 - At an impasse of several weeks at the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin rose and sai:, "I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: that God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can arise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this." He then moved they resort to prayer.

1787 - Washington's Inaugural Address: "The propitious smiles of heaven cannot be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which heaven itself has ordained." All inaugural addresses and state constitutions refer to Almighty God, the author and sustainer of our liberty.

1789 - Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation: "Whereas, it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits and humbly to implore His protection and favor..."

1797 - Washington's Farewell Address: "And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion."

Patrick Henry: "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religions but on the gospel of Jesus Christ."

John Quincy Adams: "The first and almost the only Book deserving of universal attention if the Bible." The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: "It connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity."

1789-1795 - John Jay, first chief justice of the United States: "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest, of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."

1843 - Emma Willard, educator and historian: "The government of the United States is acknowledged by the wise and good of other nations, to be the most free, impartial and righteous government of the world; but all agree that for such a government to be sustained many years, the principles of truth and righteousness, taught in the Holy Scriptures, must be practiced. The rulers must govern in the fear of God, and the people obey the laws ... A nation cannot exist without religion. France tried that and failed. We were born a Protestant Christian nation, and, as such, baptized in blood. Our position ought to be defined as that."

1861 - Abraham Lincoln: "It is the duty of all nations, as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God and to recognize the sublime truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord."

1863 - Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address: "That we here highly resolve ... that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."

1892 - The Supreme Court of the United States after citing 87 precedents decided: "Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of Mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise: and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian ... This is a religious people. This is historically true. From the discovery of this continent to the present hour, there is a single voice making this affirmation ... we find everywhere a clear recognition of the same truth. These and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation."

1983 - Oct. 4, 1982, Joint Resolution of Congress: "Whereas the Bible, the Word of God, has made a unique contribution in shaping the United States as a distinctive and blessed nation of people. Whereas Biblical teachings inspired concepts of civil government that are contained in our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of The United States ... Whereas that renewing our knowledge of, and faith in God through Holy Scriptures can strengthen us as a nation and a people. Now therefore be it resolved ... that the President is authorized and requested to designate 1983 as a national "Year of the Bible" in recognition of both the formative influence the Bible has been for our nation, and our national need to study and apply the teachings of the Holy Scriptures."

Answer 2

A better way to describe it is that the American government is founded on PROTESTANT values/beliefs. The protestant churches have a much more liberal view of the bible and a much more emphasis on personal success to get into heaven. By being a success in life (and being a good person), one gets into heaven. The idea of what it is to be a good person changes as time marches on. So at the time, the fouding fathers put together a government that was fair and intended to make sure that the rule of law was also religious. The reason it is not stated outright as being a religious government was that the colonies were full of different religions and those in charge did not want to push any of those (fellow christians) away.

Answer 3

Our country was founded on the ideals of religious freedom. The reason why people would say it is based on Christian values and beliefs is because the large majority is Christian. Also, it is wrong to murder. There are A LOT of people who would argue that is a Christian belief and value. I believe it to be one of human morality, but that's just me.

You could write a convincing argument for either side, Christian vs. Religious Freedom. It all depends on which side you believe/want to believe in.

Answer 4

America was founded for religous and tax freedom purposes. The pilgrims wanted to escape religous persecution. The laws are based around the ten commandements , guidelines for how to live. Don't lie , steal, kill, etc. Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy. In some southern states, the laws do not allow stores to be open on sunday . other states have restrictions on selling alcohol on sunday. these laws were based on the old laws saying to keep the sabbath day holy. The ten commandements had an influence on laws . It's a roadmap for how to live.

I think a majority of folks would have considered christianity as their religion, in those days.

To my knowledge there were no buddhists, moslems, athiests , etc. that were active in politics ? They were probably minorities.

In God we trust is on all of our money. It's on the buildings in Washington DC. I think that the christian values had an influence . Our government leaders claim to have Christian values , but do not seem to demonstrate them through the decisions they are making.

Answer 5

George Washington made a specific statement that the US was not founded as a Christian country. "The government of the United States is not in any sense founded upon the Christian Religion." November 1796 in reference to the treaty of Tripoli.

Answer 6

no, not really. I believe it's based on the experiences that our founding fathers and their ancestors gained from living under bad governments which were mostly based in the religion of those in power. they were wise enough to examine those rules and find the good and the bad elements and use them as examples of what and what not to do when forming the foundation of this government. I do think that the ten commandments played a role in making laws to some extent, but that would be the limit of what I would consider as our government possibly being founded on Christian values or beliefs.

Answer 7

No.The United States Constitution serves as the law of the land for America and indicates the intent of our Founding Fathers. The Constitution forms a secular document, and nowhere does it appeal to God, Christianity, Jesus, or any supreme being. (For those who think the date of the Constitution contradicts the last sentence, see note 1 at the end.) The U.S. government derives from people (not God), as it clearly states in the preamble: "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union...." The omission of God in the Constitution did not come out of forgetfulness, but rather out of the Founding Fathers purposeful intentions to keep government separate from religion.

Although the Constitution does not include the phrase "Separation of Church & State," neither does it say "Freedom of religion." However, the Constitution implies both in the 1st Amendment. As to our freedoms, the 1st Amendment provides exclusionary wording:

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. [bold caps, mine]

Thomas Jefferson made an interpretation of the 1st Amendment to his January 1st, 1802 letter to the Committee of the Danbury Baptist Association calling it a "wall of separation between church and State." Madison had also written that "Strongly guarded. . . is the separation between religion and government in the Constitution of the United States." There existed little controversy about this interpretation from our Founding Fathers.

If religionists better understood the concept of separation of Church & State, they would realize that the wall of separation actually protects their religion. Our secular government allows the free expression of religion and non religion. Today, religions flourish in America; we have more churches than Seven-Elevens.

Although many secular and atheist groups fight for the wall of separation, this does not mean that they wish to lawfully eliminate religion from society. On the contrary, you will find no secular or atheist group attempting to ban Christianity, or any other religion from American society. Keeping religion separate allows atheists and religionists alike, to practice their belief systems, regardless how ridiculous they may seem, without government intervention.

Answer 8

Here are two reasons I think not. One is because the words "Jesus" and "Jesus Christ" do not appear in the Declaration of Independence, and I don't *think* they appear in the Constitution, but feel free to double-check me on that. The Declaration refers only to "Nature and Nature's God." A belief in "God" doesn't make one Christian; a belief that Jesus Christ is the only valid route to God does.

Another is because of the four people on the Declaration committee, two were not Christians. Franklin was a Deist. Jefferson is famous for writing the "Jeffersonian Bible," which keeps a lot of Christ's advice from the original, but gets rid of everything "miraculous," including the resurrection. John Adams was a Unitarian, and I'm not sure about the guy from Connecticut.

The USA was founded during a time called the "Enlightenment," when reason was everything, and religion was considered either a nice supplement to one's life or completely illogical, depending on who you spoke to among the Founding Fathers. Europe was just emerging from centuries of Catholic vs. Protestant warfare, and educated people were sick of it. They wanted to avoid that kind of devastation in our country.

The values of many of these "Enlightened" people had come out of centuries of Christian culture, no matter what denomination, and in that way were Christian values. But I know of few religions that *don't* denounce murder, adultery, etc.

Answer 9

Yes to the extent that our forefathers thought at that time what their opinion of Christian values and beliefs were. The times change as do peoples opinions. Some for the better and some for the worse.

Answer 10

No because these men who founded our country were sick of being suppressed by the religion being forced upon them. They gave every American the right to practice what ever religion that he/she wanted to. They never made any indication that America was or should ever be a country of "Christian" values. Christian "values" and plain common sense also tend to overlap.

Answer 11

no.

if it were funded on christian values/beliefs, they would say the words 'god' or 'jesus' somewhere in the legal documents of the united states (from the time period).

the first evidence we have against it is the first amendment. a striking blow to the god crowd.

the second and even more problematic evidence is the treaty of tripoli.

"As the government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian Religion..."

http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/buckner_tripoli.html