Is America a christian nation?

Question

I have to do a report at my school over this question. I dont thin america is a christian nation if it was we wouldnt need the constitution only the bible. but what websites can i read about this. i realy wants the names of people who are so against it like the person who got god out of the pledge of alligience

thanks a lot

Answer 1

You really should read One Nation Under God by David C. Gibbs. You can get it cheap at the Alibris web site. They sell used books or try thriftbooks. I'm not sure if its .com or .org or net though. America was founded as a Christian nation. The facts are there you just have to look for them. History has been revised and erased.

"America seeks no earthly empire built on blood and force. No ambition, no temptation, lures her to thought of foreign dominions. The legions which she sends forth are armed, not with the sword, but with the cross. The higher state to which she seeks the allegiance of all mankind is not of human, but of divine origin. She cherishes no purpose save to merit the favor of Almighty God."

~ Calvin Coolidge, 30th American President

1 Chrisropher Columbus was motivated by his Christian faith to make his difficult voyage.
2 The Pilgrims clearly stated that they came to the New World to glorify God and to advance the Christian faith.
3 The Puritans who followed the Pilgrims to New England, created a Bible based commonwealths in order to practice a representative government that was modeled on their church covenants. Their more than 100 governmental covenants and compacts essentially laid the foundation for Americas Constitution, which was drafted in 1787 and ratified in 1789.
4 This nation was founded in large measure as a sanctuary for religious dissidents, seeking asylum from religious pesecution and seeking the opportunity to live in freedom under the laws of God.
5 The education of the settlers and the founders of America was uniquely Christian and Bible based.More than 40% of the signers of the Declaration of Independence had seminary degrees.
6 The Great Awakening, areligious revival, was a key factor in uniting the seperate pre - Revelutionary War colonies and increasing communication among them.
7 Many of the clergy in American colonies "preached liberty" The pulpits of New England were especially important in helping to bring about independence.. Long before the general population understood the threat to American liberty, some colonial ministers saw what was coming and boldly spoke out about it from their pulpits.
8 Biblical Christianity was the driving force behind the men who championed American independence.
9 Christianity played a significant role in the development of our nations birth certificate, the Declaration of Independence.The Declaration of Independence metions God four times.
10 The Biblical understanding of the sinfullness of man was the guiding principle behind the United States Constitution.. The framers of the Constitution drew their inspiration from the Bible. They intended America to be one nation under God.


George Washington
Taken straight from George Washingtons prayer journal..
O most glorious God in Jesus Christ, my merciful and loving father, I acknowledge and confess my guilt, in the weak and imperfect performance of the duties of this day..I have called on Thee for pardon and forgiveness of sins...sounds pretty Christian to me.Unless diests pray to Jesus.Not!

official actions of Jefferson -
legislative and military chaplains
establishing a national seal using a religious symbol
including the word" God " in our national motto
official days of fasting and prayer at the state level
punishing sabbath breakers
punishing marriages contrary to biblical lawpunishing irreverent soldiers
protecting the property of churches
requiring oaths saying "so help me God takenon the Bible
granting land to Christian churches to reach the Indians
granting land to Christian schools
Allowing government property and facilitiesto be used for worship
using the Bible and non denominational religious publications to be used in public schools(He was involved in three different school districts and the plan in each one of these required that the Bible be taught in each our public schools
Allowing clergymen to hold pubic office, and encouraging them to do so
Purchasing religious books to stock public libraries
funding clergy salaries in Indian mission schools
Funding construction of church building for Indians
Exempting churches from taxation
Establishing professional schools of theology( He wanted to over fromGeneva, Switzerland the entire faculty of Calvin's theological seminary and establish it at the University of Virginia)
Treaties requiring other nations to guarantee religious freedom
including religious speeches and prayers in ceremonies
Doesn't sound like the actions of one who would remove the freedom of worship or "separate church and state." The separation of church and state IS NOT in our Constitution!

John Adams proposed that when Americas future citizens celebrated The Declaration of Independence, they should have religious services to thank God for what He had brought about. President Adams said Independence Day should" be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival, commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty, from one end of the continent to the other, from this time forward and forevermore."

John Adams wrote and distributed a book for 10 year olds that was to teach them how to read the Bible while he was in office.

John Adams warned his countrymen:
We have no government armed with power capable of controlling with human passions, unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strong cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholy in adequate to the government of any other.

The vast majority of delegates who attended the Constitutional Convention were professing Christians. Only Ben Franklin and James Wilson of Pennsylvania were known to be Deists.

Ben Franklins speech at the Constitutional Convention:
Mr. President. The small progress we have made after four or five weeks close attendance and continual reasoning with each other - our different sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many noes as ayes, is me thinks a meloncholy proof of the imperfection of the human understanding.
We indeed seem to feel our own want of political wisdom, since we have been running about in search of it. We have gone back to ancient history for models of government, and examined the different forms of those republics which, have been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution, now no longer exist.And we have viewed modern states all around Europe, but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstances.
In this situation of this assembly, groping as it were in the dark, to find political truth and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understanding?
In the beginning of the contes with Great Britan, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for Divine protection - Our prayers,Sir, were heard & they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor.
To that kind of Providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity.And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend?Or do we imagine that we no longer need His assistance?
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 men.And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice , it is probable that an empire can rise 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"(Psalm 127:1) I firmly believe this; I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel: we shall be divided by our partial local interests: our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages.
And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments by human wisdom, and leave it to chance, war and conquest.
I therefor beg leave to move - that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of heaven, and it's blessings on our deliberations, be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service."

Here was probably the least religious of the Founding Fathers calling for prayer and quoting scripture
Congress has opened every session with prayer from the first (September1774)to the most recent.

I am always astounded at the amount of partial truths that have been used to rewrite our history and how some statements are taken out of context and used to give a totally false impression of their meanings... for example George Washington's opting out of communion.. It is being used to try and give the impression he was anti communion. Nothing could be further from the truth...He decided at one point that it was not fitting for him to take communion while he was fighting the war against the British and killing soldiers. They use this one instance to make their case. However the truth abut him is that he was the kind of Christian who at one time journeyed a long distance, to the home of a Presbyterian pastor to ask if he could take communion in their church(some churches did not allow others to participate in communion if they did not belong to their church, and he was Anglican and there were no Anglican churches in the town he was at.) Washington did join them in communion and there is a record of this.The very first act of George Washington as president was to bend down and reverently kiss the Bible after being sworn in.He would retire to hislibrary with a candle from 9:00 till 10:00 every evening for prayer and bible study. A fact that is well documentedTher were many times that certain emergencies arose and people would have to seek his attention and would find him on his knees praying before an open bible. Those that knew him closely wrote of him as a devoted Christian.

I hear people say that Lincoln was an atheist...yes he was just as I used to be but I am now Christian.Listen to what Lincoln himself said..."When I was in Springfield I asked the people to pray for me. I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, I was not a christian But when I went to Gettysburg and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ. Yes I do love Jesus." Those are Lincolns own words. No one can tell me he was an atheist no more than they can tell me that I am one.

Answer 2

Only in the sense that most Americans are Christian (we're a "Christian majority nation"). Of COURSE the founding fathers didn't design America to be a religious nation. They expressly prohibt the government from forcing ANY religion down the throats of the citizenry. Go read a copy of the Constitution. (I guess what I've been hearing is true; schools no longer teach Social Studies classes. Tragic!)

Answer 3

America is not a christian nation. It is a nation with a large christian population. Check out Freedom from Religion Foundation

Answer 4

NO,it is not.
Many Religious Right activists have attempted to rewrite history by asserting that the United States government derived from Christian foundations, that United States Founding Fathers originally aimed for a Christian nation. This idea simply does not hold to the historical evidence.

Of course many Americans did practice Christianity, but so also did many believe in deistic philosophy. Indeed, most of United States influential Founding Fathers, although they respected the rights of other religionists, held to deism and Freemasonry tenets rather than to Christianity.
For evidence

http://www.godvsthebible.com/foundingfathers.htm
http://www.godvsthebible.com/index.htm

Answer 5

There are Christians in America, but America is not a Christian nation.

Mammon told bush to go to war!!

Answer 6

Yes America is a christian nation. All of our founding Father's were christian and this nation was built on Godly beliefs. But at the same time America is also a melting pot with religious freedom for all. Although I think Christians are the majority. There is room for all religions here in America. It should be free of persecution (even though it's not) Good luck!

Answer 7

America is not a Christian nation on paper. This means that it is not when it comes to the Christian Church, there is not a governmental sponsor. In the actual USA, however, the main religion is Christianity. On the currency, "In God We Trust" is printed on everything. All of the presidents have belonged some sort of Christian faith. The current President is a devout Christian and has used his religion as a political tool to get what he wants. In fact, the USA was settled by Christian Puritan settlers so that they could practice their form of Christianity freely.

Answer 8

I think in general discussion there are times when it is reasonable to refer to America as a Christian nation. When discussing the dominant religious views of countries, this would be a fair comment.

However, the foundation is based on freedom of religion. There is a separation of church and state. So although the majority of the population are Christian, this is not the recognised country religion.

For truly religious countries look to the Middle East. Israel was created as a Jewish country. Saudi Arabia is such an Islamic country that other religions are banned (you can be arrested for taking a bible into the country) and their laws are based on their religion.

Nothing like this is true of the US. Sadly there are a very vocal minority on the far right who would like to see the US become the Christian version of Iran.

Answer 9

NO!

Check out article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli

Answer 10

Nope. It's a nation full of different peoples of different faiths. However, there is a predominate christian population.

Answer 11

I have to agree with Bert! No one can say it better than she did! America IS a nation founded on Christian beliefs despite how secularists want no mention of God anywhere. Just remember, the very people who fought for our liberties were our Christian founding fathers! The secularits enjoy the fruits of the sacrifice of these God fearing people.....liberty! I will always say, God bless America! We are one nation, under God! In God we trust! May God shed His grace on thee, America!