The United States is not a nation based on Christianity

[Metis2]

There are many arguments that the United States is based on Christianity and the word of God. This, however, is incorrect. When asked if the nation is based on Christianity, many will say yes and point to the Founding Fathers. The Founding Fathers were not Christians, most of them were Deists. Deism is the belief that a supernatural thing created the physical universe and then left it alone. There were a few Christian Fathers but they were in the minority, and the Founding Fathers we do recognize are Deists.

Thomas Jefferson, a favorite Founding Father for many, was a deist, and he even removed the supernatural parts of the Bible. Ben Franklin said multiples, though in different ways, Christianity is not a religion worth anyone’s time. The most obvious piece of evidence that the U.S. is not a Christian based nation is the Treaty of Tripoli. The Treaty Tripoli was ratified by the senate at the time, affirming that the U.S. is not a Christian nation. The Founding Fathers and the Treaty of Tripoli both claimed they have no hostility towards any religion, but they did not support religions either.

 

[Irishmom2]

“One nation, under God.”

 

[Metis2]

This was not in the original Pledge of Allegiance.

 

[Agnus-Dei]

True, that was added after. I don’t recall what year.
Dominus vobiscum
Found it 1954
The words “under God” were added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954 under President Dwight Eisenhower in response to secular Communist beliefs at the time, according to the nonprofit Independence Hall Association’s USHistory.org. In June 1954, “under God” was officially incorporated into the Pledge by a Joint Resolution of Congress which amended the Flag Code of 1942.

 

[Irishmom2]

@Metis2, I guess I don’t understand what your point is. The United States was founded by people that wanted to be free to practice their religion, whatever it is.

Do you have some kind of problem with that?

 

[Agnus-Dei]

Me? Nope!
Dominus vobiscum

 

[Irishmom2]

No, that was for the OP.

 

[redcatholic]

So what is it based on then?

 

[on_the_hill]

Considering that a lot of the Founding Fathers were Masons, it’s probably founded on Satanism.

 

[redcatholic]

Lol! Was not expecting that.

 

[ioannes_pius]

Tim Gordon has entered the chat

 

[gam197]

How about the 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.

One has to wonder why they were talking about a creator if they are not Christian.

 

[porthos11]

How about the 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.

Deism. Deists admit to the existence of a god, but that this god doesn’t care about creation; just lets it run. Deism is not atheism, but it is also not compatible with Christianity.

The United States was not founded on Christian principles. It was founded on Enlightenment principles.

Saying it was founded on Satanism is a stretch, even if the Founding Fathers were Masons (Masons are not Satanists).

I just roll my eyes whenever I hear the claim that the United States is a Christian nation. It isn’t. It is a secular humanist nation, in which most of the population profess a form of Christianity. It does not make the nation itself Christian.

 

[Freddy]

“One nation, under God.”

My wife and I emigrated to Australia in the late 80’s. After a couple of years we thought it was about time we became Australian (we can have dual nationality with the UK). But…you had to pledge allegiance to the queen (we’re still a monarchy) and do that ‘swearing by God’.

‘I swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Australia, Her heirs and successors according to law, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Australia and fulfil my duties as an Australian citizen.’

Hmmm. That was a problem as we are both republicans and atheists. So we couldn’t swear an oath in which we didn’t believe and we had to wait another 4 years until Prime Minister Keating changed it in '94 to:

From this time forward, [under God,]
I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people,
whose democratic beliefs I share,
whose rights and liberties I respect, and
whose laws I will uphold and obey.

God was optional…so we turned up on the very next Australia Day and because Aussies.

Edit: Did that mean Australia was a Christian nation up until 1994 and non-Christian after it? Obviously not. Whatever is in a pledge has no bearing on the religious basis of the country.

 

[gam197]

gam197:

How about the 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.

Deism. Deists admit to the existence of a god, but that this god doesn’t care about creation; just lets it run. Deism is not atheism, but it is also not compatible with Christianity.

The United States was not founded on Christian principles. It was founded on Enlightenment principles.

Saying it was founded on Satanism is a stretch, even if the Founding Fathers were Masons (Masons are not Satanists).

I just roll my eyes whenever I hear the claim that the United States is a Christian nation. It isn’t. It is a secular humanist nation, in which most of the population profess a form of Christianity. It does not make the nation itself Christian.

The people who landed in the colony and founded Plymouth plantation were definitely a religious group and their total existence is on founding a new religious colony. The Massachusetts Bay colony definitely had religious tones and was filled with Puritans and Quakers. Roger Williams was booted out because he quibbled over laws… He was a Puritan minister. Not sure about the rest of the original colony…

 

[Dimmesdale]

I guess a question might be raised: “Could the United States have come into being without Christianity?”

In other words, Christianity may not and never been the state sanctioned religion of the U.S. but, given how history was shaped through Christianity’s influence, the U.S. may have owed its existence in part due to Christianity…

 

[ConcernedAmerican]

Correct. The original pledge was written by a socialist. It gives me warm fuzzies every time American conservatives fall over themselves to include the work of a socialist anywhere they can.

 

[ConcernedAmerican]

Enlightenment philosophy and free trade.

 

[ConcernedAmerican]

Because a creator isn’t necessarily a Christian god.

 

[porthos11]

porthos11:

gam197:

How about the 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.

Deism. Deists admit to the existence of a god, but that this god doesn’t care about creation; just lets it run. Deism is not atheism, but it is also not compatible with Christianity.

The United States was not founded on Christian principles. It was founded on Enlightenment principles.

Saying it was founded on Satanism is a stretch, even if the Founding Fathers were Masons (Masons are not Satanists).

I just roll my eyes whenever I hear the claim that the United States is a Christian nation. It isn’t. It is a secular humanist nation, in which most of the population profess a form of Christianity. It does not make the nation itself Christian.

The people who landed in the colony and founded Plymouth plantation were definitely a religious group and their total existence is on founding a new religious colony. The Massachusetts Bay colony definitely had religious tones and was filled with Puritans and Quakers. Roger Williams was booted out because he quibbled over laws… He was a Puritan minister. Not sure about the rest of the original colony…

Massachusetts Bay was only one colony that gained independence from the Crown and predates the Declaration of Independence by over a hundred years. Even though the Colony itself may have had religious origins, the principles under which Massachusetts Bay and the other twelve colonies severed ties with the Crown were not based on Christianity but on the Deist and Enlightenment thought prevalent during the time. The same holds true for the new federal entity later established in 1788.

The United States makes clear its founding principles in the Declaration and the Constitution. Neither of these have any Christian principles behind them, at least, explicitly.

Look, I get it. Americans are patriotic, and Christian Americans have this need to reconcile their Christianity with their American-ness and so grasp at straws to Christianize the origins of their country. This holds true for Catholic Americans as well, but like it or not, American independence not only had Deist and Enlightenment rationales, but anti-Catholic ones as well. It is fine to be American and Christian, but there’s no need to claim the United States is a Christian country, or that it was founded on Christian principles. Just be glad for the freedoms you do enjoy, including the freedom to be Christian in an otherwise secular state.