What Makes Us a “Christian Nation”?
For those of you who assert that the United States is a “Christian nation,” what is your basis for doing so? As far as I can tell, that whole Establishment Clause thing of the First Amendment pretty much prevents us from partnering our country with any specific religion. Many of the men who wrote our Constitution believed in God and prayed regularly, sure. But, that does not mean their intention was to set up a system of government that promoted Christianity. A couple of guys who were pretty familiar with our “becoming a new nation” efforts shared some words on the matter:
“As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion …” – from the Treaty of Tripoli, signed by President John Adams
“Religions are all alike–founded upon fables and mythologies” — Thomas Jefferson
Hmmm … doesn’t sound like a couple of guys who were all jazzed to create a Christian nation.
So, why then are we a Christian nation? Is it because a majority of our population considers itself to be Christian? In that case, are we also a “white nation” or a “female nation”? Maybe we want to go for “overweight nation”?
I am a Christian. I love God and I have a strong faith. However, I am uncomfortable with the assertion that we are a Christian nation. Christ is greater than such geography or political seals of approval.