"Both the Christian Right and the secular Left are largely wrong about the religious beliefs of America’s key Founders and, consequently, their prescriptions for America based on those assumptions are also wrong. America’s Founders were not all Christians, and they did not intend to create a Christian nation. On the other hand, they were not rank secularists who intended to erect a wall of separation between church and state. They were religious men who wanted religion – but not necessarily Christianity – to have significant influence in the public square."
Source: The Faith of the Founding Fathers. The Masters University; By: Dr. Gregg Frazer, Professor of History & Political Studies; https://www.masters.edu/master_tmu_news/the-faith-of-the-founding-fathers/#:~:text=In%20reality%2C%20a%20number%20of,and%20active%20inthenofr@yahoo.com
I've spent a lot of time trying to understand what the "Founding Fathers" meant when they wrote about "Freedom of Religion" or "Religious Freedom". Much of my research is on the 'Church / State Separation' page of this site. Each of the source documents referenced in this blog post have been uploaded to Articles page.
I'm incredibly concerned that some Evangelical Christians; some members of MAGA; the Freedom Cause in Congress; the Supreme Court's conservative wing; and the Federalist Society are trying to force their brand of extreme brand of Christianity called "Christian Nationalism" on the entire country. Christian Nationalists distort bible verses by taking individual verses out of context; misrepresent the Constitution by improperly inferring what the "Founding Fathers" meant; and/or, inferring what the Founders did or did not anticipate. I'm also concerned that Christian Nationalists will use their advantages on the Supreme Court, State legislatures, and Congress to either enact, alter, or reject laws which only favor conservative Christianity to the detriment of other religions or secularists.
However, I'm also concerned that some progressives will try to ban all religions from the public square. There are also many citizens in the United States who follow non-monotheistic (belief in multiple gods) religions who would be disadvantaged.
My research has indicated that the authors of the Declaration, the Constitution, and Bill of Rights were "very aware of different religious beliefs, including those of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim, and American Indian belief systems." The Declaration of Independence. Source: USHistory.com (full quote below).
"In the Declaration there are three references to God, and each one is different. In one reference, Jefferson uses the term "Nature's God." Later, he uses "Creator" and lastly "Divine Providence." Many scholars have debated on how to interpret his use of these terms. Some disagree about how church and state were viewed during the founding of our nation. One fact is for sure — the authors of the Declaration were very aware of different religious beliefs, including those of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim, and American Indian belief systems."
The Declaration of Independence. Source: USHistory.com; https://www.ushistory.org/declaration/lessonplan/doi_introduction.html#:~:text=In%20the%20Declaration%20there%20are,his%20use%20of%20these%20terms.
"[T] he key Founders who were most responsible for the founding documents (Declaration of Independence and Constitution) and who had the most influence were theistic rationalists. They did not intend to create a Christian nation. Not a single Founding Father made such a claim in any piece of private correspondence or any document. If they had, it would be blazoned above the entrances of countless Christian schools, and we would all be inundated with emails repeating it."
Source: The Faith of the Founding Fathers. The Masters University; By: Dr. Gregg Frazer, Professor of History & Political Studies; https://www.masters.edu/master_tmu_news/the-faith-of-the-founding-fathers/#:~:text=In%20reality%2C%20a%20number%20of,and%20active%20inthenofr@yahoo.com
"By time of the convention (Constitutional Convention), the Founding Fathers and "ordinary" Americans subscribed to the idea of religious liberty. This was not an abstract principle but a vital, living concept influenced by multiple sources, including Whig political theory that rejected the concentration of political power; the experience of religious dissenters, British and American, who resisted the authority of established churches; and the religious revival known as the Great Awakening that stressed individual experience over orthodoxy. The concept of religious liberty was coupled with a corollary principle: The state must have no power to establish a church or to impose religious conformity."
People & Ideas: God and the Constitution. Source: PBS.org; Library of Congress – God and the Constitution. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/godinamerica/people/god-and-the-constitution.html#:~:text=Some%2C%20like%20Madison%2C%20favored%20a,in%20the%20nation's%20founding%20document.
Something else to consider. U. S. paper currency and coinage did not originally include the phrase "In God We Trust". The original motto of the U.S. was "E Pluribus Unum" or "From Many One". According to a lesson in Study.com called "In God We Trust on Money":
"On April 22, 1864, Congress approved legislation that changed the composition of the one-cent coin and authorized the minting of the two-cent coin. Later that year, "In God We Trust" appeared for the first time on the two-cent coin. The Coinage Act of 1873 allowed for the motto to be printed on all newly minted coins, and on July 11, 1955, Congress passed H.R. 619 which mandated "In God We Trust" be included on all U.S. currency. "In God We Trust" first appeared on paper money in 1957 on the one-dollar silver certificate."
In God We Trust on Money. Study.com, By: Brian Simmons, Ian Aebel. https://study.com/learn/lesson/in-god-we-trust-history-purpose-money.html#:~:text=When%20did%20they%20start%20putting,Trust%22%20was%20printed%20in%201957.
Finally, the original wording for the "Pledge of Allegiance" did not include the words "under god". These words were added by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954. The "Pledge of Allegiance" was written for the Columbian Exposition in October 1892 to mark the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas. The original pledge actually read:
"I pledge allegiance to my flag and the Republic for which it stands—one Nation indivisible—with liberty and justice for all.”
Why Eisenhower Added ‘Under God’ to the Pledge of Allegiance During the Cold War. History.com; By: Becky Little; Published: June 22, 2022. https://www.history.com/news/pledge-allegiance-under-god-schools
With this blog post, I wanted to share some of my research contradicting what "Christian Nationalists" espouse about the United States being a solely Christian nation. The men responsible for the Declaration, Constitution, and Bill of Rights were 'theistic rationalists' who believed in religious freedom for all. In fact, these men resisted the authority of established churches. Not a single Founding Father claimed that they were creating a Christian nation in any piece of private correspondence or any document. These men were also very aware of different religious beliefs, including those of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim, and American Indian belief systems. Instead, they were religious men who wanted religion – but not necessarily Christianity – to have significant influence in the public square.
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