There is No Coercion to Follow a Particular Faith
As I wrote previously, America was not founded as a Christian nation in the sense that Saudi Arabia and Iran are now Muslim nations where mosque and state are one. There is no coercion to follow a particular faith, and it was simply stated in the first Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. Or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…. It is, however, my contention that the nation was founded by Christians upon Judeo-Christian principles, and without the guiding force of Christianity this nation would not be the most stable, longest running constitutionally based republican government in the world. Those who argue the framers did not have Judeo-Christian principles in mind at the writing of the Constitution, or that our nation is not formed along biblical lines, e.g. the 3 branches of government conforming to the prophet, priest, king model of the Old Testament, are simply trying to rewrite history. Certainly they may argue that we are retreating from our foundations and we are less Christian now then we were, but as John Adams said in defense of the British soldiers involved in the “Boston Massacre,” “facts are stubborn things.” Historical writings identify the faith, beliefs, and principles of those involved in the formation of this nation. They were not Muslim, Hindu, or humanist, but were steeped in biblical Christianity, a fact that permeates their writings and policies. It is appalling yet perhaps predictable that many of our finest universities no longer require a course in American History for graduation. This, plus the obvious bias by many in the media and publishing houses, has produced a generation ignorant of the origin and foundational beliefs of our nation.
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We were founded on Judeo-Christian principles, which have served us well. We also have a long tradition of religious tolerance. Jewish Conservative commentators like Michael Medved and Dennis Prager have stated that because America is a (mostly) Christian nation, Jews have been able to thrive. I agree.
We don't demand that anyone be a Christian, nor should we, but we will be a lesser nation if we go the secular direction of Europe and throw away our heritage.
gary fouse
fousesquawk
To understand the principles upon which this nation was founded, one should know some history. The colonists to America largely came from England, and recent British history for them would be the English Civil War followed by the Jacobite rebellion, both largely driven by religious differences between factions who all considered themselves "christian".
Here's just one small piece:
http://history.boisestate.edu/WESTCIV/english/04.shtml
The English Civil War was settled by Church of England dominance, a big reason why all those puritans came to America seeking "religious freedom".
And even that didn't totally end the strife, the Jacobite uprisings attempting to restore the crown to the catholic Stuarts ended only a few decades before the American Revolution.
All of that recent history of their mother country provided ample justification for the framers of our constitution to have a strong intent to keep religion out of government.
They were wise to keep them separate then, and we would be wise to not erode that separation.
Separation of Church and State? Absolutely. My point merely was that if we become a totally atheistic country, and our churches and synagogues become mere historical monuments a'la Europe, we will be much the worse off.
gary fouse
fousesquawk
It is no business of our government whether people go to church and what church they go to. So if the churches are empty, that's a problem for the churches.
Do you seriously think the US is "better" than Europe in any significant way?
Your comment about us being worse off if the churches are empty is completely unfounded.
Religion is what people use to rationalize morality, not where moral principles arise.
I never said it was the business of govt. It is certainly not the business of govt. I just said the disappearance of religion would be unfortunate for our country. I also think the gradual disappearnce of religion in Europe has not been a good thing.
You are welcome to your opinion of Europe.
But on a more objective measure, the last war in Europe was between religiously identified factions in the former Yugoslavia, (Serb-Orthodox, Croat-Catholic, Bosnian-Muslim).
And for the rest of Europe most of the worst violence in recent memory has all been due to non-assimilated Muslim immigrants. Religion sure wasn't the reason for the current attempts at reconciliation in Northern Ireland.
Do you have any objective measure indicating why the fading of religion in Europe has been a bad thing? Or is it just that your personal attachment to your own religion makes you nervous at the mere thought of its lack?
Was the last war in the former Yugoslavia between Croats and Serbs a matter of religion or ethnicity? If I recall, it was over ethnicity.
As for the issue of the non-assimilated Muslim immigrants, I don't think we are in disagreement there. When you talk about religious strife in the modern era (now) we are talking about Islam, aren't we? If present trends in Europe continue, Europe will, in about 2 generations, be majority Muslim. And guess what-they won't be secular.
As for my own religion, while I consider myself a Christian, I certainly am not an Evangelical.
It can often be hard to tease "ethnic" from "religious", but it is true that the difference between eastern orthodox and catholic is the primary point of distinction between Serb and Croat. They all speak essentially the same language.
If the religious distinction were gone, it's hard to say how strong the remaining ethnic distinction would be, but there is little doubt that it would be greatly reduced.