http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/is-the-us-a-christian-nation Opposing Views - Is the U.S. a Christian Nation? http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/a-comment-more-than-an-objection This is not really an objection, but a comment. As I noted in the first of my arguments ("What Do You Mean By That?"), I do not dispute--nor lament--the historical fact that Christianity has, from the arrival of the first settlers to the present... William Martin, Ph.D. Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:41:23 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/a-comment-more-than-an-objection http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/but-wait-there-s-more There is no contradiction between acknowledging that most of the Founding Fathers believed in God and some kind of Providence, may even have been practicing Christians, and asserting that they consciously wrote a secular Constitution and intended... William Martin, Ph.D. Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:37:49 -0600 http://www.opposingviews.com/counters/but-wait-there-s-more http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/we-have-become-ignorant-of-the-founding-principles-of-this-nation In the introduction to her book, The Rewriting of American History, Catherine Millard, historian and author, writes, “Rewriting a nation’s history is frequently one of the first strategies taken by a conquering nation.  Why?  Because a... Dr. Paul S. Vickery Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:02:54 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/we-have-become-ignorant-of-the-founding-principles-of-this-nation http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-framers-were-inspired-and-motivated-by-scripture I close simply by restating that our nation was founded upon Judeo-Christian principles.  The framers and their direct descendants were inspired and motivated by the Scriptures.  Our nation would not be what is without these Christian... Dr. Paul S. Vickery Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:01:33 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-framers-were-inspired-and-motivated-by-scripture http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/lets-look-at-what-some-of-the-founders-wrote My intention is simply to provoke some discussion and reflection by quoting some of our early heroes and attempt to discern from where they received their inspiration. Although we could probably trade excerpts from writings all day, I believe it... Dr. Paul S. Vickery Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:00:50 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/lets-look-at-what-some-of-the-founders-wrote http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-first-civil-government-and-institution-of-higher-learning The first civil government in America was the Mayflower Compact (1620).  Despite a difficult journey in which nearly half of the original 103 passengers died, they gave thanks to God and agreed to conform their colony to His principles. They... Dr. Paul S. Vickery Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:58:39 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-first-civil-government-and-institution-of-higher-learning http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/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... Dr. Paul S. Vickery Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:48:29 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/there-is-no-coercion-to-follow-a-particular-faith http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/judaeo-christian-beliefs-form-basis-for-constitution-and-legal-code America is a nation built upon Judaeo-Christian beliefs. These values emphasize the dignity and worth of every person, created in the image and likeness of God, and form the basis for our Constitution and legal code. Those who founded this... Dr. Paul S. Vickery Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:45:22 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/judaeo-christian-beliefs-form-basis-for-constitution-and-legal-code http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/any-number-can-play America has been remarkably favored—blessed, if you prefer—by a wise constitutional policy of non-preferential protection for the free and responsible exercise of religion.  For the good of the entire community... William Martin, Ph.D. Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:21:28 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/any-number-can-play http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-wall-of-separation-has-protected-both-church-and-state We should not underestimate the value of this historic wall of separation and allow it to be dismantled—or bulldozed. It has proven to be the greatest guarantor of religious freedom and tolerance ever devised by human minds. As Justice... William Martin, Ph.D. Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:21:24 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-wall-of-separation-has-protected-both-church-and-state http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/repeated-attempts-to-reverse-the-framers-intention-have-failed In the following decades, various attempts were made to breach the wall of separation and gain some official recognition and status for Christianity. Isaac Kramnick and Laurence Moore, in their excellent book, The Godless Constitution: The Case... William Martin, Ph.D. Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:21:23 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/repeated-attempts-to-reverse-the-framers-intention-have-failed http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-father-of-the-constitution-agreed As president, James Madison, "the Father of the Constitution," vetoed a bill that would have given government-owned land to a Baptist church in Mississippi, insisting that it violated the First Amendment and would set "a precedent for the... William Martin, Ph.D. Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:21:22 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-father-of-the-constitution-agreed http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-wall-of-separation In 1802, the second year of his presidency, Thomas Jefferson wrote a famous letter to the Danbury (Connecticut) Baptist Association, in which he said, “I contemplate with solemn reverence that act of... William Martin, Ph.D. Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:21:14 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/the-wall-of-separation http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/early-presidents-regarded-the-new-nation-as-a-secular-state The Founding Fathers were cosmopolitan intellectuals devoted to the rationalism of the Enlightenment, but they were not, for the most part, humanistic atheists or opposed to religion. On the contrary, they regarded morality as indispensable to a... William Martin, Ph.D. Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:21:11 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/early-presidents-regarded-the-new-nation-as-a-secular-state http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/public-reaction-was-mixed That the Constitution was godless and opened the door for non-Christians to serve in government did not go unnoticed. Indeed, it was bitterly attacked for its failure to honor God and to give Christianity a favored place. To abandon the ideal of a... William Martin, Ph.D. Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:21:07 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/public-reaction-was-mixed http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/we-the-people With the tide running against religious establishment when the Framers of the Constitution gathered in Philadelphia in 1787, they set out to prove that a nation could exist and flourish without an established religion or religious tests. In keeping... William Martin, Ph.D. Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:21:06 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/we-the-people http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/jefferson-madison-and-the-separation-of-church-and-state At the time of the framing of the Constitution in 1787, Virginia and several other states had rejected all establishment of religion. No state any longer had a European-style establishment of a single denomination, but several retained a form of... William Martin, Ph.D. Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:20:56 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/jefferson-madison-and-the-separation-of-church-and-state http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/what-do-you-mean-by-that Before answering this question, it is crucial to know what it means. Several possibilities exist. WERE THE ORIGINAL SETTLERS CHRISTIANS, AT LEAST NOMINALLY? Of course they were. Since the colonists were overwhelmingly from Europe, their... William Martin, Ph.D. Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:20:55 -0500 http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/what-do-you-mean-by-that