IS AMERICA A CHRISTIAN NATION?
Many fundamental Christians want us to think so.
They say America was founded on Christian ideals and values, and that the 10 commandments are the basis for the constitution. They say, "If only America would return to the Christian values of our forefathers, everything would be okay."
Hmmm... lets see what the constitution says.
There are only 2 references to god or religion in the U.S. Constitution. The 1st Amendment's reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..." and in Article VI, Section 3, "...no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."
That doesn't sound like the founding of a Christian nation to me. If fact, it sounds pretty un-Christian. If their intent was to found the new nation on Christian values, the founding fathers had plenty of opportunities to do so.
- They would have acknowledged the lord, god almighty, Jesus Christ or Christianity and the bible in general as the supreme law of the land. But they did not. In fact, there is not one single mention of god in the constitution. Why?
- They would not have promoted religious tolerance as the 1st Amendment does. This is specifically against gods first commandment of having no other god/s before him. Why would a good Christian break gods first commandment by promoting religions tolerance?
- They would established belief in Jesus Christ as a primary criterion for holding office, and excluded people of the "wrong faith" by a simple loyalty test. But they didn't include such a test. In fact, they specifically excluded such a test. Why?
If the founding fathers wanted to create a Christian nation, they would have done so. But they obviously didn't want to.
The constitution is a purely secular document.
I have no doubt that some people wanted to make the Christian god a part of the constitution. But they failed.
The wish of the majority prevailed and created a secular document which founded this nation on secular values, not Christian values. The most convincing evidence of the founding fathers intention is the constitution it's self.