Christianity In America

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Thomas Jefferson wrote those words to express the emotions of a nation that desired freedom, and to shake the foundation of the British Empire. However, this simple, but eloquent phrase has sparked one of the greatest debates in American history. Is America a Christian nation? One question has divided the nation and its politicians since the founding and forming of America. This fiery debate has sparked more controversy than any other debate in modern politics.

Of the fairly limited amount of books I have read in my lifetime regarding the origins of the country we live in today from a religious standpoint, the vast majority are rife with one scarcely mentioned and not infrequent pitfall of inaccuracy that glares at me as I flip through their pages: they sugarcoat the difficult parts. Any controversy that may mitigate their argument (such as the gruesome altercations between the early colonists and the Native Americans, Benjamin Franklin’s or Thomas Jefferson’s religious stances, or the Americans’ horribly violent recalcitrance against the nation they then considered home) is deceptively changed or mollified in attempt to please readers, or perhaps even more embarrassingly, omitted out of sheer ignorance on the subject. With The Light and the Glory, preacher Peter Marshall and New York publishing house editor David Manuel defy the stereotypes of American Christian authors and unapologetically disregard potential vitriol from their intended audience in the process. After conducting extensive research on the topics they planned to discuss in their book, Marshall and Manuel devised the following thesis for The Light and the Glory: (a) God has, or at least had, a definitive and demanding plan for America, and (b) our continual deviation from this plan is why modern America is so seemingly headed for

In his sermon entitled “A City on a Hill,” Jonathan Edwards portrays the idea that this nation serves as a model for the rest of the world, and because of this level attention, it must attribute all its glory to God. In emphasizing its importance as a Christian nation, Edwards shows to a modern audience the influence of America’s religious roots, as well as why America today holds itself in such high esteem.

Since before the United States was founded, the ideals of Christianity have been integrated into the government in some way, shape, or form. In the early days of the Colonies, Christianity was the centerfold for all government affairs; however, after the constitution was ratified and deemed effective in the United States, the First Amendment was born. The first amendment states that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (source). In the early life of the United States, the

Many Americans, including myself, grew up with the understanding of America as unmistakably Christian, but it is important to evaluate the legal, biblical, and cultural basis of this argument. While the primary way to establish a Christian nation would be through legal means, Hughes asserts that Christianity has not been established in the Constitution or The Declaration of Independence, which are the documents most important to the founding of America. While many Christians argue that there are Christian connections in these texts, these religious references are more accurately attributed to the Deistic beliefs of the founders. Berger’s term of internalization, or the acceptance of societal ideas for personal guidance (Berger 4), can be used to explain the American interpretation of the religious references in the founding documents as Christian. However, the founding of America does appear to have some Christian influences. These influences are due to the founders’ acceptance of the Christian American nomos, Berger’s term for a set of beliefs that governs society (Berger 19). This influence caused them to add the phrase “in God we Trust” to the dollar bill, the biblical image of the red sea in earlier designs of the seal, and an eye at the top of the pyramid on the seal of the dollar bill in order to symbolize the providence that protects the nation.

Have you ever wondered why people in the American society think any kind of demonstrated behavior is acceptable? The Christian views once instilled in United States citizens have grown sparse today, in comparison to what they once were. Opinions of many people have changed concerning multiple issues. Many founding views were centered on Godly principles as portrayed in the U.S. Constitution, and as well as the Declaration of Independence. As society continues to argue over the inclusion of religion in politics, members of society reap the effects in many areas, particularly in the education system. I strongly agree that the United States was founded as a Christian nation.

There is an age old question about good old America and its foundation that has been debated on for decades that I have the pleasure of touching on today. That question I tend on giving my insight on today which is, was United States was founded as a Christian nation or as something else? In retrospect one can say that America was founded on three documents: The Declaration of Independence, The Paris Peace Treaty of 1783, and the Constitution; however what does that mean to America being a Christian Nation? Well the Declaration of Independence has many references to God, and both the Treaty and the Constitution end with them being sign in the “Year of our Lord”. One would assume this is all evidence that the founded on Christianity, but then I read Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptist. After reviewing the letter’s substance and the reason for him writing the letter it would appear that I’m torn even as I am writing this.

American churches’ overemphasized on individualism, inadequate social theory and rejecting ecclesiology. According to Goen, it failed to provide a proper leadership in the issue of slavery, as a result, it forced the nation to turn to politics in order to confront this slavery issue, which in fact also led to war.1

From when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380 A.D. to the postmodern age, the Christian Church had varying degrees of control on Western society as an authoritative figure, dictating moral decisions and controlling mass culture. This cultural super-influence, of course, bleed into literature, music and film as well as everyday life. With the decline of believers, Jesus’ contribution to American culture has surely not shaken. The

It not only played a major role in the workings of the individual household but it also heavily influenced the political and economic expansion of European settlements into Native American territories. The idea that God had bestowed upon the colonists the mission to spread the word of the Bible ties into the concept of “manifest destiny” as seen in 19th Century America. The rapid series of conquests and territorial expansion that the United States enjoyed during this period is a reflection of this idea. From the settlement of Jamestown in 1607 to the American colonization of the Pacific Coast in 1819, religion was a driving factor in the expansion of the European frontier. The horrible atrocities committed against the Native Americans in the last few centuries is a cautionary tale to our generation. Throughout human history, men have killed each other, burned cities to the ground, all in the name of religion. By admitting to the mistakes of the past, we can build a brighter

This paper is a book critique of The Godless Constitution. The first chapter of the book is titled “Is America a Christian Nation?” and it is an introduction for the rest of the book. In this chapter, the main idea is to open the reader’s mind about that the constitution was created with the idea that religious believes will not influence in the politics of the nation. The authors state that “The principal framers of the American political system wanted no religious parties in national politics” (Kramnick and Moore, 23). Actually, the creation of a constitution without influence of religion was not an act of irreverence. The authors believe that the creation of the constitution was a support to the idea that religion can preserve the civil morality necessary for democracy, without an influence on any political party. The end of the chapter is the description of the following chapters and with a disguise warning that both authors were raise in religious families and they wrote the book with high respect for America’s religious traditions (Kramnick and Moore, 25). The second chapter, called “The Godless Constitution” explains how the different terms to talk about God were taken out and a “no religious test” clause was adopted with little discussion. This clause was a “veritable firestorm” during the ratification debates in several states (Kramnick and Moore, 32). For many people the “no religious test” clause was considered as the gravest defect of the Constitution (Kramnick

Initially, America did not have a Christian foundation in the sense of creating a theocracy. However, it was shaped by Christian moral truths, and the forefathers created a hospitable environment that supported this religion. The relationship linking the state and religion grew strong as most of the people in the nation became Christians. This research paper outlines how Christianity came to be one of the major religions in the United States of America.

Evidence throughout American history, confirms religion has significantly contributed to the evolution of our culture. Multiple events have contributed, including politics, people and weather. Politics and people are widely impacted by religion. Religion is the primary cause of most wars in countries across the world. Many historians believe America was formed on the basis of religion. In this research paper, I will illustrate the impact religion had on American History to 1877. Specifically, it will examine: 1) Major events impacting traditional religious beliefs in America, 2) Religious disputes which impacted land development, and 3) The impact religion had on slavery.

The author's main purpose for writing A Myth of a Christian Nation is to explain how the world has claimed to be founded on christian principles but has neglected to see that this is a lie that we as christians and people in society have told ourselves to make it seem like we are “ one nation under God”. Boyd also focuses in on and introducing our role in the kingdom of God vs the kingdom of the world and our role in politics and society.

Church, a six letter word that can have several different meanings depending on who you ask: believers, nonbelievers, people who just don’t care about religion…etc. But to me, if I made a definition for the word church is would be this: a physical place where God created in his plan that us followers created on earth a building where we gather and worship Him. While in the dictionary, the meaning of church is short, sweet and to the point, it is “a building used for Christian worship.” In the Bible, the word church is defined as “the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18, 24; 1 Cor. 12:12-13, 27-28; Rom. 12:5)” (Perks 23). So in a sense, the main idea of the definition of a church is a place where believers go to worship God. On the other