US is a Christian nation

[Jazzy]

Many Americans believe the United States was founded as a Christian nation, and the idea is energizing some conservative and Republican activists. But the concept means different things to different people, and historians say that while the issue is complex, the founding documents prioritize religious freedom and do not create a Christian nation.

Does the U.S. Constitution establish Christianity as an official religion?

 

[Albion]

Americans believe the United States was founded as a Christian nation, and the idea is energizing some conservative and Republican activists. But the concept means different things to different people, and historians say that while the issue is complex, the founding documents prioritize religious freedom and do not create a Christian nation.

Does the U.S. Constitution establish Christianity as an official religion?

You answered the question yourself, so why ask the next one that calls it into doubt?

Raising the issue of an established religion is mainly a 'talking point' used by people who would prefer that religious liberty--which IS protected by the Constitution--be ended.

People of faith overwhelmingly affirm the idea of religious liberty and few such people today think that we ought to create an official religion.

 

[Lees]

Many Americans believe the United States was founded as a Christian nation, and the idea is energizing some conservative and Republican activists. But the concept means different things to different people, and historians say that while the issue is complex, the founding documents prioritize religious freedom and do not create a Christian nation.

Does the U.S. Constitution establish Christianity as an official religion?

I do believe the U.S. was originally founded as a Christian nation. The word 'originally' is important here.

It is God who established, what would be the U.S., Christianity as the religion of America. "Origin"

It was Christians that first came over from Europe and settled the land in 1620. Read the Mayflower Compact. Churches went up everywhere because they were Christian. "Origin"

Our first Constitution was the 'Articles of Confederation' adopted by the 13 States. The power of the government under this Constitution was located more in the States then the Federal. and most every state identified Christianity as it's religion, and some even to require it's belief in, in their State Constitutions. The Articles of Confederation were approved in 1777. "Origin"

In 1787 a bloodless coup occurred in Philadelphia and the Articles of Confederation were overthrown, thrown in the trash, and a new Constitution was created. This gave more power to the Federal govt. giving less meaning to each States declarations of the importance of Christianity. This is our present Constitution. Far from 'original'.

By 1787 the 'Enlightenment' had affected mankind in the West and so had it's atheistic affect upon some of those in Philadelphia.

So, though no official statement of Christianity as an official religion, the original Constitution, the Articles of Confederation, supported the Christian faith, and the States declared their founding on the Christian faith. "In The Year Of Our Lord 1777"

Lees

 

[Hadassah]

I think the country was Lukewarm at its beginning. Freedom for whites, not for blacks and native americans. I think the idea of a "Christian" nation is relative. Depends on where you stand on human dignity and rights.How you feel about bodily autonomy.

Christian charity and brotherly love for the majority was only extended to whites. Is that Christian? WWJD or say? Christianity did not apply to some.

Think of it like when they lied about the Covid shots, and you could not work or go into places without them, you lost your livelihood and once enjoyed freedoms. Now people are losing their lives and have since the forced "vaccination". Put that on steroids and your body is subject to servitude without reprieve, your love means nothing, your husbands/ wives are not yours nor are your children, and your desires mean nothing.

" Christian" nation? It is perspective. Walk a mile in your brother's shoes and your view of history will change. It would seem might makes right, and he with it, determines the narrative.

 

[NewCreation435]

the constitution is a reaction to what was happening in England before the Revolution where you were expected to be a part of the church of England. They intentionally put in aspect into the constitution to try and encourage religious freedom. It is not a Christian nation now nor was it really before

 

[The Jason]

The original founding fathers were cynical about religion. They seemed more like Bohemians or something. Anyway, they wanted religion as a private matter, but then again, they weren't pushing anti-religion, as in the case of The French Revolution.

 

[jswauto]

As the original version of the Mayflower Compact was lost, the oldest known source in which the text of the document (provided below) can be found is Mourt’s Relation (1622), an account of Plymouth’s settlement written by Edward Winslow and William Bradford.

In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign lord King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, etc.
Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, covenant, and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preservation, and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, offices from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony: unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names; Cape Cod, the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our sovereign lord King James, of England, France and Ireland eighteenth and of Scotland fifty-fourth, Anno Domini 1620.

 

[jswauto]

The American Covenant​

What Covenant?​

We hear dire warnings in regards to “restoring the Covenant,” but what is this American Covenant?
The declaration was an “Appeal to Heaven,” a petition to God for divine assistance to bring the principles and tenets set forth in the Declaration of Independence into fruition. As Benjamin Franklin stated, our requests and “prayers … were heard, and they were graciously answered.”
The Declaration of Independence is a covenant document that joins member states together under a common frame of government. On a deeper spiritual level, the Declaration of Independence is a spiritual covenant between a people and their God. To state this concept of the spiritual covenant with God another way, America consists of separate sovereign independent member states that voluntarily joined under a covenantal framework of government as “One Nation Under God. “They,” the American people, as John Quincy Adams stated “were bound by the laws of God, which they all, and by the laws of the gospel, which they nearly all, acknowledged as the rules of their conduct. They were bound by the principles which they themselves had proclaimed in the declaration.”
Adams further explained, “Fellow-citizens, the ark of your covenant is the Declaration of independence. Your Mount Ebal, is the confederacy of separate state sovereignties, and your Mount Gerizim is the Constitution of the United States. In that scene of tremendous and awful solemnity, narrated in the Holy Scriptures, there is not a curse pronounced against the people, upon Mount Ebal, not a blessing promised them upon Mount Gerizim, which your posterity may not suffer or enjoy, from your and their adherence to, or departure from, the principles of the Declaration of Independence, practically interwoven in the Constitution of the United States. Lay up these principles, then, in your hearts, and in your souls … teach them to your children … cling to them as to the issues of life—adhere to them as to the cords of your eternal salvation.“
The blessings of the Covenant involve national protection, liberty, justice, and well ordered and happy society, and national prosperity. When a people and nation are following and living in harmony with God’s Laws and Commands they will be “blessed in what they do.” This is the basis, spiritual foundation, and the truth of American Liberty.
But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
— James 1:25 (The Law of Liberty)
Along with the blessings of liberty, so too comes obligations for each generation to renew this covenant and pass it on to the next generation. This must involve the education of the youth (and adults since many were not taught in school) on their obligations to God and the Christian Biblical principles of liberty and freedom. We (the American people) have the free will and choice to live in obedience to God’s Laws and Commandments and enjoy God’s blessing. Conversely, if we reject God’s Laws and live in disobedience, then we will suffer the unenviable consequences of our actions.
Note 1: The war for independence was not a revolution, but a counter-revolution in order to restore the moral order in society.
Note 2: Earlier covenants with God in North America were at Cape Henry in 1607. “We do hereby dedicate this Land … the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to raise up Godly generations after us, and with these generations take the Kingdom of God to all the earth. May this Covenant …” Also with and the pilgrims with the Mayflower Compact in 1620 “for the Glory of God, and advancement of the Christian Faith…” and others.

Why does it matter?​

We are under spiritual obligations to God made by our country’s forefathers cannot be emphasized enough because national blessings can be lost. God’s blessings, including liberty, are not a one-way street because we have obligations as well. Therefore it is vitally important that we understand these spiritual principles upon which we are obligated and duty-bound to God. … A nation can be abandoned by God due to idolatry, and willful disregard, and violation of God’s Laws and Commandments. Once lost as the founders warned is lost forever. …
Today across the country, there is an unsettling feeling that something is wrong, very wrong. We have allowed God to be pushed out of our schools, government, the public square, and for some, He’s been pushed out of our very lives. But now some worry that perhaps we are no longer under God’s covenantal protection, or worse, that we are a nation abandoned by God. …
So be extremely very vigilant on the religious character of those you elect to public office and positions authority, and neglect not your prayers and petitions to God for your country. “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [Matthew 3:10]

Each generation must renew the Covenant.​

We are a people of the New Covenant, secured through Jesus Christ sealed with the Holy Spirit. “And likewise the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’” [Luke 22:20] …
It is an obligation on each generation to renew this covenant and pass it on to the next generation. This must involve the education of the youth (and adults since many were not taught in school) on the Christian Biblical principles of liberty and freedom. To affirm our commitment to God in following His Laws and Commandments, we can then asset our rightful claim for the blessings of liberty. “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. [Matthew 7:7]

What needs to be done?​

Educate yourself and others on the American Covenant. Our country’s Founding Fathers and patriots understood the covenant, birthright of liberty, and national protection. More importantly, they understood their duty and obligations to God for the blessings of liberty. As citizens and voters, this covenant and birthright is both a blessing and curse depending on our adherence or departure from the Laws of God.
Engraved on Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. the “God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath?”
Free will and the covenant is by choice, not force. But “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” [2 Chronicles 7:14]
We must elect Godly leaders. We need the president of the United States to declare a day of fasting and prayer and publicly renew the Covenant with God before it is too late.

Educate yourself on the American Covenant. Because there are some things in life such as you and your country’s relationship with God that really do matter.​

The United States was founded on a love of liberty and respect for God’s Laws and Commandants. These were the shared cohesive bonds of Christian morals and values that united the country both in good times and bad. Today we see a defiant rejection of God and His moral absolutes of right and wrong by many. We see a divided society with a growing number of citizens renouncing their birthright of liberty and freedom for socialism and communism.
No longer is the Biblical basis of liberty and truth stated in our founding documents self-evident. America is the country that birthed liberty and freedom into the world. Government was established to secure the blessings of liberty. So, it is truly shameful and unforgivable that many citizens can no longer define the word liberty, far fewer know the Biblical spiritual laws and principles upon which it is based.
It is vitally important that we understand the history of American Liberty and the Biblical spiritual laws and principles of liberty upon which our country’s founding documents are based. Also, the covenantal aspects of liberty and our duty-bound responsibilities to God for these blessings. Lastly, we must understand the spiritual influences and destroyers behind these cultural changes.

 

[jswauto]

First Landing 1607: America’s Covenant With God at Cape Henry, Virginia.​

After 39 unsuccessful European attempts to establish a colony, Rev. Robert Hunt and 104 others landed on the beach at Cape Henry, Virginia. Eager to learn what lay beyond the shore, they set out to find gold without giving thanks to God or praying over the land. One day after their arrival, two men were shot by Indians. The company then realized its next course of action. Led by Rev. Robert Hunt, the colonists followed the example in Nehemiah 12 with a Godly dedication. They worshipped, fasted, asked for forgiveness, and dedicated Virginia-America, (at the time all of North America) to God. On April 29, 1607, they erected a cross and held a service that included the reading of Deuteronomy 8. Rev. Hunt then led the colonists in this prayer as a Declaration of the Covenant with God:

“We do hereby dedicate this Land, and ourselves, to reach the People within these shores with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to raise up Godly generations after us, and with these generations take the Kingdom of God to all the earth. May this Covenant of Dedication remain to all generations, as long as this earth remains, and may this Land, along with England, be Evangelist to the World. May all who see this Cross, remember what we have done here, and may those who come here to inhabit join us in this Covenant and in this most noble work that the Holy Scriptures may be fulfilled.”

 

[jswauto]

Cape Henry: The Beginning of a Christian Nation​

On April 29th, 1607, a nation was born. Travel-weary Englishmen landed at Cape Henry on the shores of Virginia and lay the foundation for what would become the most powerful country the world has ever seen. Act 1, scene 1 of the drama that was to be the United States unfolded that day at Cape Henry, and sparked the legacy of Godliness on American shores.

America's destiny and purpose were sealed with that cross at Cape Henry. All that would follow in our nation's growth hinged on the single proclamation that this land belonged to Jesus Christ.

In the Mayflower Compact of 1620, the Pilgrims reaffirmed the mission set forth by the original Virginia settlers.

"All of us were taught that the Pilgrims came to America for freedom of worship or religious freedom, but that's really not true," said Dr. Peter Marshall, an author and historian. "They said that they came to America to, 'propagate the gospel among the Indians and to become, themselves, stepping stones for the furtherance of the gospel to the outermost parts of the Earth.' So they were missionaries."

The Puritans carried the Cape Henry legacy further. On the deck of the Arbella, halfway between England and Cape Cod, leader John Winthrop declared, "We shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us, so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword throughout the world."

"Winthrop's phrasing was revealing," said Marshall. "When you bring up Winthrop's phrase there, 'the city upon a hill,' that's the heart and the core of what America's been all about since day one. Point being here that the basis for American life was to be committed Christians who were to so let their light shine to one another and then to the whole world, that the world could see that as an example."

More than 100 years later, as America set off on her own course towards independence, the Godly foundations laid in Virginia established the character of our Revolution.

"Before God, I believe the hour has come," said John Adams of the Revolution. "My judgment approves this measure and my whole heart is in it. All that I have, all that I am and all that I hope in this life I am now ready to stake upon it. And I leave off as I began, that live or die, survive or perish, I am for the Declaration. It is my living sentiment, and by the blessing of God, it shall be my dying sentiment. Independence now and independence forever."

George Washington's pure, Christian heart, Benjamin Franklin's call to prayer and John Adams' reverence for the will of God symbolize the undying commitment of our Founding Fathers to the creation of a nation which would glorify God. The American character was born in Scripture and nurtured by the Holy Spirit, yet today, our national heritage is under siege.

Bishop James Madison warned of such a risk in 1795: "The moment that religion, the pure and undefiled religion, loses its influence over our hearts, from that fatal moment, farewell to public and private happiness. Farewell--a long farewell--to virtue, to patriotism, to liberty."

Four hundred years have passed since America was first conceived at Cape Henry, and respect for our roots is growing cold. Yet one undeniable fact still remains: At its core, the United States of America is a Christian nation.

 

[Edward429451]

Many Americans believe the United States was founded as a Christian nation, and the idea is energizing some conservative and Republican activists. But the concept means different things to different people, and historians say that while the issue is complex, the founding documents prioritize religious freedom and do not create a Christian nation.

Does the U.S. Constitution establish Christianity as an official religion?

I don't know if it is actually constitutional but it has history. It was like today almost. Some people are God fearing people and others are not they have their own plans. So there were some tares sown in with the wheat, but it was founded on God. For that one circle of people on the ship, lol. But! God was with them, and still is. Tares are thick all around us now eh? !

 

[Frankj]

I don't know if it is actually constitutional but it has history. It was like today almost. Some people are God fearing people and others are not they have their own plans. So there were some tares sown in with the wheat, but it was founded on God. For that one circle of people on the ship, lol. But! God was with them, and still is. Tares are thick all around us now eh? !

Like all laws, they are well intended when written but subsequently become twisted and misused to accomplish objectives that are actually in opposition to their original intent.

When we were banned from establishing a State controlled religion and guaranteed the right to the free exercise of our faith, I doubt our founders ever even imagined in their wildest imaginations that it would eventually be used to ban religion from being involved in government, that it would even set the government against the exercise of religion in the public arena and be used to force Christians of any denomination to openly violate their beliefs to take part in society at all while officially promoting open hostility toward Christianity and tolerance and promotion of everything from genuine Satanism and Occultist practice to special protection and accommodation of Islam (to the extent that those who speak against it are considered haters and their words hate speech).

Maybe when we propose new laws it shouldn't be their intent that is discussed but how they will eventually be misused and who the winners and the losers will be when they are.

That's how I see it, the part of the elephant I'm sensing, others will see other parts of it as well.