Is the United States a 'Christian nation'?

This article was originally published in the July 2008 issue of Faith and Family, but it seems most appropriate to re-print it as we celebrate our freedom and independence this July 4.

By Rev. Terry Major

Pierceville Federated Church

There is a lot of debate about the United States and whether this really is a 'Christian nation' or not.

Before we get into a hot debate on the topic, and before I give you my answer to the question, let's fill in the blank of some of the options for what kind of nation the United States is not:

The United States is not an Islamic nation. By that I mean that we do not use the Koran as the basis of our law and religion. We do not rule by Sharia law and set our policies by the rule of the Koran. We do not set the religious leaders of our nation as the ultimate authority over life and truth. We do not believe in the ultimate subjugation of women, minorities and the destruction of all who disagree with us.

The United States is not a Hindu (or Buddhist) nation. By that I mean that we do not use the teachings, religious writings and the philosophies of the founders of these religions as the basis of the laws and lifestyles of our nation. We do not believe that karma rules all life so that we don't help the helpless because it is their 'lot' to suffer for past life issues so they can move up the ladder in reincarnation to a better life. We do not believe that a person is born into one class of people and must stay within that class no matter how low, abusive or demeaning that state is.

The United States is not a socialist/communist nation. By that I mean that we do not believe that all property should belong to the state and all labor should be for all people's benefit. We do not believe that equality means that only the ruling class should have access to wealth and privilege and the rest work for the benefit of the state. The failed policies and excesses of such regimes are not the rules by which our government operates.

The United States is not an atheistic nation. By that I mean that we do not agree with the agenda that there is no higher power or authority than ourselves and that 'survival of the fittest' is the rule of law and labor. We do not believe that all creatures are equal so that animals have equal (read greater) rights than humans. We do not believe in 'nothing higher than man and nothing greater than now.' The right to not believe is inherent in our national philosophy, but the belief that there is nothing higher than man and his imaginations and schemes is not. The belief in a higher power and a higher calling is the first words of our nation.

Therefore I submit that the United States is a Christian nation. By that I do not mean that we are (or should be) a Church-state; but I do mean that the basis of law and life in this nation is the Bible, we were founded with the reality of a Creator God who gave us the laws of freedom and fairness, truth and justice that have made us the prosperous nation that we have become. Property ownership, capitalism, justice and mercy, equality of the sexes, education, care of the downtrodden and diseased, personal responsibility, belief in a better future and a reward for sacrifice are all Bible-based truths that the founders of this nation believed in and wrote into the fabric of this society.

I know that my generalities of philosophy regarding the other world views mentioned will not be appreciated by all; and I do not say what I say to demean these nations and people, but as we look at the beliefs, practices, successes and failures of other world-views and philosophies, do we really want to do away with the foundations of our nation that have led to this greatness? I don't think so.

The 'American Experiment' is rooted in the Bible and its teachings. To change the adjective of what kind of nation we really are is to undermine and destroy the very 'truths' that have made us a great nation.

Before we totally reject the foundations and principles of our nation to remake us into whatever we think is better, let's be sure we understand what that change ultimately will do. The framers of our Constitution set forth a fabulous form of government that has worked when we believe in the concepts that are underneath it.