Recently a letter on this opinion page posed the question, "Was America founded as a Christian nation?"
The answer is not a matter for debate. It is found in the document that made the United States one nation, namely, the Constitution.
In the preamble, reasons for establishing the Constitution are listed: "to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity."
There is no mention of religion, spirituality or intent to found a new world order.
Nor does the rest of the Constitution mention God, Jesus Christ or Christianity. There are only two mentions of religion in it: in Article VI, where it states, 'no religious test shall ever be required as qualification to any office or public trust under the United States," and in the First Amendment, which begins, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
There was effectively no United States of America prior to the ratifying of our Constitution in 1787. Therefore we know definitively that the U.S. was not founded as a Christian nation. In fact, it was specifically founded as a secular nation, whose citizens were free to practice any religion they chose, or no religion at all, without government involvement.
Knowing the history of religious wars, persecutions, inquisitions, martyrdoms and political turmoil that sprang from the alliance of religion and state authority elsewhere in the world, our founders wisely assured that religion would not be entangled with government in our new republic.
Any claim otherwise is refuted by the Constitution.
