Christians will often inform me that America is a Christian Nation and as an atheist, I am un-American and should leave the country. If the claim is that America is a Christians Nation in that the majority of Americans are Christian, then the claim would be correct, but it wouldn’t and shouldn’t make atheists feel unwelcome in our own nation.
It seems that the claim is more than just an acknowledgment of the popularity of Christianity. I think that the claim is that Christianity is the national endorsed religion. Such a claim is obviously false. Often times Christians will justify their claim of endorsement by also claiming that America was in some way founded on the Christian belief system. This too is false.
In an attempt to prove their positions, they bring out the Declaration of Independence which contains some religious terms such as “Divine Providence” and “the Creator.” It is easy to point out that the Declaration of Independence was not America’s founding document (the Constitution is) and that those terms actually aren’t even Christian terms, but rather they are deistic terms. It should also be pointed out that Jefferson originally didn’t even have them in the Declaration, but added them at the “request” of the southern colonies and in typical Jefferson style he used terms that would satisfy his religious colleagues, but were intellectually honest and seemingly generic at the time.
The Constitution, which actually is this nation’s founding document has just two mentions of religion. The first is to protect citizens who seek public office or positions of public trust from a religious test and the second is the First Amendment’s “Establishment Clause.” No mention of Jesus, God, or Christianity at all... not even in the Presidential Oath of Office.
Of course many Christians have argued that the words, “Separation of Church and State” and “Wall of Separation” don’t literally appear in the Constitution. This is true; but guess what? The words, “Jesus is God” never appears in the Bible either. Of course most Christians will argue (rightfully so) that the Bible clearly supports that view and while those words aren’t literally used the meaning is clearly there. The same is true with the Constitution. The concept of a separation of church and state is clearly stated in the Constitution.
But that rarely sways a Christian who holds to this dogmatic belief that America is a Christian Nation. They then tell me that God presupposes the laws in this country and that he is the lawgiver. Unfortunately for them, the Constitution and the Declaration are pretty clear about who the lawgiver in America is, and it isn’t God. America’s laws are from the “consent of the governed,” “We the people.”
The fact is that America is a secular nation, not a Christian Nation. Personally, I think it is sad that so many Christians think that their belief system is so weak that it needs an official endorsement from the State in order to persuade people that it is true. As an atheist who values the marketplace of ideas, I am happy that the United States doesn’t endorse any religion or non-religion. I welcome the level playing field provided by our Constitution and support the right of all religions and non-religions to advertise their messages freely without trying to appeal to the State for an endorsement. Let the best ideas win.
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