"I sought for the greatness of
the United States in her commodious harbors, her ample rivers, her fertile
fields, and boundless forests--and it was not there. I sought for it in her
rich mines, her vast world commerce, her public school system, and in her
institutions of higher learning--and it was not there. I looked for it in her
democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution--and it was not there. Not
until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with
righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is
great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America
will cease to be great!" Alexis de Tocqueville..
Historically
there is much evidence that the United States was founded as a Christian
nation, for the purpose of spreading the Gospel. 
Secularists
cite numerous arguments where they believe the United States was always
intended to be a secularist nation. Main arguments are that many of the
founders were deists. They point out that deists rely on reason and nature and
therefore deistic philosophy was the driving force behind the Revolution
because Christians viewed rebellion in politics and government as non-Biblical
due to Romans 13:1, 2.
They claim
that Jefferson’s wall of Separation of Church and State means that government
was made to be neutral or secular. They point to the Treaty of Tripoli later on
as definitive proof that we were never a Christian nation. Let’s break these arguments down one at a time.
They claim
that the words Creator and Divine Providence which substituted the word God in
many documents is proof that many of our founders were deists.
The founders
did look to the age of reason and nature among other philosophies. Deists in
large part believe in a god, or higher power, but believe that God has removed
Himself from our activities or that He created us, with free minds and wills
and had nothing more to do with us after that. Men such as Jefferson and
Franklin were not religious men, when one considers religious denominations and
yes many did criticize organized religion. But being critical of organized
religion is not proof that they were deists.
Benjamin
Franklin observed something during the Constitutional Convention which had been
meeting for five weeks, and had hit a major deadlock which was threatening the
effort to unionize the States. What did Franklin suggest to help this impasse?
“We have gone back to ancient history for
models of Government, and examined the different forms of those Republics which
having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution now no longer exist.
And we have viewed Modern States all round Europe, but find none of their
Constitutions suitable to our circumstances.” He started.
He reminded
the men that when they had been facing opposition and danger from the British,
they had prayed before meetings and they had been heard and answered. “All of us who were engaged in the struggle
must have observed frequent instances of a superintending providence in our
favor. I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more
convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God Governs in the affairs of men.
And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable
that an empire can rise without his aid?
We have been assured, Sir, in the
sacred writings, that "except the Lord build the House they labour in vain
that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his
concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the
Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests;
our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and
bye word down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from
this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments by Human wisdom
and leave it to chance, war and conquest.
I therefore beg leave to move-that
henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our
deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to
business, and that one or more of the Clergy of this City be requested to
officiate in that Service…”
Secularists
point to Franklin as being influenced by deism and being a proponent for it
because of some of his writings, yet they don’t bring up the fact that Franklin
was also a friend of the evangelist George Whitefield, one of the main
influences of the Great Awakening which was an instrument used to usher in the
Revolution.
In the late
1600s when the British Monarchy established the Church of England, the King also
established himself as the head of the Church other religions, such as
Catholicism, Judaism, and Puritanism, were suppressed. Basically everyone was forced to practice the same religion, and it created complacency and a spiritual desert among believers. Religion became something done out of habit or obligations. People went through the motions of forced worship, but without deeply felt convictions of the heart and soul. After numerous decades of this kind of complacency in both England and the American colonies the spiritual “revival” of the Great Awakening happened.
The Great Awakening was a spiritual renewal that swept both England and the American Colonies. Many Christians began to leave the established habitual approach to worship and awakened them by excitement and emotion in prayer and worship and people found a new personal relationship with God through Jesus instead of a religion. This new spiritual renewal began with people like John and Charles Wesley and George Whitefield in England and crossed over to the American Colonies during the first half of the 1700s.
The
Awakening’s biggest significance was the way it prepared America for Independence. As secularists point to the belief in
organized religion’s church that questioning and rebelling against authority
and government was unbiblical, it was the awakening which showed people that they
could boldly speak out. Whenever churches weren’t questioning the morality and
oppression of the British Crown, the people were able to leave and either form
new congregations or join those who taught that religious power resided in
individuals, not an established church.
Secular
discussions delve into the founders’ personal disdain for organized religions
and use this as evidence shows that they intentionally placed a wall between
religion and state.
Many look to
Thomas Jefferson as an example of freedom from
religion because Jefferson was not a believer in religion. While falling
closer to the side of deism, Jefferson as others had a high respect of Jesus’
life, even if they questioned his deity or miracles accounted in the Bible. They
still held Him as an example of an exemplary life which ought to be modeled
after. He and others believed religion was necessary to induce people to civil
behavior yet had little respect for organized religion, focusing instead on the
person of Christ. Jefferson like most of the founding fathers believed in a
government which didn’t dictate a state established denomination, and believed
that all Christians had the freedom to worship without one denomination being
given special benefits over another.
The phrase,
"wall of separation between Church & State" was written by Thomas
Jefferson to Baptists from Danbury, Connecticut, to assure them that the
government would have no direct influence on religious practices. Jefferson's
letter stated, "The First Amendment
has erected a wall of separation between church and state, but that wall is a
one directional wall; it keeps the government from running the church, but it
makes sure that Christian principles will always stay in government."
People who
knew how religion had been tied to the British Monarchy, and therefore, were
forced to pay taxes for church affairs, even if one were not Anglican, did not
want the government to meddle in the pulpit or in the affairs of the church.
Thomas Jefferson, while supporting a separation of church and state, clearly by
his actions showed that he meant this separation was for the benefit of the
church, not the government.
The 1st
Amendment states, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...
From the
founders own beliefs, words and actions, we know that they meant that there
would be no State run church. This did not mean government officials could not
pray, ask others to pray, talk about Jesus Christ or even grant funding for
public displays such as crosses and statues.
John Adams
stated that “We have no government armed
with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and
religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest
cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was
made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the
government of any other.”
In almost
all cases, the States mention Almighty God in the preambles to their
constitutions. New Hampshire, Vermont, and Virginia do not have preambles but
mention God in sections of their constitutions. Tennessee's mentions
"Lord" in the context of dates.
Many states
mention God in sections that refer to religious freedom, but many of those
refer to "Almighty God," which, by all objective standards, is an
endorsement of the Judeo-Christian faith.
Several of the religious freedom sections mention Christianity
specifically.
When we
think of Philadelphia, one of the first things we think of is the Liberty Bell
which bears the inscription, "Proclaim
Liberty throughout All the Land unto All the Inhabitants thereof"
Which is taken from the Book of Leviticus 25:10 in the Bible.
If one were
to tour Washington DC, one would see evidence of Biblical inscriptions and
phrases in many buildings and memorials which have been all been well
documented. Engraved at the Jefferson Memorial are the words of Jefferson,
“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 a gift from God? That they are
not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect
that God is just, and that His justice cannot sleep forever.”
For over 200
years the majority of American people believed in Jesus Christ, and yes,
Christian morals and values were even taught in public schools, our early
Government officials prayed out loud- in the Name of Jesus, and even held
Christian services in Congress.
In Patrick Henry's own words at his speech given at the House of Burgesses he said, “It cannot be emphasized too clearly and too often that this nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason, peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.”
American
troops have paid high costs or given their lives during the years fighting
in nations in the Middle East. These are
politics of government and war, but while our nation is still a beacon of
freedom for many, it is also a source of anger to many in that part of the
world because they confuse America’s modern secular/humanist society with
America’s Christian heritage. In Patrick Henry's own words at his speech given at the House of Burgesses he said, “It cannot be emphasized too clearly and too often that this nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason, peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.”
People from
other nations have always believed America was a Christian nation. This brings
us to the Treaty of Tripoli, which secularists use as proof that the founders
did not base our Government on the Christian religion.
North
African Barbary Coast Muslim States had terrorizing ships in and around the Mediterranean
through government-sanctioned piracy. Hostages captured by the Barbary pirates
were either ransomed or forced into slavery.
Life for the
captives often was harsh, especially for Christians, and many died from their
treatment. Some captives converted to Islam which made life in captivity
easier. Before the American Revolution, the North America colonies were
protected from the Barbary pirates by British warships and treaties. During the
Revolution, France formed an alliance with the colonies and provided protection
for U.S. ships
The US Marine Corps was born in Tun Tavern when in 1775 a committee of the Continental Congress met at the Tavern to draft a resolution calling for two battalions of Marines able to fight for independence at sea and on land, but there was not a standing Navy nor enough ships yet to protect US citizens and shipping interests.
Two American
ships were captured by Algerian pirates in July 1785 and the survivors were
forced into slavery until $60,000 in ransom was paid. The U.S. was forced to
pay tribute and goods to the Barbary nations for the security of its ships and
the freedom of its captured citizens.The US Marine Corps was born in Tun Tavern when in 1775 a committee of the Continental Congress met at the Tavern to draft a resolution calling for two battalions of Marines able to fight for independence at sea and on land, but there was not a standing Navy nor enough ships yet to protect US citizens and shipping interests.
Pirating in
the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean continued from the Barbary Coast
States and prompted the U.S. to initiate a series of peace treaties,
collectively known as the Barbary Treaties.
The Treaty
of Tripoli was a Treaty of Peace and Friendship, signed at Tripoli, Libya on
November 4, 1796 and at Algiers on January 3, 1797. The original in Arabic was submitted
to the US Senate on May 29, 1797. The Resolution of advice and consent passed
on June 7, 1797 and was ratified by the United States on June 10, 1797.
Secularists point
to Article 11 of the treaty for proof of a secular American government. “As the government of the United States of
America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion,-as it has in
itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of
Musselmen,-and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of
hostility against any Mehomitan nation; it is declared by the parties that no
pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of
the harmony existing between the two countries.”
So what does
this mean? Joel Barlow was the American diplomat who served as counsel to
Algiers and held responsibility for the treaty negotiations. Barlow had once
served under Washington as a chaplain in the revolutionary army, but
secularists argue that after reading “enlightenment” literature and hanging
around Paine and Jefferson, he turned against Christianity and became an
advocate of secular government.
However
again, Barlow’s issue was with an organized and established church and it being
pushed into service of the government. Secularists use Barlow’s book “Advice to
the Privileged Orders” from 1793 to push the secular idea, yet he included a
footnote explaining, “From that
association of ideas, that usually connects the church with religion, I may run
the risque of being misunderstood by some readers, unless I advertise them,
that I consider no connection as existing between these two subjects; and that
where I speak of church indefinitely, I mean the government of a state,
assuming the name of God, to govern by divine authority; or in other words,
darkening the consciences of men, in order to oppress them. In the United
States of America, there is, strictly speaking, no such thing as a Church; and
yet in no country are the people more religious…” pp. 53-54
Secularists don’t
take into account the context of the Treaty or historical situation of the
time. It’s interesting as well that one wonders why put such a specific
statement regarding the Christian religion in a treaty with a Muslim nation?
Islam is the
state, the governing law as well as the religious faith of the country. Since
the Muslim States believed America was a Christian nation they were afraid of a
Holy War. The US had to assure the Dey of Tripoli that the US didn’t view its
struggle with the pirates as a religious issue, and that they wouldn’t enter a
war on religious grounds, nor would the US impose Christianity on the Muslim
people of their States.
This fits with
Article 14 of the new Treaty of 1805 which was signed during the
Jefferson presidency. “As the Government of the United States of
America, has in itself no character of enmity against the Laws, Religion or
Tranquility of Musselmen, and as the said States never have entered into any
voluntary war or act of hostility against any Mahometan Nation, except in the
defense of their just rights to freely navigate the High Seas: It is declared
by the contracting parties that no pretext arising from Religious Opinions,
shall ever produce an interruption of the Harmony existing between the two
Nations; And the Consuls and Agents of both Nations respectively, shall have
liberty to exercise his Religion in his own house; all slaves of the same Religion
shall not be Impeded in going to said Consuls house at hours of Prayer. The
Consuls shall have liberty and personal security given them to travel within
the Territories of each other, both by land and sea, and shall not be prevented
from going on board any Vessel that they may think proper to visit; they shall
have likewise the liberty to appoint their own Drogoman and Brokers.”
In 1805, the
US refused to pay “tribute” to Barbary Coast pirates to keep them from raiding
American merchant ships. Jefferson said
of the idea of continuing to pay, “Too
long, for the honor of nations, have those Barbarians been [permitted] to
trample on the sacred faith of treaties, on the rights and laws of human
nature!” As President, negotiations
for a treaty failed, so Jefferson called on the Marines.
America has
always been a Christian nation, even if many people in America today don’t
consider her to be.
“Providence has given to our people the choice of their
rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our
Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.” Source:
October 12, 1816. The Correspondence and Public Papers of John Jay, (future
Supreme Court Justice)I’ve always believed we can fix our future by looking at and learning from the past. One of answers for our country lies in the past. More about that in the coming weeks as time allows.
I started
this article with a quote from Alexis de Tocqueville, now I’ll end it with
another. “The Americans combine the
notions of religion and liberty so intimately in their minds that it is
impossible to make them conceive of one without the other.”
C.A.E 2015
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