Introduction
The question of the U.S. as a Christian nation may be more controversial today than ever before. Some insist that the country is founded on religious freedom, so it is unreasonable to view it as Christian. Others argue that the language of the laws and the courts support the reality that the government, and consequently the society, was and is largely Christian. In a sense, both points of view are correct. As the following supports, America is a Christian nation, but only in the sense that Christian principles demand the acceptance of other religions, or no religion at all.
Discussion
On one important level, there is good reason to affirm that American society is Christian. Many believe that religious diversity is widespread, but the reality is different: “95% of the U.S. population is either Christian or religiously unaffiliated, while all other religions combined account for just 5% of Americans” (PRC). On another level, however, other facts challenge this Christian dominance. To begin with, it is important that many identify as being unaffiliated with any religion, which is likely an increasing trend in a society more mobile and less attached to home communities centered around the church. Then, most of the religious diversity in the country exists in the major cities, which are traditionally the sources of social change. In New York City, for example, only 55% of the population claims to be Christian (Lipka). Consequently, America is very much both Christian and by no means completely Christian.
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Supporting the dual quality of American Christianity is how the intentions and legacies of the founding fathers have been variously interpreted. Laws, Constitutional and otherwise, consistently refer to God in the Christian sense. No matter the specific nature of the law, many turn to this as evidence that the founding fathers were determined to create a Christian nation. At the same time, and interestingly, both sides of the issue use Thomas Jefferson to support America as intended to be Christian, or not. Evangelicals insists on Jefferson’s own faith as guiding the creation of the government, while others find evidence in his writings of a liberal, fully tolerant, statesman who encouraged diversity of faith (Beliles, Newcombe 263). What this approach itself ignores, however, is the far more important law set in place. In plain terms, the First Amendment protection of religious freedom was no random statement. The founding fathers had strong reasons to insist on religious tolerance, no matter their own beliefs, which included how persecution harmed commerce and how England, expanding in religious diversity itself, was a model for the new country (Kurland 16). Diversity in faith is hardly a new phenomenon, given that the U.S. has always been a nation of immigrants. The America of today, then, if technically primarily Christian, resembles the early American ideology – and supporting laws – demanding the rights of others to worship as they choose.
Conclusion
The current social and political climate in America is fueling arguments over whether the nation is, or should be, Christian. Religion and religious diversity have become associated with other concerns as well, as extremist faiths in both Christian and Muslim sects threaten violence. Understanding any single, fundamental religion in the U.S. then becomes problematic, at best. There is no escaping that the country’s majority population was and is Christian, just as the founding fathers largely practiced the faith. A demographic reality, however, does not define the essence of a nation’s ideas of religion in general. Ultimately, then, religious freedom is more meaningful than population numbers, as American laws enshrine that freedom. America is then a Christian nation but, and critically, only in the sense that Christian principles within the laws and government insist on the acceptance of other religions, or no religion at all.
- Beliles, Mark A., and Jerry Newcombe. Doubting Thomas: The Religious Life and Legacy of
Thomas Jefferson. Morgan James Publishing, 2014. - Kurland, Philip B. Religion and the Law: Of Church and State and the Supreme Court.
Transaction Publishers, 2009. - Lipka, Michael. “Major U.S. metropolitan areas differ in their religious profiles.” 29 July 2015.
Web. 16 April 2018. < http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/29/major-u-s-metropolitan-areas-differ-in-their-religious-profiles/> - Pew Research Center (PRC). U.S. doesn’t rank high in religious diversity. 2018. Web. 16 April
2018.
