U.S. was not founded as Christian nation
GUEST COLUMN
While listening to WRFD radio station a while back, I heard the host of the program make the ludicrous point that the U.S. was meant to be "Christian" nation, but that unfortunately it has turned out not to be.
Perhaps just as problematical was his assertion that if we were indeed a "Christian" nation, it would be better for Jews, Muslims, Hindus, et cetera, because Christianity is a faith of peace and acceptance.
He apparently does not understand that our government is based on the U.S. Constitution, which does not mention this idea at all. In fact, the Treaty of Tripoli (1797) states that, "... the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion..."
A bit later, a caller sought to affirm the host's thoughts by mentioning three issues which in her mind proved that we were indeed meant to be a Christian country: "In God We Trust" is on our currency, "Under God" is included in the Pledge of Allegiance and the President puts his hand on the Bible and says, "So help me God" when sworn into office
While she was certainly correct in her factual observations, I would like to take a closer look at these three issues.
First, "In God We Trust" was initially used on U.S. coins during the Civil War. It was not officially ratified as our national motto until 1956. A strong argument could be made that the motto it replaced, E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one) is much more appropriate in that it includes all citizens rather than only those who are monotheists. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson proposed this motto in 1776.
Next we have "Under God." It was not added to the Pledge of Allegiance until 1954, at the urging of the Knights of Columbus. The original pledge written in 1892 states; "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Lastly we have the question of the tradition of placing a hand on the Bible and the presidential oath ending with "so help me God." The oath for the highest office as taken verbatim from the Constitution, Article II Section I is: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Technically, each President who adds "so help me God" is revising the document he is swearing to defend.
At the time of the writing of the Constitution, the delegates debated the question of official religion. They also discussed whether government should provide funding for churches. After much thought and vigorous debate, the majority of delegates decided that the federal government would remain neutral toward religion. May we always be supportive of this great experiment.
Lastly, a personal message -- Please consider a vote for John Kerry on Nov. 2. He is a deeply religious man who understands that his beliefs are personal and not to be imposed on others through laws or executive orders. |
