The last decade has seen a great deal of public posturing over the integration of religion and politics in the US. Conservatives claim that the United States is a “Christian Nation” and that what “we” need is a return to those fabled days of yore when all Americans were God-fearing and pious.
But is any of that really true?
The first issue to address is the “Christian Nation” concept. Whether the assertion is correct is dependent on how one define that term. If the claim is that the early US was predominantly populated by self-identified Christians then it’s correct. However, it is absolutely incorrect to tinnitus stress
claim that the government of the US is based on Christian principles, or that the US is a Christian nation in the same way that, for instance, Iran is a Muslim nation.
The US government does not operate under the guidance of a priestly caste, as was the case in Medieval Italy and France, not to mention today’s Iran.
In fact, the US government was designed explicitly to exclude such guidance, and for good reason. European governments prior to the Enlightenment were often directly under the control, whether overt or no, of a priestly body. One need only look at France, where cardinals and other religious officials held offices within the government itself. The church’s support was actively sought when monarchs wished to fight wars or make other changes.
Likewise, citizens could be imprisoned by the religiously-influenced state for “religious offenses.” Apostasy, heresy, blasphemy, and other non-secular crimes were punishable by terms in prison.
An extreme case of religion directly affecting daily society was obviously the Inquisition, which had the authority to arrest, torture, and punish anyone they chose to target. This power was massively abused. Citizens were arrested as the result of arguments with neighbors. Vendettas were carried out. Property owned by those accused by the Inquisition was seized by the church, and was frequently awarded to the accuser either in whole or in part.
The Founding Fathers of the US were children of the Age of Enlightenment. They recognized the danger of combining religion, of any type, with secular power. They also believed in the concept of certain inalienable rights, such as “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as enshrined in the Declaration of Independence.
The structure they built was entirely secular in nature, and with good reason. These founders were well aware of the abuse inherent in such systems, having seen them in action across Europe and the Middle East.
It is worthy to note that, by the middle of the 19th century, most European nations had also abolished ties between state and religious bodies Religious crimes like heresy were no longer punishable by imprisonment. States moved away from monarchical systems in which state power was alleged to derive from God’s sanction, toward a more democratic system in which political power lay largely in the hands of the people and their designated representatives.
Those who assert that the US is, or should be administered as a “Christian” nation would do well to examine history and the reasons the US government was created in its present form. They do not understand, or more likely are simply unaware of, the abuses our current form of government was intended to avoid.