Put Christianity first

A review of the language in our 50 state constitutions reveals that all make reference to God in one way or another. Forty specifically state “God,” and the remaining 10 use phrases such as supreme ruler of the universe, supreme being/ruler, creator, author of existence and great legislator of the universe.

If the men and women who wrote this language did not believe ours is a Christian nation, then why the universal reference to God? More than two-thirds of Americans consider America a Christian nation. Past presidents, Congress and the Supreme Court have stated on numerous occasions that America is a Christian nation. Anyone that knows our history knows the Founding Fathers were men of faith who based the foundations of the Constitution and Bill of Rights on Judeo-Christian principles.

Christianity is the religion that shaped America and made her what she is today. We are a Christian nation demonstrated by the American experience. We are a nation founded upon Christian and biblical principles, whose values, society and institutions have been largely shaped by those principles. The question is will we remain a Christian nation?

Ralph McFillen

Overland Park

Comments

[Jazz-Man]

Jesus is not a mere mortal, he was and his birth was supernatural. With out going into too much detail just the fact that he endured all the suffering he did for worlds sins is enough to see his power. I can go into detail but don’t want to people thinking I’m trying to force Jesus down there throat.

[Dan Beyer]

Ralph, didn't you know? Christians didn't create this country! Transgender, bisexual, communist, evolution believing, atheists did!!

It's true!!! They said so on Air America!

[pmcw]

sorry gg, but some states don't like it. the tenth amendment, which is a part of the bill of rights clearly gives states the right to say what is a legal marriage. what you propose is a constitutional amendment and there is a process for that. but, don't suggest your rights trample the rights of others without due process. that's what this country is about.

all that aside, I think it's a dumb law that won't allow anyone a patient wishes to see into the emergency room. and, if not conscience, some pre-signed paper to let you in. that is a totally different story and you should be able to address that with your state rep.

[ggbridge]

Again, I disagree. Take marriage, for instance. I got married in California and my marriage is legal in Missouri, Utah, Kansas - every state because it's been deemed morally (in a "Christian" sense) correct. If this wasn't the case, we'd have to go before a justice of the peace and file paperwork in every single state in order to make sure I could have rights like being able to see my spouse in an out of state emergency room. Totally dumb and a waste of time to have the terms of marriage dictated by each state with every other state having the power to recognize my marriage or not. Getting more irked ;)

[pmcw]

"I'd put out same sex marraige and abortion as two examples. I think it's dangerous to mix up religion and law. Rights will be lost by all."

Regardless of what the Supreme Court says, I think those and many other issues are best left to states - that nasty tenth amendment and all.

[solomon]

The question of what Christian values were in 1776 is a very good one. It brings about a recurring paradox....if the nature of Christ is never changing how can Christian values evolve over the centuries? The people wo founded this nation committed acts that would get them everywhere from civil court to death row to war crimes, yet most considered themselves good Christians doing what God entitled them to do. how do modern Christians reconcile this? Do you just claim that the world was different then and what god allowed then he would not allow now? someone please, put it into words without quoting the Bible. I would really like the opinion of a thinker here.

BTW, little p, jesus was either mortal or he was God, if he was God then he was the only supernatural being who ever lived. Forgetting for a moment that his story mirrors other religious traditions that pre-dated him, do you think he was mortal or supernatural? I'm asking because of your Allah comment earlier, not trying to pick a fight.

[ggbridge]

pcmw, thanks for your reasurrance. I'm not too irked, though I should probably mention I grew up in Salt Lake City. There's some good prosthelytizing going on there (I'll be able to discuss it after another ten years or so of therapy). I don't think it's quite right to say folks who govern from a Christian perspective leave religion out of laws entirely. I'd put out same sex marraige and abortion as two examples. I think it's dangerous to mix up religion and law. Rights will be lost by all.

[pmcw]

Roger, Sorry, didn't mean to show disrespect. Thanks for the correction.

gg, Stating "in the name of our Lord" was a clear reference to Christ. It could have just been "signed this xx day of xx...." Therefore, I take it as a very clear and intentional reference.

Now, before you go around "irked," most Christians aren't out to convert you, preach to you or do anything that upsets your rights. Granted, there's nut cases everywhere, but to lump all with the nuts would be stereotyping and that's not good for anyone. The sole point of my posts on this topic is to illustrate the U.S. was in fact founded as a nation based on Christian principles. Whether you believe or not, those are pretty easy to live by principles. None of them require you to worship, believe or do anything you might think "irksome."

[solomon]

After reading the long thread...(thanks little p)...Roger beat me to the comment...Allah never walked the earth, and it shows a limited understanding of Islam to make such a statement...

interesting stuff today, guys....

[Roger Lambert]

pmcw,

I'm guessing that you are confusing Allah with Mohammed. Allah = God to Muslims, and we can argue whether Allah is identical to the Judeo-Christian Yahweh. Mohammed was indeed a man who walked the earth, but no Muslim would ever describe Mohammed as God. That would be blasphemy.

[ggbridge]

"...the year of our Lord..." That's all you've got? What were they going to do, switch to the Chinese calendar in order to drive the point home? Not buying it. But then, I'm not a Christian, so the whole subject sort of irks me.

[pmcw]

I'm certainly not an expert on the various religions of the world, but it's my understanding that the Jews and Christians worship an identical God. The difference there is the Christians believe in Christ as the savior.

Since Allah walked the earth, my take is he is mortal just as was Buddha. I've never heard of either referred to by their followers as simply God - always in cases where God was referenced it was in conjunction with Allah et al.

All that aside, I'm more than happy to go with the references in the state's constitutions that use only the word God or similar as having room for interpretation - maybe an open-mindedness. However, the U.S. Constitution and most of the state constitutions also have a clear reference to Jesus Christ and that is indisputably Christian.

[EL]

Just remember that if God refers to an all powerful creator there can be only one. There can be many descriptions of God and of his laws but unless you get into polytheism there is not my God, your God, a Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Catholic God, but only one.

[Jazz-Man]

I’m just an American that happens to be a Christian; I figure that’s what the your four fathers were maybe thinking.

[balingwire]

If it wasn't for humans, I'd be a humanist.

[Jazz-Man]

I'm just saying! lol.

[pmcw]

Jazzy, You are more than welcome to rationalize any train of thought you would like - that is protected under the Constitution as well as your religious freedom. However, just because you think it doesn't make it correct. ;o)

[Jazz-Man]

A Christian I view the separation of church and state to be a good thing. Those who wish to combine them usually do so thinking that Christianity is the only religion that will be state-sanctioned. The opposite is true. Once the state aligns itself with religion, the floodgates will be opened for any and all religions to take their place in government. Therefore all though Christianity was alive and well in your forefathers it is a nonissue as to what part did Christianity played in the Constitution.

[pmcw]

"There are many, many mentions of God, but not a single mention of Christ. How can we, therefore, be a Christian nation?"

But you are wrong there - there is direct mention of Christ in the U.S. Constitution - actually in a notably prominent place.

But alas, this and most of the other arguments posted are just straw-man stances. It is the law and the Constitution of the U.S. that ere founded on Christian principles, but at the same time, there is no law that says citizens must adhere to or follow Christian principles beyond what is defined by law. As a matter of a fact, it is expressly stated that no law shall be passed to force such following.

[Jim]

pmcw,

I'm not necessarily "denying" that the founders believed in god (or a god, anyway). But the "supreme ruler" language is silly and very off-putting. It basically casts us all as subjects, while saying in the same document that we are free.

Many of the founders of our country were not fundamentalists who believed that god directed the heaven and earth and he took an active role or interest in the affairs of the human race. There were many deists among our founders, including Jefferson (who took scissors to the Bible, after all).

[Jazz-Man]

Compare the philosophy of Christianity and the Constitution/United States. So is the United States a Christian nation? Not in its philosophy, or in what it loves, or in what it does. Despite its Christian roots and heritage, the United States today is a nation that follows the god of self, and that is not the heart of Christianity.

[HC Brando]

So Ralph McFillin (or McFullOfIt) has pronounced that millions of non-Christian citizens are not really Americans. I wonder if that goes for non-Caucasians, too. After all, the founders of this country were all white, so doesn't that make this a "white" country? (Better be careful there. By mid-century, whites will no longer comprise the majority race in this country.)

One quick question, though: If the Bill of Rights was "founded on Judeo-Christian principles," why isn't this a Judeo-Christian country instead of just a Christian one?

[ggbridge]

pmcw, I guess you and I look at the evidence differently. There are many, many mentions of God, but not a single mention of Christ. How can we, therefore, be a Christian nation?

BTW, aren't the 10 commandments originally from the Torah? Jesus actually condenses the 10 into 2:‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’

Yay! We're a Jewish nation! Mazel Tov!

[HC Brando]

Gee, people were superstitious three centuries ago, which means we're obligated to be equally superstitious now!

Could one of the "This country was founded on Christian principles" claimers for once explain exactly what those principles were? Slavery? Witch-burning? Greed? Entitlement? Stealing land from the natives who were here first? Those are Christian principles? We know they are now, in the post-Falwell culture of conspicuous Christianity that would gladly cash in the tenets of its own faith for political power, but is that what they were back then?

The settlers were said to have come to this land to escape religious persecution. So where do people get the idea that their intent was to form a theocracy here?

[pmcw]

"Good grief. Supreme ruler of the universe?? Are we in the US or North Korea?"

Jim, You'll have to do some research to find that answer, but that is exactly the phrase used in both the MO and WA constitutions.

The point here is there is more than ample evidence in our U.S. and all of our 50 state constitutions to substantiate the foundation of our nation and each of the 50 states is based on Christian values. So, like it or not, we were founded as and, unless there are constitutional changes, we are a Christian nation.

Now, please remember, at the same time that is an indisputable truth, it is equally true that we were clearly founded as a nation with religious tolerance and that under no circumstances, does the nation have the right to force specific religious beliefs on its citizens beyond the less than coincidental convergence between law and the Ten Commandments.