Are We a Christian Nation?
by Thomas Capshew • New York, NY

On a beautiful Sunday after Independence Day, at an outdoor worship service in America’s heartland, a preacher declared that the United States was established as a Christian nation, and has subsequently drifted away from that original legacy. The sermon illustrated that, in an age of abundant information, it’s how we choose to use it by what we focus on that gives otherwise “neutral” information its political and religious spin.

Repeating the phrase “One nation under God,” the preacher detailed the Christian background of many of the founding fathers, clearly implying we are “One nation under [a Christian] God.” However, the phrase “One nation under God” is not found in any of the documents drafted and ratified by our founding fathers. Instead, it is found in the Pledge of Allegiance, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” which was written and first used in 1892, more than a hundred years after our country’s founding documents were ratified. In fact, the two words, “under God,” were not part of the original pledge, but were added by a law signed by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954.

When interpreting documents or public statements it is dangerous to take a phrase out of its original context, which provides more information about its meaning. This is true for legal interpretations as well as scripture. So, “One nation under God” cannot be fully understood without considering the complete phrase, “One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” For me, indivisible means that Americans cannot be divided by religion, and to do so destroys the original intent of the framers of the Constitution. And liberty, a concept so dear to us all, is about being both “free to” and “free from.” Free to pursue happiness and practice whatever religion calls to us. Free from unreasonable restrictions and public schools teaching a particular brand of religion.

The preacher recited some specifics from the “ABC’s” in grade school primers from nineteenth century America, such as the statement associated with A: “Adam sinned, and so we all.” I am glad my children were raised in a time when they were not required to recite that negative view of humanity in order to learn the alphabet in public school. Liberty means that American children who are Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or any number of other religions represented in this wonderful nation, are free to have a public education that does not teach one particular view within Christianity, and thus free from the proselytizing embedded in our nation’s early educational system.

Next, the preacher used the 1962 U.S. Supreme Court ruling eliminating school prayer to focus on social problems, arguing that the Court eroded our nation’s Christian foundation. However, finding the cause of any social issue is a difficult venture, because correlation does not always equal causation: just because two events appear to be related does not mean that the preceding event caused the latter one. The 1962 ruling was therefore inaccurately attributed as the sole cause of the subsequent increase in all kinds of social ills, including teen pregnancy, school shootings, and drug use.

Here’s another possible explanation: the Supreme Court ruling took away the primary venue used for teaching the prayer-based values to our children that strengthened our nation. Unfortunately, an explanation that strikes closer to the truth also strikes closer to home, literally. Perhaps what the ruling really did was expose that we do a poor job in our homes of teaching values to our children. The reason that this explanation is harder to digest is because it implicates each of us, not just a group of judges in Washington. In the end, a problem only gets solved when it becomes “our problem,” not when we see it as “their problem.” The social issues listed in the sermon are troubling and certainly need addressing, but to attribute them all to one cause, the 1962 Supreme Court ruling, does a disservice to everyone by absolving us of individual responsibility. These are our problems, and only when we own them and take responsibility for them can we work together to bring viable solutions to our communities.

Finally, let us turn to faith. If the founding fathers were so “Christian-based” and intended to establish a Christian nation, why is it never mentioned in any of the founding documents? Most certainly there were Christian men among the founding fathers, and if they wanted to establish a Christian nation they certainly would have said so. In fact, they said the exact opposite in the First Amendment, ratified in 1791: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

I believe that the United States of America will not survive under the beautiful design that brought it into being more than 200 years ago, unless we continue to embrace all religions. Our nation will perish unless we celebrate and honor all people who seek God and work to do the will of God. Freedom, including the embracing of all religions, is the solid foundation upon which this great country was founded, while the rest is just sinking sand.

Formerly an attorney and professor, Thomas Capshew is a trainer, speaker and author of Divine Warrior Training: Manifesting the Divine In Our World, available from Innerspark Press. He is Director of Healing Services at East West Living in New York City and a faculty member at Windemere Institute of Healing Arts, Decorah, Iowa. Visit www.innerspark.org or email tom@innerspark.org.