Hi Friend,

When the founders of America hammered out the framework for democracy in our country they relied on the ethics of Christian teachings as a foundation to build upon. There was no equivocation or apology, just a desire to establish a system of laws that was fair to all people. Christianity allowed diversity more than any other religious system. And the founders were predominantly Christian so it was natural they would not choose another religion as a basis for America.

But what does it mean to be a Christian nation? It doesn’t mean a compulsory system of beliefs or attendance at any particular denomination. It doesn’t mean that everybody believes the same thing about Jesus Christ or even that all citizens believe in God.

Then what is so important about whether we are a Christian nation or not? As Constitutional law professor Edward Mansfield wrote in the 19th century, “Religious beliefs determine both the justice and the “spirit” of the nation. In every country, the morals of a people—whatever they may be—take their form and spirit from their religion.” For example, our country prohibits polygamy which is an acceptable practice in others. This prohibition was rooted in Christian teaching.

Some cultures require women to cover their faces, don’t allow them to hold a driver’s license or a passport or accept their testimony in court. The marriage of brothers and sisters was permitted among the Egyptians because such had been the precedent set by their gods, Isis and Osiris. All cultures develop laws based on their religion. Mansfield went on to write, “In the United States, Christianity is the original, spontaneous, and national religion.”

Christianity has nothing to fear from open evaluation. In fact, God challenged the people of Israel to look at other nations and compare blessings. Moses spoke to all Israel saying, “Search the past, the time before you were born, all the way back to the time when God created human beings on the earth. Search the entire earth. Has anything as great as this ever happened before? Has anyone ever heard of anything like this? Have any people ever lived after hearing a god speak to them from a fire, as you have? Has any god ever dared to go and take a people from another nation and make them his own, as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt? Before your very eyes he used his great power and strength; he brought plagues and war, worked miracles and wonders, and caused terrifying things to happen.  The LORD has shown you this, to prove to you that he alone is God and that there is no other.” (Deuteronomy 4:32-35 GNB)

Bert Prelutsky, a Jewish columnist for the Los Angeles Times, wrote an opinion piece about America’s Christian heritage. “[W]ould you deny that India is a Hindu country, that Turkey is Muslim, that Poland is Catholic? That doesn’t mean those nations are theocracies. But when the overwhelming majority of a country’s population is of one religion, and most Americans happen to be one sort of Christian or another, only a fool would deny the obvious…. This is a Christian nation my friends. And all of us are fortunate it is one, and that so many millions of Americans have seen fit to live up to the highest precepts of their religion. It should never be forgotten that, in the main, it was Christian soldiers who fought and died to defeat Nazi Germany and who liberated the concentration camps. Speaking as a member of a minority group—and one of the smaller ones at that—I say it behooves those of us who don’t accept Jesus Christ as our savior to show some gratitude to those who do, and to start respecting the values and traditions of the overwhelming majority of our fellow citizens, just as we keep insisting that they respect ours.”

Radio personality Dennis Prager also Jewish, defended the benefit of living in a Christian nation. “Recently, I spoke to the Jewish community of a small North Carolina city. When some in the audience mentioned their fear of rising religiosity among Christians, I asked these audience-members if they loved living in their city. All of them said they did. Is it a coincidence, I then asked, that the city you so love (for its wonderful people, its safety for your children, its fine schools, and its values that enable you to raise your children with confidence) is a highly Christian city? Too many Americans do not appreciate the connection between American greatness and American Christianity.”

What can be said but Amen!

Until next time,

Jim O’Brien