America Intended as a Christian Nation

Quite a few people sincerely believe that America is a Christian Nation. They don't mean simply that most Americans are Christians or that Christianity has have a great deal of influence on American history; no, they mean that Christianity is the foundation of American government and that a recognition of this being true even today is necessary for that government to be legitimate.

Sometimes, people with such view even try to base it on the actions of those responsible for the creation of the Constitution and American government. One such person is described by Agape Press, a strong backer of this sort of Christian Nationalism:

According to Ovadal, the founding fathers never wanted America to become "a multi-religious society where Islam and other false religions are allowed to proliferate," and there is ample evidence that those who set up the country's governing principles and system of rule intended for America to be a Christian nation.

"If you look in our Declaration of Independence, for instance, in [what is] called the subscription clause -- right at the end where they're signing off, [the signatories] say "'in the year of our Lord.' You know, it's very clear who they're talking about -- our Lord, Jesus Christ," [Ralph Ovadal, president of Wisconsin Christians United] says.

If it had been any other source, I'd have assumed that this was a parody of what assorted theocrats think and believe - but it's not. This is the genuine thing. This is what is passing in evangelical circles as a reasonable argument.

First, we have the assertion that America was never supposed to be a multi-religious society where "false religions" are allowed to "proliferate." Ovadal must believe that this nation should only have one religion - and if other religions aren't allowed to "proliferate," I guess that means that they should be discouraged (if not suppressed). That's a theocracy. Yes, Wisconsin Christians United apparently advocates that the United States of America be transformed from a democratic republic into a Christian Theocracy where other religions are given a second-class status at best. And Agape Press seems to agree with him.

Then we have the laughable argument that because the Declaration of Independence is signed "in the year of our Lord," that is evidence that America was intended to be a Christian theocracy. The fact that the Constitution bans religious tests for public office and specifically provides for religious freedom is irrelevant - Ovadal is certain that the authors actually meant "Christianity" whenever they wrote "religion," so constitutional rights regarding religion only apply to Christians. And, once again, we can assume that Agape Press probably agrees.

Read More:

• Fundamentalism
• Religious Right
• Christian Extremism
• Christian Nationalism
• Religious Intolerance & Bigotry