Many Christian authoritarians claim that America was founded as a Christian Nation which has been undermined by godless liberals and humanists. The truth is that America's Constitution is a godless document and the government of the United States was set up as a formally secular institution. America is not a Christian Nation, but secular America is being undermined by authoritarian Christians seeking to subvert its secular principles and framework in the interest of promoting Christianity.
Opponents to church/state separation cite the national motto, 'In God We Trust,' as evidence that there is not and should not be a strict separation of church and state and that America is supposed to be a Christian Nation. These accommodationists fail to explain why the national motto itself is constitutional or why Americans or the American government should be trusting any particular gods. Even worse, they often use the national motto as a reason for further breaches in separation.
Even some ostensible supporters of church/state separation think America is or was founded as a Christian Nation and this belief is very poplar among Christian Nationalists, Christian Supremacists and all opponents of church/state separation. The central problem with this claim is its ambiguity: what does "Christian Nation" mean? Christians who make the claim act like they know what they mean, but that's questionable. It seems more designed to express emotion, not empirical facts.
Among the many things which some Christians try to take credit for is the ideal of human equality that lies behind modern democratic institutions. Democracy functions on the premise that all people are equal and should have an equal voice in how their community is governed. No accident of birth, race, religion, gender, or anything else should elevate anyone to a stronger, more powerful position in political contexts. This is an important principle, but it has nothing to do with Christianity.
The idea of a limited government which not only has limited authority over the people, but which is also answerable to the people, is important in American politics. The American colonies broke away from England in part due to complaints over a lack of representation in a government that was itself insufficiently limited in power. What this myth is trying to claim, however, is that the very idea of a limited government is somehow dependent upon Christian principles. This is an absurd notion.
The ideal of democracy is such an important aspect of American history, government, and politics that it has become part of how Americans identify themselves. Many Americans also construct their identity around Christian beliefs, so it is understandable that democracy and Christianity would become intertwined and some would insist that democracy itself is a product of Christianity. Some Christians even argue that without Christianity and Christian principles, there can be no democracy.
Another common argument offered by those opposed to the strict separation of church and state is the idea that the Constitution somehow embodies or at least reflects fundamental Christian morals and principles. The point to this claim seems to be that, if true, we should conclude that the Constitution is a Christian document, not a secular document.
One thing which we encounter rather often is the belief that the promotion of "general" religious principles or specifically Christian principles is necessary in order to promote morality, civility and good citizenship. It is not uncommon for people to believe the religion is necessary for society to survive and flourish.
This can be taken a couple of different ways, some valid and some not. It could mean simply that a majority of Americans are Christian and/or have always been Christian. This is true. It could mean that American society has been heavily influenced by Christian beliefs and traditions. This is also true. These are, however, simply factual observations and do not mean much...
