A current, but certainly not new, public policy issue is the debate that follows when a clash occurs between government and religion. In Obama’s Reformation, Adam J. White examines in detail many of the current debates ongoing in America today; from the current administration’s assault on Christian values, to what it means to the average citizen, and what we are likely to see in the near future. Socrates gave the philosophy of a democratic form of government to us, via Plato’s Republic. Aristotle, in the Rhetoric, taught us “the preservation of the city lies within its laws”.…
The first major point that the author uses to support his thesis is that new religious freedoms changed the way people viewed religion,"As the state and local regulation of local American religion declined, a growing supply of energetic clergy…
However, the disestablishment of religion worked to hinder the unity God’s people are called to. In their work Divided By Faith, Michael Emerson and Christian Smith detail America’s eventual deconstruction of the centralization of religion. Emerson and Smith begin Chapter 7 of their work by highlighting how much of European culture during the 1600 and 1700s was marked by an overlap of church and state to the point where the two were virtually inseparable. One’s faith was determined by community in a sense. There was no real freedom of choice.…
Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? The United States of America, from the nation’s inception to the modern era, has undeniably been influenced by Christianity and its various sects; however, the question remains as to whether or not the country was founded as a Christian nation. The Founding Fathers each exhibited different religious beliefs that helped forge their positions as they forged America. Furthermore, the Founding Fathers did not intend for the country to be a Christian nation, but desired it to be a nation guided by Christian principles, which is evident in George Washington’s emphasis on nationalism, Thomas Jefferson’s desire for the separation between the Church and the State, and John Adams’s desire for religion to promote moral and virtuous citizens.…
In the article, Belonging in a “Christian Nation”: The Explicit and Implicit Associations between Religion and National Group Membership by Carly M. Jacobs, she emphasizes the fact that there are many stereotypes to what the “typical” American is. Jacobs points out that Americans (when it comes to race) is associated with being white and the religion that the “typical” American is represented is Christian. The United states is labeled as a “Christian nation” because presidents swear on a Bible and “In God We Trust” is placed on their currency. Jacob declares that in her investigation, Christianity is included in the collection of traits that help to define who counts as full members of the American national group. Non-Christians have to in a way, prove themselves in order to be considered fully American.…
America was founded on biblical principles that have been neglected in our modern age. The Protestant Reformation gave America biblical values which drove the founders to write the constitution. Not all of the signers of the constitution were christian, but all were raised in an era that imposed biblical beliefs and where values were important. Today the majority of people have a strong sense of moral responsibility, but the beliefs of most Americans have changed. Christians are compromising and turning away from God and his word, group polarization has made the government a toy to the American society, and the constitution has been ignored.…
As a result of strong affiliations with Christian religions, America possessed a civil religion. Because most people belonged to the same religion, or shared similar views, Christianity becomes the religion of the republic. The churches and government began to mutually support one another. The values of the people were reflected in the countries legal principles and even incorporated into founding documents. With over one third of the public having a religious devotion, civil religion became…
The question is, is the U.S. as a Christian nation? Looking back at U.S. history, many people might say that it is. Here are some reasons that the U.S. is no longer a Christian nation. Although the U.S. was founded on Christian values, it is no longer following Christ.…
Traces of religion, from the colonial era, can be seen all across the country in the “Pledge of Allegiance” and on our money (“In God We Trust” on the back of coins). The examples of how the Founding Fathers used religion to shape the nation demonstrates the historical significance of religion during the establishment of…
Religion is something many people look to for guidance, many people ignore and others believe so strongly that it results in bloody conflict and wars. As a result of Christianity being the farthest spread religion in the world, it has surely had its fair share of conflicts. One of the largest arguments involving Christianity is whether Jesus was God, or whether he was just a man. Though both sides can each be argued using historical evidence, science and the Bible, in the end it’s believed to come down to faith.…
According to Lila Abu-Lughod (1998), an anthropology professor at Columbia University, “Many aspects of societies around the world cannot be understood without reference to the history and influence of the major religions in terms of which people live their lives” (p. 18). This idea can be applied specifically to the United States of America where, since the beginning of its history, organized religion has been a major component of its national identity. With the country being primarily Christian since its founding, attending church and reading the Bible were common activities in most American households. However, as centuries have passed, American society has advanced and developed, introducing new standard ways of thinking and technological…
Christianity has been present in America since the 16th century; with time cultures have changed and continued to evolve. In today’s American culture the message of the bible has been changed to fit into the lives of the American Christians. The messages from the bible were written as a method of teaching and a code for how one should live their life, these messages are being changed in such ways that it makes one question if the messages the people are receiving really the word of the Lord, or are they customized to fit into the American life. Throughout history American Christianity has changed, as the bible tells one how they should live their life, American and Biblical Christianity have separated. American Christians do not live the way…
This quote from Ezra Stiles Projects the Future of Christianity in America illustrated the American’s understand that they were the chosen one. The revolution would see to it that the state rise to its truest potential, thrive and nurture under the provisioning of God .and his blessings. Religion gave the people a sense of confidence. When we look forward and see this country increased to forty or fifty millions, while we see all the religious sets increased into respectable bodies, we shall doubtless find the united body of the Congressional, consociated, and Presbyterian churches making an equal figure with any two of them...…
In this summary of Rodney Starks book “The Rise of Christianity” I will discussing chapters 1, 2, and 4, I found the arguments in these chapters most compelling giving the best overview on the rapid expansion of the Christian religion. Chapter 1 explains the rapid growth and conversion rate of the Christian population by providing charts, facts, and statistics about the conversion and growth rate of the Christian population. Chapter 2 explains the class basis of early Christianity giving multiple arguments on the social status of the Christian population. Chapter 4 discusses the Christian and Pagan responses to the massive epidemics and how these tragedies were large factors of the rapid growth and conversion of the Christian population. These…
The missionary movement in Christian History was written by Andrew F. Wall. He went to the West Africa and taught church history and trained them for the ministry in Sierra Leone. This book is the amalgamation of three movements, and the book has three parts. In the first part the author describes about a reflection on the nature of the Christian faith, from the point of view of its historical transmission. In part two, we can study about the Christian faith transmission process of the Africa and the third part is the about of missionary movement from the West as a model of what was happened to both partners the west and Africa as the transmission of faith in Africa.…