Was America Founded As A Christian Nation Essay

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. George Washington placed great emphasis on nationalism, and all efforts furthering citizen’s connection to their country. Washington’s desire for the country to conduct itself in a nationalistic manner resulted in him painstakingly keeping his personal affairs private, going so far as to have all his correspondence burned upon his death. His privacy extended to his religious life, as he purposefully avoided using religious terminology, despite being raised an Anglican. He never explicitly mentions his personal beliefs, but, according to John Fea, author of Was America Founded a Christian Nation, he “used the term ‘Providence ' 270 times in his writings, usually employing it as a synonym for the Judeo-Christian God” . He does, however, discuss his views on the relationship dynamic between religion and politics, often expressing that devoutly religious individuals make excellent citizens due to their high moral standards. He also is vehemently against an established state religion, a common trait held by his contemporaries as well. Overall, he desired nationalism, the American identity, to be the unifying factor in the nation and for his countrymen, not religion. Thomas Jefferson’s religious attitude was a stark contrast to Washington’s, as Jefferson often vocalized the necessary separation between government and religion. Heavily influenced by the Enlightenment, he believed in publishing, sharing, discussing, and contemplating various ideas, and because of this there is ample primary sources that express his thoughts on religion. Thomas Jefferson, believed that he was a “real Christian, that is to say, [a] disciple of the doctrines of Jesus Christ” . Furthermore, he held that Jesus himself was not divine, but, rather, divinely inspired by God, and Jefferson edited the gospels to be a more pure form of Christ’s teachings. He was a proponent of distinct separation between the …show more content…
Adams grew up as a Congregationalist from Massachusetts, but, over time, transitioned to Unitarianism in a manner similar to that of Thomas Jefferson. He was strongly anti-Catholic because of the Catholic Church’s political influence, and anti-clerical because of the artificial titles and spiritual authority it gave to men. Convinced that moral happiness was tied to a religious foundation, Adams articulated that “there is no such thing [as morality] without a supposition of a God [and] there is no right or wrong in the universe without the supposition of a moral government and an intellectual and moral governor” . This indicates that Adams believed that the nonexistence of God meant the nonexistence of morality and, consequentially, the nonexistence of the rights and the wrongs, or the virtues; Adams deems such virtues and moralities necessary to govern American citizen’s moral lives and promote the civic activity that he