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Sorry to break it to you, but while Western society might be influenced largely by Christian values, the United States is not, has never been, and never will be a "Christian nation".

But the founding fathers were Christian!

Sure. A bunch of them were Christians, but many of them were deists . But regardless of their religious beliefs, the fact of the matter is that the Constitution that they formed was deliberately secular.

But the Puritans wanted the nation to be Christian!

Neat, but they didn't found America. In fact, the Puritans migrated to America in the 1600s . The United States of America was founded as a separate nation in the late 1700s - (1776)

But we say "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance! You can't explain that!

Actually, I can. The original Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892, by a Christian Socialist named Francis Bellamy. Here's the original Pledge:

"I pledge allegiance to my Flag, and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

The words "under God" weren't actually added to the Pledge until 1954, a move that was made at the height of anti-Communist fervor in the USA as an attempt to link patriotism with religious piety, to distinguish us from the godless Soviets.

But - the national motto is "In God We Trust!"

In God We Trust was established as the national motto in 1956, not in 1776! Additionally, this was another example of a reaction to "godless communism," a McCarthy-era action that may violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment!

By the way - before the motto was changed in 1956, the national motto used to be "E Pluribus Unum", meaning "One from many." Isn't that a nice little saying? It was suggested in 1776 by Pierre Eugene du Simitiere, to the committee responsible for developing the Seal of the United States. Thank you to ~Kotego for the suggestion!

I still don't believe you. The US is totally a Christian nation.

If the United States Constitution isn't enough, never fear. I know that whole "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" bit in the First Amendment is too confusing, there's also the clarification that Thomas Jefferson made to the Danbury Baptists:

"Legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."

If even that's not enough, I'll direct you to the Treaty of Tripoli, where it states quite directly that:

"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility of Musselmen; and as the said States have never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."

So... guess what. The US isn't a Christian nation.

But that doesn't mean that you can't be happy to be an American. As a matter of fact, the United States Constitution, was a wonderful and ground-breaking model that more than 160 countries have used as a model for their own charters. That's pretty awesome, if you think about it.

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Democracy or Republic?
Separation of Church and State

Description

Sorry to break it to you, but while Western society might be influenced largely by Christian values, the United States is not, has never been, and never will be a "Christian nation".

But the founding fathers were Christian!

Sure. A bunch of them were Christians, but many of them were deists . But regardless of their religious beliefs, the fact of the matter is that the Constitution that they formed was deliberately secular.

But the Puritans wanted the nation to be Christian!

Neat, but they didn't found America. In fact, the Puritans migrated to America in the 1600s . The United States of America was founded as a separate nation in the late 1700s - (1776)

But we say "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance! You can't explain that!

Actually, I can. The original Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892, by a Christian Socialist named Francis Bellamy. Here's the original Pledge:

"I pledge allegiance to my Flag, and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

The words "under God" weren't actually added to the Pledge until 1954, a move that was made at the height of anti-Communist fervor in the USA as an attempt to link patriotism with religious piety, to distinguish us from the godless Soviets.

But - the national motto is "In God We Trust!"

In God We Trust was established as the national motto in 1956, not in 1776! Additionally, this was another example of a reaction to "godless communism," a McCarthy-era action that may violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment!

By the way - before the motto was changed in 1956, the national motto used to be "E Pluribus Unum", meaning "One from many." Isn't that a nice little saying? It was suggested in 1776 by Pierre Eugene du Simitiere, to the committee responsible for developing the Seal of the United States. Thank you to ~Kotego for the suggestion!

I still don't believe you. The US is totally a Christian nation.

If the United States Constitution isn't enough, never fear. I know that whole "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" bit in the First Amendment is too confusing, there's also the clarification that Thomas Jefferson made to the Danbury Baptists:

"Legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."

If even that's not enough, I'll direct you to the Treaty of Tripoli, where it states quite directly that:

"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility of Musselmen; and as the said States have never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."

So... guess what. The US isn't a Christian nation.

But that doesn't mean that you can't be happy to be an American. As a matter of fact, the United States Constitution, was a wonderful and ground-breaking model that more than 160 countries have used as a model for their own charters. That's pretty awesome, if you think about it.

Template: [link]
BG: [link]
Cross: [link]

Edit: Adding Relevant Stamps:

More Fun Stuff, videos suggested by :
Democracy or Republic?
Separation of Church and State