“We are a Christian people, and the morality of the country is deeply engrafted upon Christianity.” When Chief Justice James Kent wrote these lines in his opinion for the 1811 case, “People v. Ruggles,” the comment was nowhere near as controversial as it is today. In fact, for centuries, it was mainstream to call America a Christian nation. There are over 300 federal and state court cases that labeled America as a Christian nation. Presidents, governors, congressmen, and the Founders themselves called the United States a Christian country. Even President Woodrow Wilson said in his 1911 Flag Day Proclamation, “America was born a Christian nation — America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture.”
In recent decades, however, a myth has been propagated that America wasn’t founded as a Christian nation. Countless articles have been published by websites like The History News Network, Americans United, and CNN attesting to this claim. Nevertheless, Americans don’t agree with that opinion. According to a Pew Research Poll conducted in 2022, 60% of participants believed the “founders of America originally intended for the U.S. to be a Christian nation.”
Revisionists have claimed that America is a secular country, the Founders were deists, and there must be “separation between church and state.” They’ve deliberately ignored historical facts that allow us to see the clear intentions of the Founding Fathers. That’s not to say America is a theocracy or that you should be forced to be a Christian in the United States, but rather, America built Christian values into its foundation, Christianity has been and is the dominant religion, and Christianity is integrated into our government and has been promoted by it. Below are responses to a few misconceptions and lies promoted by these revisionists about the history of the U.S.
Myth #1: The Founding Fathers Were Mostly Deists
Oxford Languages defines deism as “belief in the existence of a supreme being, specifically of a creator who does not intervene in the universe.”
Contrary to popular opinion, most of the Founding Fathers were not deists or merely theistic rationalists. Many of them held extremely orthodox Christian beliefs. For example, John Jay, who served as the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, said, “Unto Him who is the author and giver of all good, I render sincere and humble thanks for His manifold and unmerited blessings, and especially for our redemption and salvation by His beloved son. He has been pleased to bless me with excellent parents, with a virtuous wife, and with worthy children. His protection has [a]companied me through many eventful years, faithfully employed in the service of my country; His providence has not only conducted me to this tranquil situation but also given me abundant reason to be contented and thankful. Blessed be His holy name!”
Samuel Adams, “Father of the Revolution” and signer of the Declaration of Independence, explicitly proclaimed Christ as well when he said, “I . . . recommend my Soul to that Almighty Being who gave it, and my body I commit to the dust, relying upon the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins.”
Another signer of the Declaration, Benjamin Rush, included himself in this list when he said, “My only hope of salvation is in the infinite, transcendent love of God manifested to the world by the death of His Son upon the cross. Nothing but His blood will wash away my sins. I rely exclusively upon it. Come, Lord Jesus! Come quickly!”
These Founding Fathers were not alone in their Christian beliefs — many more like John Dickinson, Charles Carroll, Roger Sherman, and others openly declared Christ. In fact, 29 of the original 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence attended seminary. Even those cited for not having orthodox beliefs, like Benjamin Franklin, often said to be the least religious of the Founders, were almost certainly not deists.
Franklin famously called Congress to prayer during the Constitutional Convention, stating, “I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men.” While we may not know whether Franklin turned to Christ at the end of his life, we can say beyond the shadow of a doubt that those are not the words of a deist. An impersonal God doesn’t govern in the affairs of men.
Also, during the Revolution, Congress issued proclamations calling upon the nation to pray and fast six times. Many of the Founders who served as presidents or governors also called upon the nation or their respective states to pray, including George Washington and John Adams. Not only were the majority of the Founders orthodox Christians, but most of those who weren’t traditional Christians were almost certainly not deists.
Myth #2: The Founders Didn’t Intend for America to be a Christian Country
While the Founders’ personal faiths are important when considering whether America is a Christian country, their clearly stated intentions for the nation and its future are also vital. Until recently, it was widely accepted that the Founders’ intentions were for the United States to be a Christian nation. Even in 1854, long after the Founders had perished, the journal for the United States House Judiciary Committee of Congress stated, “In this age, there is no substitute for Christianity. That was the religion of the founders of the republic, and they expected it to remain the religion of their descendants. The great, vital and conservative element in our system is the belief of our people in the pure, doctrines and divine truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Nearly a century after the founding, Congress reiterated the Founders’ point that for America to endure, Christianity must be the “religion” of our nation. The Founding Fathers’ words allowed Congress to make such a claim.
John Adams notably said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” In other words, the further America digresses from its religious roots, the more the Constitution loses its value and authority.
Noah Webster, who served as a legislator, judge, educator, and soldier in the Revolution, said, “The moral principles and precepts found in the Scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and law.” He also said, “[T]he Christian religion … is the basis, or rather the source, of all genuine freedom in government. … I am persuaded that no civil government of a republican form can exist and be durable in which the principles of Christianity have not a controlling influence.”
John Hancock, signer of the Declaration, president of Congress, and governor of Massachusetts, openly advocated for Christianity to continue to spread across the land, saying, “Sensible of the importance of Christian piety and virtue to the order and happiness of a state, I cannot but earnestly commend to you every measure for their support and encouragement.” He was also among the countless governors who called upon their states to pray.
The Founding Fathers identified Christianity as fundamental to the creation of America and essential to the continuation of self-governance. They openly sanctioned the spread of Christianity, often because of their personal faiths but also for the welfare of the United States.
Myth #3: The Government Can’t and Shouldn’t Promote Christianity
Another commonly touted lie is that the First Amendment prohibits the government from promoting Christianity. To properly understand this, it is important to examine the verbiage used in the Constitution.
The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”
Traditionally, and in past jurisprudence, it has been understood that the First Amendment applied to the federal government. The federal government couldn’t restrict the establishment of religions, but the states had the right to openly advocate for certain religious practices. That’s why, after the Constitution and Bill of Rights were ratified, eight of the 13 states had a state-recognized or endorsed church.
Furthermore, most of the states necessitated public officials to be Christians to hold office. Nine of the 13 states had religious tests or requirements for officeholders in their Constitutions. Delaware’s State Constitution specified, “Every person who shall be chosen a member of either house, or appointed to any office or place of trust, before taking his seat, or entering upon the execution of his office, shall take the following oath, or affirmation, if conscientiously scrupulous of taking an oath, to wit: ‘I, do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost, one God, blessed for evermore; and I do acknowledge the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration.’”
Additionally, education openly promoted Christianity throughout American history, particularly at the founding. Noah Webster, who is commonly referred to as “The Schoolmaster to America,” wrote in his 1828 English Dictionary, “In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things which all children, under a free government, ought to be instructed. … [N]o truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.”
Founder Samuel Adams said, “Let Divines, and Philosophers, Statesmen, and Patriots unite … by impressing the Minds of Men with the importance of educating their little boys, and girls … in short of leading them in the Study, and Practice of the exalted Virtues of the Christian system.”
Historically, Christianity was integrated throughout education. Children were taught predominantly using the Bible, McGuffey’s Reader, and the New England Primer. According to the Library of Congress, the New England Primer taught students the alphabet using biblical statements, such as “In Adam’s fall, we sinned all,” to teach students the letter A.
While America shouldn’t coerce its citizens to accept Christianity, the traditional role of the government in education has included integrating prayer, Christian values, and explicitly Christian doctrines. The Founders believed that students must be educated in Christianity for the preservation of the United States.
You do not need to be a scholar to see that the myths listed above are exactly that: myths. Studying the Founders’ religious views, understanding their intent for America, and recognizing government’s historical role in advancing Christianity reveals that America is a Christian country.
