America's Christian Heritage
"Isn't America's Christian heritage a myth created to challenge First Amendment?"
America's
Christian heritage is not a myth. Christian heritage is very
much a part of our nation's history. In fact, America's Christian
heritage is synonymous with our national heritage, as embodied in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of
grievances."
The notion that our nation's founding fathers intended to keep apart
our Christian heritage and the state is only half true. They did
intend to keep the government out of our Christian life, but not to keep
our Christian heritage out of the government's affairs.
The following evidences speak for themselves.
Mayflower Compact of 1620
Upon landing on our shores in 1620, the first settlers declared through the Mayflower Compact:
"In the name of God, Amen - We
whose names are underwritten... having undertaken for the glory of God and
advancement of the Christian faith... do by these presents solemnly and mutually
in the presence of God and one of another covenant and combine ourselves
together into a civil body..."
Our forefathers clearly stated that
they came to America,
"for the glory of God and advancement of the
Christian faith."
New England Confederation of 1643
Two decades later, they reaffirmed the above statement across all colonies in
the New England Confederation of 1643, which declared:
"...we all came into these parts of America with one and the same end and aim,
namely, to advance the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ and to enjoy the
liberties of the Gospel in purity with peace..."
Declaration of Independence of 1776
More than a century thereafter, the founding fathers signed in 1776 the
Declaration of Independence, which cited rights granted by God as the impetus
for the birth of our nation:
"When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to
dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to
assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which
the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the
opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel
them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men
are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable rights..."
John Quincy Adams stated,
"From the time of the Declaration of the
Independence, the American people were bound by the laws of God and the laws of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which they all acknowledge as the root of their
conduct. We all came together to obey the word of God."
And Patrick Henry stated,
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too
often that this great nation was founded not by religion but by Christians, not
on religions but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
United States Constitution
Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of Independence, declared regarding
our Constitution,
"The First Amendment has created a wall of
separation between the church and the State. But that wall is one directional.
It is to keep the government from running the Church. But it is not to keep
Christian principles out of the government."
These are not the words of a "myth."
The ultimate enabler of America's greatness is not our country's size, natural resources, work
ethic, people or even our revered Constitution. It is God. Four centuries ago,
God saw a group of people leave the comforts of Europe
"for the
glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith" in an
uncharted land, and blessed their descendents into a mighty nation.
All of the credit for America's strength and might belongs to God. And without
God, we will lose all of it, like Samson shorn.