Posted on 09/23/2015 11:28:18 AM PDT by Jacquerie
A common post to FR involves the question, “Is America a Christian nation?”
It’s a bit vague, but if the question is refined to “Is our form of government based on Biblical principles,” the answer has to be a resounding YES.
I base my response largely on my continuing study of Algernon Sidney, a late 17th century English statesman, soldier, author, polemicist. His manuscript, Discourses Concerning Government (published 1698) relied on Scripture to dispute the Divine Right of Kings and absolute government in any form. Without exactly saying so, he argued that republican, free government was the only form that comports with Scripture. Although he didn’t go so far as to call for deposing King Charles II in favor of republican government, the King’s prosecutors thought it treasonous enough to have him executed in 1683.
His writings are laced with Biblical references with which he obviously assumed the average late 17th century Englishman would be familiar. I am not.
His importance to our Constitution can be traced back through the first half of the 18th century. Renowned historians such as Bernard Bailyn and Gordon S. Wood have found colonial references to Sidney throughout the period. He came to be regarded as a martyr for republicanism. Along with Two Treatises on Government by John Locke, Sidney’s work was the basis of the enormously influential Cato’s Letters, by John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon.
Another historian, Caroline Robbins, went so far as to call his Discourses the textbook of the American Revolution.
Since I am woefully deficient in Scripture, my ability to fully comprehend this important work may be little better than superficial .
I believe a patriot, Freeper, Biblical scholar, could, with research into Sidney’s biblical references, put to rest the question of America’s foundation on the Holy Bible.
To ask if it is Christianized and/or whether it has a large proportion of avowedly believing Christians per capita might be more appropriate.
The bible has never defined a “Christian country.” Not even in the sense that Israel is defined as a “Jewish country.” The bible has only defined a “Christian person.”
The United States:A Christian Nation, by Justice David Brewer ,Little, Brown , and Company ,1905 the authors commentary on the 1892 unanimous US supreme court decision Church of the Holy Trinity vs the United States—See also the Systematic Theology by Charles Hodge ,1871 “The proposition that the United States of America are a Christian and Protestant Nation , is not so much the assertion of a principle as the statement of a fact.That fact i snot simply that the great majority of the people are Christians...but that the organic life, the institutions, laws ,and official action of the government, whether that action be legislative, judicial, or executive is ...in accordance with the principles of.... Christianity.... Lost episode of Dec.27,2011 Watchmen on the Wall-source citation ;Charles Hodge , systematic Theology, 3 vol.(Grand Rapids MI,Wm. B.Eerdmans publishing CO ,1975) 3:343-346 may be helpful.
Thank you. My hope is someone will research Sidney’s citations and the conclusions he has drawn.
Uhhh...no. It’s based on the Presbyterian model of government. We were a nation of Christians but not a Christian nation. That’s why we didn’t have a national church.
Click on "The Black Robe Regiment" on that page.
I believe it is based on the Congregational form of government, arising out of the Puritans . . . but I could be wrong.
What is the end result of a representative government, elected by 200 million sinners? We’re seeing the results.
Years ago I was at lunch and a young lad in the group made a comment about how this nation was based on freedom of religion.
I am old enough to have gone through school when we were taught the Pilgrims gave thanks to God. We learned about the reformation and how the majority founders came here to practice the Protestant Christianity of their choice.
There were some Catholics in the new world at that time. Most were ether farther north in Canada or south in Florida.
There was not a ship full of Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, etc. There were some Jews but the majority were Christians.
To prove this point, I did a search looking for anything that would mention God or in the year of our Lord. Yale University has the Avalon Project. There you can read material going back to the 15th century. The 18th century writings included many, but not all, of the original 13 colony/states original Constitution.
They make it clear they were all protestant Christians and had no religious test other than being a protestant Christian.
I don’t do HTML so I can’t show all. I can send in freep mail to those who are interested. This is from,
Pennsylvania
II. That all men have a natural and unalienable right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences and understanding: And that no man ought or of right can be compelled to attend any religious worship, or erect or support any place of worship, or maintain any ministry, contrary to, or against, his own free will and consent: Nor can any man, who acknowledges the being of a God, be justly deprived or abridged of any civil right as a citizen, on account of his religious sentiments or peculiar mode of religious worship: And that no authority can or ought to be vested in, or assumed by any power whatever, that shall in any case interfere with, or in any manner controul, the right of conscience in the free exercise of religious worship.
And each member, before he takes his seat, shall make and subscribe the following declaration, viz:
I do believe in one God, the creator and governor of the universe, the rewarder of the good and the punisher of the wicked. And I do acknowledge the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by Divine inspiration.
And no further or other religious test shall ever hereafter be required of any civil officer or magistrate in this State.
The founders didn’t have a Religious test in the US Constitution because it was all ready handled in the states.
It would be interesting to know when this got amended out.
BVB
Thanks. I would still like a biblical scholar to dig deep into Algernon Sidney’s work, for his Discourses had an enormous effect on the Revolutionary American mind.
A belated thanks. Barton is superb.
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