Is the United States a Christian nation? Was it founded on Christianity?
Twenty years after the Declaration of Independence, President John Adams and the entire Senate unanimously signed the following:
“As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion…”
This is an explicit rejection of the claim that the United States is a Christian nation or that it was founded on the Christian religion.
But it gets even more interesting. They go on to say:
“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 Muslims—and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Muslim 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.”
The United States made it clear that it held no hostility toward Islam or Sharia law, emphasizing that differences in religion or legal systems should never be used as a justification for war between the U.S. and Muslim countries.
Contrast that with some modern claims that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation, or that conflicts with countries like Iran represent a religious or “holy” war against Muslims and their faith.
We’ve all heard the phrase, “facts don’t care about your feelings.” In that same spirit, facts endure regardless of how history is retold. Based on the above, it is clear that the United States has not only rewritten aspects of its historical narrative, but has also significantly departed from the original intentions of its founders.