Recently, many authors have debated whether or not the United States of America was founded as a Christian nation. I wish to provide a few historical quotes from our Founding Era
that lend credence to the supposition that we indeed were founded as a
Christian nation.

Granted, God is not mentioned in the Constitution, but He is mentioned in every major document leading up to the final wording of the Constitution. For example, Connecticut is still
known as the "Constitution State" because its colonial constitution was
used as a model for the United States Constitution. Its first words were:
"For as much as it has pleased the almighty God by the wise disposition
of His Divine Providence…"

Most of the fifty-five Founding Fathers who worked on the Constitution were members of orthodox Christian churches and many were even evangelical Christians. The first official act in the
First Continental Congress was to open in Christian prayer, which ended
in these words: "...the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Savior.
Amen". Sounds Christian to me.

Ben Franklin, at the Constitutional Convention, said: "...God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice is it probable that
an empire can rise without His aid?"

John Adams stated so eloquently during this period of time that; "The general principles on which the fathers achieved Independence were ... the general principles of Christianity ...
I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that the general principles
of Christianity are as etemal and immutable as the existence and attributes
of God."

Later, John Quincy Adams answered the question as to why, next to Christmas, was the Fourth of July this most joyous and venerated day in the United States. He answered: "...Is it
not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social
compact on the foundation of the Redeemer’s mission upon earth? That
it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts
of Christianity?" Sounds like the founding of a Christian nation to
me. John Quincy Adams went on to say that the biggest victory won in the
American Revolution was that Christian principles and civil government
would be tied together In what he called an "indissoluble" bond. The
Founding Fathers understood that religion was inextricably part of our
nation and government. The practice of the Christian religion in our government
was not only welcomed but encouraged.

The intent of the First Amendment was well understood during the founding of our country. The First Amendment was not to keep religion out of government. It was to keep Government from
establishing a 'National Denomination" (like the Church of England). As
early as 1799 a court declared: "By our form of government the Christian
religion is the established religion; and all sects and denominations
of Christians are placed on the same equal footing." Even in the letter
that Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Baptists of Danbury Connecticut (from
which we derive the term "separation of Church and State") he made it quite
clear that the wall of separation was to insure that Government would never
interfere with religious activities because religious freedom came from
God, not from Government.

Even George Washington who certainly knew the intent of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, since he presided over their formation, said in his "Farewell Address": "Of all the dispositions
and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality
are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute
of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars." Sure
doesn't sound like Washington was trying to separate religion and politics.

John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, and one of the three men most responsible for the writing of the Constitution declared:

"Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is their duty-as well as privilege and interest- of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians
for their rulers." Still sounds like the Founding Fathers knew this was
a Christian nation.

This view, that we were a Christian nation, was hold for almost 150 years until the Everson v. Board of Education ruling in 1947. Before that momentous ruling, even the Supreme Court knew
that we were a Christian nation. In 1892 the Court stated:

"No purpose of action against religion can be imputed to any legislation, state or national, because this is a religious people...This is a Christian nation." There it is again!
From the Supreme Court of the United States. This court went on to cite
87 precedents (prior actions, words, and rulings) to conclude that this
was a "Christian nation".

In 1854, the House Judiciary Committee said: "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.'

It should be noted here that even as late as 1958 a dissenting judge warned in Baer v. Kolmorgen that if the court did not stop talking about the "separation of Church and State",
people were going to start thinking it was part of the Constitution.

It has been demonstrated in their own words: Ben Franklin, George Washington and John Adams, to the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court, how our founding fathers felt about
the mix of politics and religion.

When we read articles such as "What's God got to do with it?" (Primack, 5/4) and "The wall between state and church must not be breached" (Tager, 5/7) it just reaffirms how little,
even intelligent people, understand about the founding of our great Republic.
To say that this nation was not founded as a Christian nation or that the
Constitution was not founded on Christian principles is totally at odds
with the facts of history.

Tex Browning.