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Our Christian Heritage as a Nation
For many years, I believed what I had been taught in High School; I believed that our nation had not been founded on Christian principles. I had been taught that this was just an opinion that had been popularized by fundamentalist Christians who were ignoring the real facts. Eventually, I became better informed, and I realized that it was impossible to ignore the fact
that this country of ours was at least founded on "Judeo-Christian principles." I am now convinced, however, that our country was not only founded on"Judeo-Christian principles,"
but that our country was founded on specifically "Christian principles" and that our forefathers intended for this to be a "Christian nation."
Question = How could I come to such an outrageous conclusion?
Answer = Consider These Facts
In 1620, when those brave souls sailed from England to what they called "The New World",
they created a document called "The Mayflower Compact." They signed it beneath a swinging
lantern in the cabin of that ship, and it says that they came to this new world for this purpose,
and I quote...
"...for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith."
In 1643, as more and more people arrived here, they joined together to form "The New England
Confederation", and they wrote a constitution. It was the first constitution written on this continent, and it began with these words...
"Whereas we all came into these parts 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 and peace..."
As late as 1775, 150 years after the Pilgrims had landed, and one year before our Declaration
of Independence was signed, this is what the population of our country looked like.
98.4% of our citizens were protestant Christians
1.4% of our citizens were Catholic Christians
. 2% of our citizens were Jewish
This reveals that 98.8% of our citizens professed to know Jesus Christ as their Lord
and Savior, and there wasn't a Muslim or a Buddhist or an atheist in the bunch.
Before we had our national constitution, individual states had their own, and this was an oath
that the Delaware Constitution of 1776 required for leadership.
"Everyone appointed to public office must say, 'I do profess faith in God the Father
and in the Lord Jesus Christ His only Son and in the Holy Ghost. In God who is blessed
forevermore. I do acknowledge the Holy Scriptures and the old and new testaments
which are given by divine inspiration"
A few years ago, a group of Historians at the University of Houston determined that 94%
of the writings of our founding fathers were based on scripture, and they said that they
got their idea for three branches of Government from Isaiah 33:22 which says
"For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king;..."
Jeremiah 17:9, which describes the depravity of man caused them to desire a separation
of powers, and their idea for giving the church a tax exemption came from Ezra 7:24.
52 of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence were professing Christians,
and the others believed that the Bible contained divine truth; they believed in the God
of the Bible and His personal intervention in the affairs of men. 29 of these 56 men held Bible and/or Seminary degrees. Historical revisionists are quick to bring up the fact that Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were Deists. They do not have, however, have an open
and shut case. We should all consider, for example, some of Jefferson's actions while he was President.
1. He promoted legislative and military Chaplains
2. He established a National seal using a Biblical symbol
3. He included the word "God" in our National motto
4. He allowed Government property and facilities to be used for worship
5. He required that oaths be phrased by the words "so help me God" and sworn on the Bible
6. He exempted churches from taxation
7. He funded religious books for public libraries
8. He funded salaries for Missionaries to the Indians
9. He allowed and encouraged Clergymen to hold public offices
10. He established professional schools of Theology
Dave Barton is well-known for his ability to enlighten us about our Christian Heritage; and so,
this video he made should help me to make my case.
Some are Trying to Re-Write History
In Matthew 5:13, Jesus said to His disciples "You are the salt of the earth..." and in
Matthew 5:14 He said to His disciples "You are the light of the world...". In the original
Greek, those phrases sound like this "You and you alone are the salt of the earth..."
and "You and you alone are the light of the world..." This means that all of us who profess
to be Christians are the only real light that exists in our world; we are the only ones who can
be expected to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. This is why it should not surprise us to discover that there are others who are not telling the truth or they are suppressing the truth in order to promote their own secular and ungodly agenda.
Our Christian Heritage is Engraved in Our Architecture
When Jesus entered Jerusalem for the final time before His crucifixion, the Jewish leaders
rebuked His disciples and others including some children for praising Him. Jesus then
turned to them and said, "...if these were silent, the stones would cry out" (Luke 19:39-40).
The same could be said about a lot of the architecture that exists in our country today;
it testifies loudly about our Christian heritage. In fact, when the Supreme Court ruled
that it was unconstitutional to display the Ten Commandments in a Federal Courthouse,
they did so while sitting under the watchful eye of Moses. For you see, just above the bench
at the Supreme Court, in the center, is a carved image of Moses holding the ten commandments. On the walls of the Jefferson Memorial, we find this statement "The God
who gave us life gave us liberty." As one climbs the steps of the Washington Monument,
they will find Biblical inscriptions on the stones, and at the very top are the words "Praise be
to God." This becomes even more significant when we consider the fact that there is a law
in Washington that states that no other building shall be taller than the Washington Monument. The words "In God We Trust" appear in the chamber of the House of Representatives; and on
the dome of the Capital are etched the words "One God, one law, one element; one far off
Divine event towards which the whole of creation moves.
The First Schools We Had in Our Country Were Christian Schools
The connection between education and Christianity through the 19th century in this country
is simply undeniable. The overwhelming majority of the first private colleges on this continent,
for example, were Christian institutions. Harvard, Yale, and Princeton were all established to
teach young men to be Pastors. The Founders of Harvard College, established in 1636 professed
that "All knowledge without Christ was vain." After requiring literacy in Latin (The language
the N.T. Bible manuscripts were written in at that time) the second requirement in "Harvard
Lawes" of 1642 was that "Everyone shall consider the main end of his life and studies to know
God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life." The overall religious nature of Colleges and Universities continued at least until the Civil War. Even State Colleges had significant religious
components, such as mandatory religion courses and attendance at chapel services, while
large numbers of their faculties had formal religious training.
The most commonly used textbooks in the Public Schools in America up until and throughout the 19th century were the New England Primer and McGuffey Eclectic Readers. The New England Primer included: a Christian creed, the Lord's prayer, the ten commandments, morning
prayers and evening prayers, discussions of the ten commandments, our Saviors's golden
rule and the shorter catechism. Under the title, an alphabet of lessons for children, for example,
we find this acrostic.
A - WISE son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother
B -ETTER is a little, with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure, and trouble therewith
COME unto Christ, all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and He will give you rest
DO NOT the abominable thing which I hate, saith the Lord
EXCEPT a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God
FOOLISHNESS is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction will drive it from him.
GRIEVE not the Holy Spirit, lest it depart from thee
IT is good for me to draw near unto God
HOLINESS becomes God
KEEP thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.
LIARS will have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone
MANY are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers them out of them all
NOW is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation
OUT of the abundance of the heart thy mouth speaketh
PRAY to they Father who is in secret, and, thy Father who sees in secret will reward thee openly
QUIT you like men; be strong, stand fast in the faith
REMEMBER thy Creator in the days of thy youth
SALVATION belongeth unto the Lord
TRUST in God at all times, ye people; pour out your hearts before Him
UPON the wicked God will rain a horrible tempest
WOE to the wicked; it will be ill with him, for the reward of his hand will be given him
eXORT one another daily while it is called today, lest any of you be burdened through
the deceitfulness of sin
YOUNG men you have overcome the wicked one
ZEAL, hath consumed Me, because my enemies have forgotten the word of God
The McGuffey Readers were also filled with Christian instruction. The preface in the 1837
edition, for example, says this.
"From no source has the author drawn more copiously than from the Sacred Scriptures.
For this (I) certainly apprehend no censure. In a CHRISTIAN COUNTRY (Emphasis Added)
that man is to be pitied, who, at this day, can honestly object to imbuing the minds of youth
with the language and spirit of the word of God."
The primary purpose of the McGuffey Readers was to develop Christian character. To achieve
this, all of the stories contained a didactic element which served as the basis for the plots. Moral
development was also stressed, as McGuffey believed conscience to be a "God-given guide
innate to every human creature." The dominant themes of the stories were kindness,
consideration for the aged, and social responsibility. This inculcation of national identity
and Calvinistic moral values was furthered through formal education. As students were
taught how to read, they were also taught how to live.
Quotations
"It is impossible to govern the world without God and the Bible. Of all the dispositions
and habits that lead to political prosperity, our religion and morality are the indispensable
supporters. Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained
without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that our national morality
can prevail in exclusion of religious principle"
- George Washington, the Father of Our Country,
Our First President
"We have no government armed with the power capable of contending with human passions,
unbridled by morality and true religion. Our constitution was made only for a moral and
religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other"
“The general principles upon which the Fathers achieved independence were the general
principals of Christianity… I will avow that I believed and now believe that those general
principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes
of God. The general principles upon which the Fathers achieved independence were
the general principals of Christianity… I will avow that I believed and now believe that
those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence
and attributes of God.”
- John Adams, 2nd President of the United States
"I am a Christian, that is to say a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus. I have little doubt that
our whole country will soon be rallied to the unity of our Creator and, I hope, to the pure
doctrine of Jesus also."
- Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States
"We have all been encouraged to feel in the guardianship and guidance of the Almighty
Being whose power regulates the destiny of nations, whose blessings have been so
conspicuously dispensed to this rising republic, and to whom we are bound to address
our devout gratitude for the past, as well as our fervent supplications and best hopes
for the future."
- James Madison, 4th President of the United States
"When we view the blessings with which our country has been favored. those which
we now enjoy, and the means which we possess of handing them down unimpaired
to our latest posterity, our attention is irresistibly drawn to the source from whence
they flow. Let us then, unite in offering our most grateful acknowledgements for these
blessings to the Divine Author of all good"
- James Monroe, 5th President of the United States
"The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; it connected in one indissoluble
bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity"
- John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the United States
"Go to the Scriptures...the joyful promises it contains will be a balsam to all your troubles.
That book...is the rock on which our republic rests."
"Sir, I am in the hands of a merciful God. I have full confidence in His goodness
and mercy...The Bible is true. I have tried to conform to its spirit as near as possible.
Upon that sacred volume I rest my hope for eternal salvation, through the merits
and blood of our blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."
[May 29th, 1845, just a few weeks before he died]
"The Bible is the Rock on which this Republic rests."
- Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States
CBN - Foundations for Freedom -->
Wall Builders with David Barton -->
More Quotations
"The religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and His Apostles...
This is genuine Christianity and to this we owe our free constitutions of government."
- Noah Webster, History of the United States 1832
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not
by religionists but by Christians, not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For that
reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here"
- Patrick Henry written in 1776
"Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers and it is the duty as well
as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians
for rulers."
- John Jay, the First Supreme Court Justice
of the United States
"The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings
of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would
cease to be practically universal in this country"
- Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States
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