“Contrary to what critics imply,” David Barton of Wall Builders .com writes, “a Christian nation is not one in which all citizens are Christians, or the laws require everyone to adhere to Christian theology, or all leaders are Christians, or any other such superficial measurement.”
America as a Christian nation is a question causing much discussion and opinion, but here we present explanation finding truth in simplicity.
Of course, we must also note the Christian population of the country is rated at 76%, non-Christian 3.9%, no religion at 15%, and unknown at 5.2% (44. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).
Supreme Court Justice David Brewer (1837-1910) explained:
[I]n what sense can [America] be called a Christian nation? Not in the sense that Christianity is the established religion or that the people are in any manner compelled to support it.
On the contrary, the Constitution specifically provides that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
Neither is it Christian in the sense that all its citizens are either in fact or name Christians. On the contrary, all religions have free scope within our borders. Numbers of our people profess other religions, and many reject all.
Nor is it Christian in the sense that a profession of Christianity is a condition of holding office or otherwise engaging in public service, or essential to recognition either politically or socially. In fact, the government as a legal organization is independent of all religions.
Nevertheless, we constantly speak of this republic as a Christian nation – in fact, as the leading Christian nation of the world. 8
Then what makes America a Christian nation? According to Justice Brewer, America was “of all the nations in the world . . . most justly called a Christian nation” because Christianity “has so largely shaped and molded it.” 9
Justice David J. Brewer was born in Smyrna, Asia Minor, in what is now Turkey on June 20, 1837. His missionary family returned to the United States one year after Brewer’s birth and settled in Wethersfield, Connecticut. Brewer attended Wesleyan University then transferred to Yale, where he was graduated in 1856. He attended Albany Law School and graduated in 1858.
He moved to Kansas, was admitted to the bar and established a law practice. In 1861, Brewer was appointed Commissioner of the Circuit Court in Leavenworth. Two years later, he was elected a Judge of the Probate and Criminal Courts of Leavenworth County. From 1865 to 1869, he served on the United States District Court for Kansas.
Brewer was elected to the Kansas Supreme Court in 1870 and served for fourteen years. In 1884, President Chester A. Arthur appointed Brewer to the Circuit Court for the Eighth Circuit.
Five years later, on December 4, 1889, President Benjamin Harrison nominated Brewer to the Supreme Court of the United States. Brewer served on the Supreme Court for twenty years. He died on March 28, 1910, at the age of seventy-two (The Supreme Court Historical Society).
For More Info:
8. David J. Brewer, The United States: A Christian Nation (Philadelphia: John C. Winston Company, 1905), p. 13. {wallbuilders.com/LIBissuesArticles.asp?id=23909}
9. David J. Brewer, The United States: A Christian Nation (Philadelphia: John C. Winston Company, 1905), p. 40. {wallbuilders.com/LIBissuesArticles.asp?id=23909}
44. ^ a b Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar (2009). "AMERICAN RELIGIOUS IDENTIFICATION SURVEY (ARIS) 2008" (PDF). Hartford, Connecticut, USA: Trinity College. http://b27.cc.trincoll.edu/weblogs/AmericanReligionSurvey-ARIS/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf. Retrieved 2009-04-01. {en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_States}
Barton, David. "Is President Obama Correct: Is America No Longer a Christian Nation?" WallBuilders, LLC, PO Box 397 , Aledo, Texas . 04/2009. {wallbuilders.com/LIBissuesArticles.asp?id=23909}
Supreme Court Historical Society {supremecourthistory.org}
Read more articles by BILL HUNT or search for articles on the same topic or others.
