The United States is a Christian nation.

I would like to begin by thanking my opponent for initiating, as well as all of the people who will read and vote this debate. I also accept my opponent’s definitions of the words nation and Christianity. Pro Case How can it be determined what makes a country a Christian nation? I propose we use several ideas from my opponent to set up the standards for determining the winner of the arguments. In R1, he wrote of his position in this debate: “What do I mean by 'Christian nation’? I mean that the United States is not, in any sense, founded upon Christian ideology.” As the Pro to his Con, I must oppose this statement, and will therefore be arguing that the United States is founded upon Christian ideology, at least in some sense, and to do this, I will prove that many laws in the United States have a Christian foundation. It should be noted that I do not have to prove that the ideas of the United States are solely Christian, excluding other faiths. All I have to prove is that our country’s ideas are Christian in some sense. The framework that I have proposed based on a quote from R1 is also corroborated by Con’s R2 definition of Christian which is as follows: “Christian: Of, relating to, or professing Christianity or its teachings.” Once again, all I must do is prove that the United States’ ideals was based in some part on principles relating to the teachings of Christianity. The foundation for laws in Christianity is the Ten Commandments. A number of these commandments are expressed in the laws, founding documents, and practices of the United States. The first two commandments highlight the importance of belief and trust in God, God being the creator of the humans and the universe [1]. A belief in Christianity that is part of the United States’ ideology is its belief in God. The Christian religion teaches that we should have faith and trust in one God who created human life. The belief in a creator is evidenced in our founding document, the Declaration of Independence. This document features the famous sentence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” [2]. This sentence explains that we Americans also hold a belief in a Creator of humans. The trust in God that is part of the Second Commandment which states “You shall have no other gods before me,” is evidenced in the American practice of having the phrase “In God we Trust” printed on all of our money. Other important commandments ban stealing, murder, and perjury. These are all actions that are recognized as illegal in the United States. Another Christian value is caring for those in need. There are many Bible verses that relate to this value including: "Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:9. "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in." Matthew 25:35. “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth” 1 John 3:17-18. [3]. These values are expressed in the United States through such programs as food stamps and Medicaid which serve to help the poor. It is clear that many of the laws in the United States have Christian foundations and serve Christian values. According to the framework that I have proposed based on Con’s definitions, I have fulfilled my BoP. Rebuttals As my opponents arguments were brief, my rebuttals will be brief as well. First, he claims that 95% of Americans being Christian and therefore we are a Christian nation is analogous to claiming that we are a white nation because the majority is white. This is a false analogy because a great many people’s personal beliefs impact the decisions they make politically. One only needs to look at the vast majority of the social conservative movement to see that this is true. On the other hand, most white people in America do not take race into account when making political decisions. Con continues by claiming that most of the founding fathers were deists and those who were Christians were secularists. This claim is not supported by evidence, and therefore should be dismissed. Conclusion I have provided sufficient reasons for believing that the United States is, “in some sense, founded on Christian ideology.” Sources: [1]- http://www.vatican.va... [2]- http://www.archives.gov... [3]- http://home.snu.edu...