The United States is a Christian Nation

The Declaration of Our IndependenceAs the well-known, but ever powerful preamble goes: 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.The Declaration of Independence, the birth certificate of our nation, clearly invokes a Creator. What kind of Creator? A single, omnipotent One that is intimately endowing us with powerful, unalienable rights. Thus, the Declaration invokes a religion that is both monotheistic and concerned in the well-fare of Creation. That's not Deistic, that's not secular, that smacks of Christianity. One might say Jefferson's use of "Creator" is vague and does not necessarily invoke the Christian God; however, In A Summary View of The Rights of British America, Jefferson states that the encroachments of the British Crown were encroachments "upon those rights which God and the laws have given equally and independently to all." And that "the God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time; the [British] hand of force may destroy, but cannot disjoin them." In addition, in his Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom, Jefferson states the primary reason for establishing religious freedom is the fact "that Almighty God hath created the mind free, and manifested His supreme will that free it shall remain..." And that a departure of religious freedom would be a departure "from the plan of the holy author of our religion..." [1]Phrases like "Almighty God" are uniquely Christian, corroborating even more that the Declaration invokes Christian influence. And what did he mean by "the plan of the holy author of our religion,"? Jefferson was a Christian, as shown below, and the majority of Colonial America was Christian, or atleast claimed to be. So what else could he be talking about besides the Christian religion? [2]To Jefferson, God is the source of our inalienable rights. He is the giver of Life and Liberty. One cannot stay in line with traditional literary criticism, and yet deny that the Creator in Rights of British America, Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom, and the Declaration of Independence is uniquely Christian.Thomas Jefferson And The No True Scotsman:The doctrines of Jesus are simple, and tend all to the happiness of man. [3]The practice of morality being necessary for the well being of society, He [God] has taken care to impress its precepts so indelibly on our hearts that they shall not be effaced by the subtleties of our brain. We all agree in the obligation of the moral principles of Jesus and nowhere will they be found delivered in greater purity than in His discourses. [4]I am a Christian in the only sense in which He wished anyone to be: sincerely attached to His doctrines in preference to all others [3]I am a real Christian – that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus Christ. [3]The last quote is the one I want to focus on. Thomas Jefferson is a self-described Christian. To say that he isn't a Christian because he didn't believe in certain doctrines (like the Virgin Birth), is arbitrary and smacks of a No True Scotsman fallacy. The Revisionists need to stop trying to proselytizing him into a Deist and leave the old dead dude alone. Nevertheless, Jefferson's belief in Christ is corraborative evidence for my previous argument on the Christian influence on the preamble to the Declaration. John Quincy Adams supports my view: "In the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior. The Declaration of Independence laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity." [6]John Adams Affirms the Influence of Christianity in AmericaIn a letter to Thomas Jefferson, John Adams wrote, “The general Principles, on which the Fathers Atchieved Independence, were the only Principles in which that beautiful Assembly of young Gentlemen could Unite, and these Principles only could be intended by them in their Address, or by me in my Answer. And what were these general Principles? I answer, the general Principles of Christianity, in which all those Sects were united: And the general Principles of English and American Liberty, in which all those young Men United, and which had United all Parties in America, in Majorities sufficient to assert and maintain her Independence” [5]In other words:"The [general Principles of Christianity, of English, and American Liberty], on which the Fathers Atchieved Independence, were the only Principles in which that beautiful Assembly of young Gentlemen could Unite..."In conclusion, Adams affirms that Independence was built on the general principles of Christianity, the English, and American Liberty. As shown above, The Declaration of Independence supports this view and, conversely, this Adam's quote supports the view that the Declaration is built upon the general principles of Christianity, English tradition, and American Liberty. In fact Jefferson directly called these general principles "in which God has united us all." [8]The Duty of NationsGeorge Washington, acting as President of the United States, proclaimed, "WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour;" [7]Washington, setting a presidential precedent, says that it is the duty of nations to acknowledge the providence and benefits of the Almighty God and plead for His protection and favor. Since Washington was acting as President of the United States when he made this proclamation, his affirmation of the importance of the “Almighty God” affects the general American philosophy of government.Sources:[1] http://avalon.law.yale.edu...[2] http://www.monticello.org...[3] The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, [4] Memoir, Correspondence, and Miscellanies from the Papers of Thomas Jefferson[5] http://www.constitution.org...[6] Town of Newburyport at Their Request on the Sixty-First Anniversary of the Declaration[7] The Annals of America[8] http://www.earlyamerica.com...;