The United States as a Christian nation

{{bronze}}{{pseudohistory}}{{pseudolaw}}
{{cquote|Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.|||A favorite [[Bible]] passage ({{bible|Psalm|33|12}}) among Christian nationalists<ref>[https://www.christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org/jan-6 Attack on The Capitol: Evidence of the Role of White Christian Nationalism] by Andrew L. Seidel (2022) ''Christians Against Christian Nationalism''. Pages 25-40.</ref>{{rp|25}}<ref group=note>Some white nationalist Christians conveniently ignore that the psalm in question was probably referring to [[Israel]] and the [[Jew]]s.</ref>}}
{{cquote|America was a nation that was established as a nation under God. And God has appointed Jesus as king.|||Ron Kenoly, ''Majesty'' (1998)<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_KxdyazIvQ Ron Kenoly Majesty FULL concert]</ref>}}
[[United States|American]] [[wingnut]]s and figures on the [[Religious Right]] commonly assert that [[United States of America|'''the United States''']] was founded as a '''[[Christianity|Christian]] nation'''. This theory does not simply reference that the majority of Americans were (and many still are) Christians (albeit of a rather large [[heresy|variety]] of [[denomination]]s), but claims as a corollary that the [[state]] and its institutions should [[theocracy |openly embrace and promote Christianity]] and (in some cases) the [[Old Testament]] legal code (which [[Actions punishable by death in the Old Testament|is a terrible foundation for [modern] laws]]). This is, of course, a textbook example of [[negationism]] as well as [[pious fraud]].

==History==
Christian nationalists were active at the time of the founding of the United States, but in contrast to contemporary Christian nationalists, those of the mid-1800s and earlier believed that the [[US Constitution]] was an abomination because it lacked any mention of Jesus Christ rather than a Christianity-affirming document as modern Christian nationalists would try to have people believe.<ref name=boston>[https://www.au.org/the-latest/church-and-state/articles/plunging-down-the-rabbit-hole-over-the-years-christian-nationalists-have-been-responsible-for-the-spread-of-some-rather-strange-ideas/ Plunging Down The Rabbit Hole: Over The Years, Christian Nationalists Have Been Responsible For The Spread Of Some Rather Strange Ideas] by Rob Boston (Apr 29, 2022) ''Church & State'' (Americans United for Separation of Church and State).</ref> In 1789, the same year that the Constitution came into effect, [[George Washington]] received a message from Christian clergy that complained:

{{quotebox|We should not have been alone in rejoicing to have some explicit acknowledgment of THE TRUE ONLY [[God|GOD]], AND JESUS CHRIST who he has sent, inserted somewhere in the [[Magna Carta]] of our country.<ref name=boston/>}}

In 1793, pastor John M. Mason preached that the US would be punished by God for not having a Christian constitution.<ref name=boston/><ref>[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.ah499e&view=1up&seq=129&skin=2021 ''Occasional Sermons, and Reviews and Essays''] by James Floy (1866) Carlton & Porter,.</ref>{{rp|123}} When [[Thomas Jefferson]], co-author of the Declaration of Independence, became president in 1801, he was accused of [[atheism]] and of being an [[infidel]] by Christian nationalist and [[Presbyterian]] William Lynn:

{{quotebox|Should the infidel Jefferson be elected to the Presidency, [[Persecution complex|the seal of death is that moment set in our holy religion]], our churches will be prostrated, and some infamous [[prostitute]], under the title of Goddess of [[Reason]], will preside in the Sanctuaries now devoted to the worship of Most High.<ref name=boston/><ref>''Separating Church and State: A History'' by Steven K. Green (2022) Cornell University Press. ISBN 1501762060.</ref>{{efn|{{wpl|Cult of Reason|Something similar to this}} {{wpl|Dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution|''was'' going on in revolutionary France}} at the time, but that wasn't a valid reason to assume that Thomas Jefferson intended to follow the French example, especially given the presence of the [[Establishment Clause]] in the Constitution (it's meant to protect religion from the government just as much as it protects the government from religion). Not that anybody in the United States had any way of knowing this, but the current wave of secularization in France wasn't going to last much longer, either; [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] re-established Roman Catholicism as its state religion in 1802.}}}}

In 1811, [[Congregationalist]] Samuel Austin complained that the Constitution "is entirely disconnected from Christianity.”<ref name=boston/> In 1845, [[Presbyterian]] Reverend David X. Junkin claimed:

{{quotebox|The oath of the President of the United States [as embodied in the Constitution] could as well be taken by a [[Pagan]] or a [[Islam|Mohammedan]], as by the Chief Magistrate of a Christian people; it excludes the name of the Supreme Being. Indeed, it is negatively atheistical for no God is appealed to at all. In framing many of our public formularies, [[Argumentum ad populum|greater care seems to have been taken to adapt them to the prejudices of the infidel few, than to the consciences of the Christian millions]].<ref name=boston/><ref>[https://archive.org/details/proceedingsnati01goog/page/n56 ''Proceedings of the National Convention to Secure the Religious Amendment of the Constitution of the United States''] by (1874) Christian Statesman Association.</ref>{{rp|49}}}}

It was not until the 1840s when a few Christian nationalists began to claim that the Constitution was designed to perpetuate Christianity and that Washington and Jefferson were actually Christians rather than the [[deists]] whom they actually were.<ref name=boston/> This remained an unpopular view among Christian nationalists for long afterward, however.<ref name=boston/>

In 1864, ministers from 11 Christian denominations created the {{wpl|National Reform Association (chartered 1864)|National Reform Association|.}} The purpose of the Association was:

{{quotebox|To secure such an amendment to the Constitution of the United States as well declare the nation’s allegiance to Jesus Christ and its acceptance of the moral laws of the Christian religion, and so indicate that this is a Christian nation.<ref name=boston/>}}

Updated versions of the Christian nation amendment were proposed in Congress in 1961, 1963, and 1965, but never went very far.<ref name=boston/> So after more than 170 years, Christian nationalists changed their tune from "the US ''should be'' a Christian nation" to "the US ''already is'' a Christian nation" — despite repeated and utter failure to get their Constitutional amendment passed. As Edward Cain noted in the early 1960s, "Not until the advent of twentieth century fundamentalism do we find a native version of clericalism on the Right."<ref name=Cain>''They'd Rather Be Right'' by Edward Cain</ref>{{rp|15}}

==Common arguments==
===The Puritans===
{{main|Puritans}}
The English Puritans, known for coming over to [[New England]] in tiny numbers (and for being, well, ''puritanical''), are cited as precedent in this case, as noted below. The argument is that the legal and social systems of these New England Puritans, which were indeed very [[theocratic]] and repressive, are the quintessential example of American [[tradition]].

By this [[logic]], of course, the U.S. should give up its [[American Revolution|sovereignty]] and restore [[British Empire|British Imperial rule]],{{efn|We will let the reader decide whether such a development would be a ''bad'' thing.}} since the Puritan states were based on royal charters. Of course, the modern [[United Kingdom|UK]] is far more [[liberal]] than many right-wing nuts would like, but that's not the point.

This also overlooks that the first successful [[British]] settlement was Jamestown (from 1607) and the purpose of that colony was much closer to the true American tradition: [[Get-rich-quick scheme|get rich quick]]. They started out looking for a Northwest Passage ("the passage to the Other Sea") and gold ("minerals")<ref>[https://encyclopediavirginia.org/primary-documents/instructions-from-the-virginia-company-of-london-to-the-first-settlers-1606/ Instructions from the Virginia Company of London to the First Settlers (1606)], Encyclopedia Virginia</ref> and settled on making indentured servants and slaves farm tobacco for them.

Not only the Puritans, but the reaction against them, are important to understanding the [[American Revolution]]; the reality is quite a bit more complicated than the "United States as a Christian nation" narrative suggests. The Puritans who did not go to America in exile mounted an ultimately successful insurgency that resulted in a Puritan victory in the [[English Civil War]], the execution of King Charles I, and the establishment of a republican Commonwealth under [[Oliver Cromwell]]. The excesses of this [[dictatorship]] led to a [[monarch]]ist reaction, but the result of this reaction was the firm establishment under English [[law]] of the principle of Parliamentary supremacy over the [[monarch]], as codified in the Bill of Rights 1689 following the replacement of James II with William and Mary. 

The "Whig" ideology that emerged from these events was quite influential in the debates that led to the American Revolution. They included the notion that the government was subject to its own laws and the rejection of the divine rights of princes. They also included a deep suspicion of the kinds of [[religious]] and [[sectarian]] [[radicalism]] that they viewed as responsible for the war, the excesses of the Puritan regime, and the resulting social unrest.<ref>''The World Turned Upside Down: Radical Ideas During the English Revolution'' by Christopher Hill (1972) Temple Smith. ISBN 0851170250.</ref> [[John Locke]]'s ''Two Treatises of Government'' was one manifestation of this Whig [[ideology]] that influenced the American Revolution.<ref>''The Politics of Liberty in England and Revolutionary America'' by Lee Ward (2004) Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521179637.</ref>

===The Founding Fathers===
{{main|Founding Fathers}}
{{cquote|For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to [[bigotry]] no sanction, to persecution no assistance requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.|||George Washington, August 17, 1790 letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, [[Rhode Island]]<ref>[https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/august-17/ To Bigotry No Sanction, To Persecution No Assistance] by George Washington, letter to Moses Seixas, August 17, 1790 (Today in History — August 17) ''The Library of Congress''.</ref>}}
{{cquote|The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.|||Thomas Jefferson, ''Notes on the State of Virginia'' (1782)<ref>[https://tjrs.monticello.org/letter/2260 "Extract from Thomas Jefferson’s 'Notes on the State of Virginia'"]. ''The Jefferson Quotes & Family Letters'' (Monticello and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation).</ref>}}
Rather than address explicit [[US Constitution|constitutional]] provisions (which, through omission, contradict their position), American fundamentalists often like to [[Quote mining|quote-mine]] the Founding Fathers in order to divine their intentions and "prove" that they actually envisioned the new state as a Christian nation. They primarily target [[George Washington]], [[John Adams]], and [[Thomas Jefferson]], the first three Presidents of the United States, and claim that they were deeply devout Christians whose actions were to a large degree inspired by their faith.<ref>[https://archive.ph/sYEVF Let's look at what some of the Founders wrote] by ldguy (Sep 29, 2008) ''Opposing Views'' (archived from 7 Jul 2013 14:07:45 UTC).</ref><ref>Citizens for Better Government: [https://web.archive.org/web/20030620071625/http://www.afn.org/~govern/Christian_Nation.html Was the United States founded as a Christian Nation?] by Tex Browning (May 1, 2003) ''Citizens for Better Government''.</ref>

This notion is patently false: Jefferson's [[deist]]ic convictions are evident from his writings, and he was a high-profile critic of established Christian [[dogma]]; he even wrote his own version of the [[New Testament]], the ''[[Jefferson Bible]]'', expunging the Gospels of all references to the [[supernatural]]. Washington never attended [[communion]] services at his church and took great pains to refer to his [[god]] by deistic terms like "Great Author" and "Almighty Being" in his inaugural address. While Adams credited [[religion]] in general with bolstering public [[morality]], he was personally a deist, if churchgoing, [[Congregationalist]] and later a Unitarian (yes, the kind that eventually became [[Unitarian Universalism]]), and consistently argued that the United States had been founded on [[rationalist]] and [[Enlightenment]] principles and rejected the notion of divine legitimation for political leadership.<ref>[https://archive.ph/5qExH#selection-1695.0-1695.45 Let’s Look at What Some of the Founders Wrote] by ldguy (Sep 29, 2008) ''Opposing Viewpoints'' (archived from 7 Jul 2013 14:08:10 UTC).</ref><ref>Secular Web: [https://web.archive.org/web/19991128232458/http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/farrell_till/myth.html The Cristian Nation Myth] by Farrell Till, ''The Secular Web''.</ref>

These eminent figures were heavily criticized for their lack of religious devotion in times past. Rev. Bird Wilson had this to say about them in an 1831 sermon: 
{{quotebox|The founders of our nation were nearly all [[Infidel]]s, and that of the presidents who had thus far been elected <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[George Washington]], [[John Adams]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], [[James Madison]], [[James Monroe]], [[John Quincy Adams]], and [[Andrew Jackson]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> not a one had professed a belief in Christianity.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210924021808/https://infidels.org/library/historical/john-remsburg-six-historic-americans/ ''Six Historic Americans''] by John Remsberg (1906) ''The Secular Web''.</ref>}}

As an aside, the thirteen colonies were not entirely Christian (there were about 3000 [[Jews]] at the time of the revolution), and it has been documented that 160 Jews<ref>''Imagining the American Jewish community'' by Jack Wertheimer (2007) University Press of New England. ISBN 1584656700.</ref> and two [[Muslims]] fought on the side for independence.<ref>''Encyclopedia of Muslim-American History'' by Edward E. Curtis IV (2010) Facts on File. ISBN 0816075751.</ref>{{rp|561}} Haym Solomon, a Jew, was a personal friend of George Washington and was a key financier of the Continental Army.

===First Amendment===
{{main|First Amendment}}
A common argument is that the [[Establishment Clause]] in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution was intended to mean different ''denominations'' instead of different religions because the idea of non-Christians living in the United States would have been unthinkable at the time (George Washington's 1790 letter to the Jewish Congregation of Newport notwithstanding).<ref>[http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/letter-to-the-hebrew-congregation-at-newport/ Letter to the Hebrew Congregation at Newport] by George Washington (August 21, 1790) ''Teaching American History''.</ref>

This is of course not paying attention to the fact that several of the founding fathers were deists, and the Christian ones were almost all [[secular]]ists. There was generally a [[liberal]] feeling throughout the Christian establishment in the U.S. at that time. The New England Puritans had ''really'' lost their steam by that point (indeed, a great number of Congregational churches would become Unitarian over the course of the next half-century, including, as mentioned, John Adams' congregation); the [[Anglican]]s were, well, Anglicans; the [[Quaker]]s were quite a liberal bunch as usual; other groups had insufficient political clout to do anything but support a completely secular state under which they would not be persecuted — and of these, the [[Baptist]]s (oh, the irony!) were the most vocally in favor of absolute secularism.

There is positive documentation that mere non-[[sect]]arianism was ''not'' what was meant by "free exercise of religion." In his ''Detached Memoranda'', [[James Madison]] recounted the following occur during the passage in 1786 of Thomas Jefferson's ''Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom'', which was specifically intended to guarantee at the [[Virginia]] state level what the U.S. Constitution did at the federal level:

{{quotebox|In the course of the opposition to the bill in the House of Delegates, which was warm & strenuous from some of the minority, an experiment was made on the reverence entertained for the name & sanctity of the Saviour, by proposing to insert the words "[[Jesus Christ]]" after the words "our lord" in the preamble, the object of which, would have been, to imply a restriction of the liberty defined in the Bill, to those professing his religion only. The amendment was discussed, and rejected by a vote of ''agst'' [against].|||James Madison, ''Detached Memoranda''<ref>[http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/amendI_religions64.html Amendment I (Religion): Document 64] by James Madison (c. 1817) ''University of Chicago Press''.</ref>}}

In the same document, Madison opined that it was an encroachment on [[separation of church and state]] to "exempt Houses of Worship from [[tax]]es," and in response to a proposed measure to provide state support to all Christian ministers, he warned ''against'' the very concept that was being put into his mouth:

{{quotebox|Who does not see that the same authority which can establish Christianity, in exclusion of all other Religions, may establish with the same ease any particular sect of Christians, in exclusion of all other Sects?<ref>[https://archive.org/details/nilesnationalreg31nile/page/188/mode/2up?q=%22freedom+of+religious+opinion%22 James Madison's July 14, 1826 letter to George Mason] quoted in "Freedom of Religious Opinion" (November 18, 1826) ''Niles' Register'', Volume 31, Page 189.</ref>}}

To showcase a prime example of how deeply the "Christian nation" mythographers stick their heads in the sand, Christine Millard, the owner of a Washington, D.C. touring outfit called "Christian Heritage Tours," actually quoted the above statement of Madison's and then, in a jaw-dropping ''[[non sequitur]]'', concluded that Madison was talking only about freedom for Christian denominations.<ref>''The Rewriting of America’s History'' by Catherine Millard (1991) Christian Publications. ISBN 0889650926.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20030714040926/http://christianheritagemins.org/articles/James%20Madison.htm James Madison – Father of the U.S. Constitution (Excerpted from, ''The Rewriting of America’s History'')] by Catherine Millard (1991) excerpted by ''Christian Heritage News''.</ref>

==Treaty of Tripoli==
{{main|Treaty of Tripoli}}
The most obvious falsification of this myth is the ''Treaty of Tripoli'', a peace treaty signed with the [[Turkey|Ottoman]] possession of Tripoli in 1797. Tripoli being a [[Muslim]] state, and accustomed to the [[Crusades|hostility shown to Muslims]] by the established Christian states of Europe, the U.S. wanted to demonstrate that its religious policy was not of a similar sort, and so inserted the following language in the treaty:
{{quotebox|the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20030817184352/http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/treaty_tripoli.html Treaty of Peace and Friendship between the United States and the Bey and Subjects of Tripoli of Barbary] Annals of Congress, 5<sup>th</sup> Congress (archived from August 17, 2003).</ref>}}

The text of the treaty was printed on the front page of many newspapers without any sort of public outcry.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060213134811/http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/buckner_tripoli.html Does the 1796-97 Treaty with Tripoli Matter to Church/State Separation?] by Ed Buckner (1997) ''The Unofficial Stephen Jay Gould Archive'' (archived from February 13, 2006).</ref>

In the face of such a smoking-gun falsification, the best that the "Christian nation" mythographers have been able to do is assert that this was mere politics designed to keep the Ottomans happy and to harp on the point that the treaty no longer holds the force of law, having been superseded by later treaties; the latter a neat example of [[moving the goalposts]].

==Dominionist perspective==
{{main|Dominionism}}
[[Gary North]], the son-in-law of the Dominionist kook [[R.J. Rushdoony]] and a noted dominionist kook in his own right, has written against this idea as well, complaining that the U.S. Constitution, [[democracy]], ''etc.'' was the result of an [[apostasy]] from the [[Calvinist]] Puritanism espoused by such figures as the pilgrims of the [[Plymouth Colony]] (which was responsible for such holy happenings as the [[Salem witch trials]]). In his own words:
{{quotebox|Peter Leithart is correct: "[[Antinomianism|Antinomian]] [[Revival meeting|revivalism]] shifted the basis for social theory from the theocratic and authoritarian Puritan emphasis to a democratic one." A common-ground, religiously neutral political order became the new ideal. Thus was born the American civil religion. The pietist-humanist alliance became law.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160306170308/http://commentary.net/freebooks/docs/a_pdfs/gnms.pdf ''Millennialism and Social Theory''] by Gary North (1990) Institute for Christian Economics. ISBN 0930464494. Archived from March 6, 2016.</ref>{{rp|242}}}}

==Neo-Confederate perspective==
{{main|Neo-Confederate}}
Neo-Confederates have their own spin on this idea, which dates back to the time of the actual [[American Civil War]]. Some claim (as part of the [[Lost Cause of the South]] mythos) that the Civil War was a theological war between the [[heresy|heretical]] North and True Christian™ [[The South|South]], which is utter bullshit. They then use this to argue in favor of secession to establish the South as a separate 
[[dominionist]]
 '''Christian''' nation.<ref>[http://www.theocracywatch.org/civil_war_canadian_review.htm The US Civil War as a Theological War: Confederate Christian Nationalism and the League of the South] by Edward H. Sebesta & Euan Hague (2003) ''Canadian Review of American Studies'' 32(3):253-284. Reprinted in ''Theocracy Watch''.</ref>

==''God & Country''==
In 2024, a documentary about Christian nationalism ''God & Country'', directed by Dan Partand, was released.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTQKmR6a9fw God & Country — Official Trailer] Oscilloscope Laboratories via ''YouTube''.</ref> The film is based on Katherine Stewart’s 2019 book ''The Power Worshippers'',<ref>''The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism'' by Katherine Stewart (2019) Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 163557787X.</ref> and includes interviews with Christian leaders who are opposed to Christian nationalism. Regarding criticism of the film by Christian nationalists themselves, the director had this to say:

{{cquote|The attacks have been horrific to see. They have also been revealing of the Christian Nationalist ethos and tactics. Christian Nationalist groups mobilized immediately upon release of the trailer, and they began attacking the filmmakers and all of the interviewees as being anti-Christian, trying to deny people their [[Freedom of religion|religious freedom]]. They also activated their counterparts in conservative media circles to publish stories with different strategies to discredit the film.<BR><BR>

Did I mention that none of them have seen the film? It takes a [[Intellectual dishonesty|deep and pervading dishonesty]] to mobilize a campaign to discredit a film and all of those associated with it when no one has ever seen this film. But that speaks to the fragile hold on power that Christian Nationalists feel&nbsp;— they need to crush dissent of any kind and not allow it to be heard, for fear that criticisms will undermine their advancing political power.|||Partland<ref>[https://www.au.org/the-latest/church-and-state/articles/god-country-a-major-new-documentary-examines-the-rise-power-and-threat-of-christian-nationalism/ God & Country: A major new documentary examines the rise, power — and threat — of Christian Nationalism], Rob Boston interview with Dan Partand (Jan 29, 2024) ''Americans United for Separation of Church and State''</ref>}}

==Christian nationalism and correlated beliefs==
{{main|Crank magnetism}}
Frequent religious practice is not [[Correlation does not imply causation|correlated]] with Christian nationalism.<ref name=whitehead>[https://www.christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org/jan-6 Christian nationalism and the January 6, 2021 Insurrection] Section I: What Is Christian Nationalism by Andrew Whitehead & Samuel Perry (2022) ''Christians Against Christian Nationalism''. Pages 1-3.</ref>{{rp|3}} Christian nationalism was correlated with:<ref name=whitehead/>{{rp|1, 3}}
{{collist|2|
*[[Conspiracy theory|Conspiratorial]] views of the [[2021 U.S. Capitol riot]]
*Opposition to safety measures during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]
*Opposition to any [[gun control]] measures
*[[Anti-vaccination movement]]
*[[Anti-science]]
*Support for [[Donald Trump]]<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/29/trump-christian-nationalism-polling The overlap of Trumpism and Christian nationalism] by Philip Bump (February 29, 2024 at 3:36 p.m. EST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref><ref>[https://www.prri.org/research/support-for-christian-nationalism-in-all-50-states/ Support for Christian Nationalism in All 50 States: Findings from PRRI’s 2023 American Values Atlas] (02.28.2024) ''PRRI''.</ref>
*Support for anti-immigration policies
*Support and enforcement for [[Kinder, Küche, Kirche|traditional gender roles]]
*Opposition to [[same-sex marriage]] and [[transgender]] rights
*Antipathy towards [[democracy]] and voting rights (especially for women and minorities)
*[[Alt-right]] & [[White supremacy|white supremacist]] beliefs
*Strong support for the NRA & [[Blue Lives Matter|backing the Blue]] when it fits their agenda
*Opposition to [[pornography]] & support for the [[War on Drugs]]
*Anti-leftist sentiment 
*Enforcement of Christian beliefs in education 
*Opposition to [[abortion]]
*Support for [[Russia]]n-style political Christian orthodoxy
}}

==Coup attempt==
{{main|2021 U.S. coup attempt}}
White Christian nationalists were heavily involved in both the January 6 rallies and the storming of the Capitol.<ref name=seidel2>[https://www.christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org/jan-6 Attack on The Capitol: Evidence of the Role of White Christian Nationalism] by Andrew L. Seidel (2022) ''Christians Against Christian Nationalism''. Pages 25-40.</ref> The main Trump rally was opened by Paula White, [[evangelist]] and White House 'adviser', who quoted a favored Bible passage among Christian nationalists, {{bible|Psalm|33|12}}, “Blessed is the nation whose God is Lord.”<ref name=seidel2/>{{rp|25}} Senator [[Mo Brooks]] and Representative Madison Cawthorn spoke at the main rally and repeated Christian nationalist [[talking point]]s.<ref name=seidel2/>{{rp|26-27}} Christian symbolism was widespread at the siege of the Capitol.<ref name=seidel2/>{{rp|27-33}} Insurrectionist [[Jacob Chansley]] gave a [[prayer]] in the Senate chamber that referenced Christian nationalist ideology, that the country would be "reborn" "In Christ’s holy name".<ref name=seidel2/>{{rp|34}} Other Christian nationalist ideology by insurrectionists was widespread and observed both during and after the riot.<ref name=seidel2/>{{rp|35-40}}

==See also==
*''[[Letter to a Christian Nation]]'', a response by [[Sam Harris]]
*[[Islam in the United States]]

==External links==
* [[Ed Brayton]], [https://web.archive.org/web/20101103083426/http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2010/11/christian_nation_the_other_fun.php ''The Other Fundamentalist Perspective'', part 1], [https://web.archive.org/web/20101105074543/http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2010/11/christian_nation_the_other_fun_1.php 2], [https://web.archive.org/web/20101106101509/http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2010/11/christian_nation_the_other_fun_2.php 3], [https://web.archive.org/web/20101107063118/http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2010/11/christian_nation_the_other_fun_3.php 4] 
*[https://charlierose.com/videos/14053 The Myth of a Christian Nation], Charlie Rose interview with Pastor Gregory Boyd

==Bibliography==
{{columns-list|2|
*Rodda, Chris, ''Liars For Jesus: The Religious Right's Alternate Version of American history. Volume 1'' (2006) BookSurge Publishing. {{isbn|1419644386}}.
*Rodda, Chris, ''Liars For Jesus: The Religious Right's Alternate Version of American history. Volume 2'' (2016) CreateSpace. {{isbn|1523284137}}.
*Rodda, Chris, ''Liar For Jesus… And Guns: A Debunking of David Barton’s book on the Second Amendment'' (2019) self-published. {{isbn|1087406757}}.
*Sehat, David, ''The Myth of American Religious Freedom'' (2015) Oxford University Press. {{isbn|0190247215}}.
*Stewart, Katherine, ''The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism'' (2019) Bloomsbury Publishing. {{isbn|163557787X}}.
}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:United States as a Christian nation, The}}
[[Category:2021 U.S. coup attempt]]
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[[Category:Atheophobia]]
[[Category:Christian fundamentalism]]
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[[Category:Fascism]]
[[Category:Nationalist pseudohistory]]
[[Category:Pseudohistory]]
[[Category:Pseudolaw]]
[[Category:Racism]]
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Categories: 2021 U.S. coup attempt, Alt-right, Atheophobia, Christian fundamentalism, Cults, Fascism, Nationalist pseudohistory, Pseudohistory, Pseudolaw, Racism, Theocracy, Trumpism