On December 15th, 1791, 10 amendments, called the Bill of Rights, were ratified to become part of the Constitution of the United States of America. Those 10 amendments took a step beyond the Constitution, outlining a set of inalienable freedoms whose protection was crucial to the continuation of the American Experiment. For over two centuries, Americans have lived by and reaped the benefits of those rights amended onto the Constitution. Perhaps one of the most important parts of the Bill of Rights is the right to freedom of religion. It’s because of this freedom that America is not a Christian nation, and should never formally be considered one.
I’m not saying that Christianity is bad, or that it shouldn’t be practiced in America. What I am saying is that it shouldn’t be the only religion practiced or accepted in America. Our first Amendment Rights allow us to practice the religion that we choose, no matter how diverse, different, or conflicting it may be with that of our neighbor’s. It also allows us not to practice any religion, if that is our choice. It’s a right and a freedom that sets us apart from a host of other countries across the world. It’s part of what makes America as good of a country that it is, which is why I’m confused when people push for America to be called a Christian nation.
Your religious views are your own, no one else’s. There’s no way to force someone to believe what you believe under the law. Differences in beliefs and customs and cultures are all part of the very makeup of the United States. Would it be easier if we all thought the same thing? Yes, of course. But that’s not how things are, and not how they should be.
One of the biggest problems that arise when people believe America should be run as a Christian nation is when it finds its way into our laws and government. Brought to prevalence by Thomas Jefferson in a letter in 1802, the idea that Church and State should remain separate has been a hard-fought goal for 200 years. When the Church is brought into legislation and other state matters, laws are passed on subjects that have no business being decided by the government. For example, marriage equality is a hot button topic on a lot of political platforms, almost exclusively fought against for religious reasons. That is wrong. The law should not be able to tell you who you can or cannot marry, as long as both parties are consenting adults. If you don't believe in gay marriage, don’t marry someone of the same sex. If the Church stayed out of this state matter, marriage equality would not be a political issue.
Yes, I know a lot of our Founding Fathers were Christian (but, they were also all white, so should America be a white nation?). Yes, I know that Christianity is the most popular religion. I know that “In God We Trust” is on our currency. Yes, I know that “Under God” is in our Pledge of Allegiance - though not originally, it was added by Eisenhower in 1954. I know that there are a lot of people out there that think America should be considered a Christian nation.
But it’s not, and it shouldn’t be. America was created to be a haven where people from all places, could practice, think, say, and do whatever they wanted to do. Let’s keep it that way.
