America's rich heritage of religious freedom is being threatened by special interest activists whose goal is to create a government that favors Christianity above all other religions. These activists justify governmental support of Christianity by claiming we were founded as a "Christian Nation." They offer the following erroneous arguments as "proof" that our founders intended to establish a country based on the Christian faith.

The Declaration of Independence refers to a "Creator," "Divine Providence," Supreme Judge," and "Nature's God." These are general references which are not specific to Christian beliefs only. This document was written to explain why we were dissolving our ties to England and was based on John Locke's concept that governments derive "their just powers from the consent of the governed" (not divine authority). The Declaration of Independence is not a governing document, and other than the above four references, does not mention religion at all.

Our Constitution reflects our Christian heritage. The U.S. Constitution contains no mention of "God" or "Christianity." Religion is mentioned only twice: "No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust" (Art. VI). "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" (First Amendment). The presidential oath of office is the only one in the Constitution, and it does not contain the phrase "so help me God" or the requirement to swear on a bible (Art. II, Sec.1).

Our legal system is based on the Ten Commandments. The only three Commandments related to current American law are those prohibiting murder, theft and perjury--prohibitions which can be found in many cultures (some of which precede the Ten Commandments). The remaining seven Commandments deal with religious practices (observing the Sabbath) and good conduct (coveting, honoring parents), none of which are governed by our legal system.

The use of "One Nation Under God" and "In God We Trust" proves our Christian heritage. These phrases were not instituted by our founding fathers. The words "under God" were added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954 at the time when McCarthyism was gripping the nation. "In God We Trust" was added to paper currency in 1956, although it appeared on some coins earlier. The original US motto, chosen by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson, is E Pluribus Unum (Of Many, One), which celebrates plurality, not theocracy.

The phrase "separation of church and state" does not appear in the Constitution. Nor do phrases such as "fair trial," "separation of powers," "religious freedom," and other widely accepted constitutional principles. According to Jefferson, the First Amendment of the Constitution establishes church/state separation.

Our Founding Fathers were all devout Christians. Most were Christians, some were devout, others were very critical of established religion, and a large number were Deists, including Jefferson. Simply because our founders practiced a particular faith does not mean they intended for the government to favor or promote that faith. In fact, a minority faction did try to insert some recognition of Christianity in the Constitution, but their efforts failed.

Historical evidence exists which disproves the "Christian Nation" theory. Not so. One example is found in The Treaty of Tripoli, written under Washington's presidency and approved by the Senate under John Adams, who signed it: "As the Government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion...; The United States is not a Christian nation any more than it is a Jewish or a Mohammedan nation."

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;… The First Amendment

Religious political activists, eager to receive taxpayers' monies to subsidize their parochial schools, churches and charitable missions, are attempting to prove that the First Amendment's religious clause allows the state to support religious activity. In order to reinterpret the First Amendment's intent, these activists make use of "selective," inaccurate, or even fabricated history.

Thomas Jefferson was making a public statement of principle when he defined the First Amendment's purpose as that of building a "wall of separation between church and state." Jefferson's Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom further confirms he viewed church/state separation as the essence of the First Amendment.

The religious political activists claim that Jefferson later said that his "wall of separation between church and state" was meant to be one-directional -- to protect churches from government interference but not to prohibit churches from co-opting government influence. This false assertion is contrary to the entire body of Jefferson's writing on church/state relations. In fact, the impetus behind the First Amendment was the desire to prevent a recurrence of the religious persecution carried on in the Colonies by their politically powerful state churches.

Religious political activists argue that the First Amendment's only purpose was to prevent the establishment of a state church. If this were so, why did its authors reject wording to that effect and instead choose its much more far-reaching language?

These same activists claim that church/state separation has removed religion from our lives, but in the USA churches are thriving and the vast majority of citizens describe themselves as religious. Church/state separation does not discourage private religious beliefs and institutions; it simply ensures that all citizens--especially those of minority faiths--are free to practice their religious beliefs. It also ensures that no citizen is coerced, through taxes or otherwise, to support or participate in religious activities with which he may disagree.

In fairness to all taxpayers, church-state separation does not allow public funds to subsidize religious activity. Citizens may privately support their own (tax exempt) churches, but they are not forced to support religious institutions they may find offensive, such as those sponsored by Pat Robertson who preaches, "You say you're supposed to be nice to the Episcopalians and the Presbyterians and Methodists and this, that and the other thing. Nonsense! I don't have to be nice to the spirit of the anti-Christ!" (700 Club, 1/14/91)