America’s Religious Roots

A sermon delivered at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation (Blacksburg, VA), July 5, 2009 — the day after Independence Day, by the Reverend Christine Brownlie.

On July 3, Roger Pogge (Williamsburg, VA) had a letter to the editor published in The Roanoke Times. This sermon is my response to Mr. Pogge.

Dear Mr. Pogge,

Your recent letter to the editor caught my attention and has provided me with a means to offer my own thoughts about this hotly contested idea-that America was founded on “Christian Principles.” Certainly this idea is widely held, but I find it questionable at best. Let me tell you why.

I’ll start with the very early days of our nation’s history and the very first colonists: the Puritans. There’s no doubt that they came here with the firm determination to establish colonies that were based on the tenants of their version of Christianity, for which they were condemned as heretics and thus subject to persecution and even execution in their own country. We must first remember that they had no plans, nor even a desire, to establish a new nation in this New World. First and foremost, they wanted to escape from the religious oppression of Church of England and the Crown and worship in the fashion that seemed most authentic to their understanding of the commands of the Bible. But they also had a vision of what their new community could be. This vision was cast in beautiful language by John Winthrop of the Massachusetts Bay Colony:

“Therefore, let us choose life, that we and our seed may live by obeying his (God’s) voice and cleaving to him, for he is our life and our prosperity”

Winthrop hoped that by by living in accordance with God’s divine law and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, their colony would become a “city on the hill” offering an example of a godly society that would inspire others to do the same. In short, these religious refuges wanted to create a theocracy with all that this implies — just ask the Quakers!

If the work of founding America had begun and ended with these devout folks, then your claim that our nations roots are firmly planted in Christianity would be accurate and the debate — mercifully — would end.

But the truth is that the founding of America and our enduring core values was a slow process that took a century and a half. Many of us would say that this process continues to this day, as we are faced with new challenges and problems that our ancestors could not have imagined.

Our roots as a nation are tangled and fed by many sources and philosophies. Those early colonists may have hoped and prayed that America would be a “beacon on a hill” ruled according to the divine authority of their God and Gospels, but by the time General George Washington was inaugurated as the first President, the source of authority for the establishment of our nation was located on earth, in the people of the United States.

How did this happen? And why? This is not simply a matter of academics. As you yourself rightly understand, Mr. Pogge, the answer to this question matters greatly. The defining story that tells us where we came from and who we are today will also determine what kind of society we will pass on to future generations.

So I invite to you to join me as I delve a little deeper into the religious/ philosophical roots of our nation to determine if they are indeed firmly planted in the traditions of Christianity — or if there are other sources that have helped to create our unique system of government and our national character.

We can’t deny that the ethics and values of Christianity have been a shaping force for our country. I believe that the theology and values of Protestantism have been especially powerful. By theology, I mean the version of Christian teachings that the Protestant tradition emphasizes: the Trinity, the sinful nature of humanity, salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and a concern for those in need. Our nation’s values were also shaped by the radical ideas about the nature and in-born capabilities of the average person that fueled the Protestant Reformation. I’d suggest to you that Luther’s shocking claim that all human beings could discern the teachings of the Holy Bible for themselves — without the assistance of a mediator — led to profound changes in the political philosophy of the day that made possible our nation’s birth.

As the people in the pews began to study the Bible in their own languages, a cascading chaos of new interpretations and ideas began to flow that challenged the authority of both the Church and the State. Educated middle-class people began to understand that the individual man — no matter what his class or standing — had value not just as a source of labor, but as a unique human being. Men had the ability, as well as the divinely-given right, to make decisions for themselves about their beliefs and their loyalties. It took a few decades — actually centuries — for Protestant denominations to grant the same rights to women and people of color. (For some it is still an on-going process.) More and more people became heretics, choosing the faith stance that seemed to be most compatible with their own leanings.

As the common people began to question the absolute authority of the established church, they also questioned the divine authority of the established ruler. And when that divine authority crossed the line and slapped a heavy tax on tea that was shipped to the colonies, some colonists took defiant action! The “Boston Tea Party,” a revered chapter in our nation’s story, surely violated Jesus’ command to “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.” Our own Thomas Jefferson expressed his disdain for the claim of the divine right to rule when he wrote that in the Declaration of Independence that “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The right to govern came from the people, not God.

You’re correct, Mr. Pogge, in reminding us that Jefferson tells us that men are “endowed by their Creator with certain rights.” But I would suggest that before we claim this phrase as evidence of a Christian bias, we should consider how the signers of the Declaration of Independence thought of this “Creator.”

When we look at the religious views of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, we find that 49 were Protestants, 3 were Catholics, and four had no religious affiliation. Slightly more that half of the Protestants belonged to the Church of England. These men were not Christian fundamentalists who believed in the absolute inerrancy of the Bible. A good number of those who signed the Declaration of Independence held to the theology of what some call “classical Deism.”

Deism was a response to the growing awareness of the universal laws of nature that seemed to diminish God’s participation in life on earth. It was the laws of nature that held everything together, and while these laws may have been instituted by a wise and good God, they were inviolable. Educated people began to see that the scriptures, doctrines, and creeds of faith could and should be viewed through the lens of reason. God still reigned, but there were other forces at play that were predictable and reliable.

The teachings of Deism were straightforward and radical for their time. I offer a short list of the basics:¹

1. A belief in the existence of a single supreme God — not a triune deity.

2. Humanity's duty is to revere God.

3. There is a link between worship and the teaching of practical morality.

4. God will forgive us if we repent and abandon our sins.

5. Good works will be rewarded (and there will be punishment for evil) both in life and after death.

6. The Deist God — ever gentle, loving, and benevolent — intended men to behave toward one another in the same kindly and tolerant fashion.

7. Revelation continues and is available to all.

Sources Wikipedia "Deism" and Encyclopedia Britanica, Web version.

Here’s another take on deism from the pen of Thomas Paine, the author of the revolutionary pamphlet, Common Sense:

I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life.
I believe in the equality of man, and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy.

You may notice that that Paine says nothing about Jesus or salvation through his death on the cross. In fact, the Declaration of Independence itself contains no reference to Jesus at all. The Scriptural references you site are taken from the Jewish scriptures! Could it be that our nation is in fact a reflection of Jewish teachings and traditions?

No Mr. Pogge, I’m not just being a wise guy with that comment. But it might surprise you to learn that some of the most influential Founding Fathers expressed outright hostility toward Christianity. James Madison, considered by many to be the primary author of the Constitution, offered a very strong condemnation:

"During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the Clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution."

James Madison
Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments, 1785.

Unitarian John Adams expressed his doubts with these words:

“Where in the Gospels do we find a precept for Creeds, Confessions, Oaths, Doctrines, and whole carloads of other foolish trumpery that we find in Christianity?”

(The Ten Commandments Joseph Hestor, PG 136)

I’m sure that you know that Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, is also the editor of a Bible that contains none of the miracles or other divine wonders of Jesus’ life that are essential to many Christians.

Was it the Founder’s intent that this new country should be for Christians only? Patrick Henry, a Christian who held that the Gospel of Jesus was indeed the foundation of this nation, also believed

"That religion, or the duty we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience."

Patrick Henry
Virginia Bill of Rights, June 12, 1776.

This statement of tolerance opened the door for our country to become home to multiple faiths beyond the varieties of Christianity that were common in the European nations. You may say that Henry had no inking that this would happen, and you may be correct. I would submit that that the Founding Fathers could never have conceived of the firearms that are available today, but many hold that the Second Amendment of the Constitution is just fine the way it is, — but I digress.

You probably know that many of our Founding Fathers were involved in Freemasonry, a “secret society” that has long been viewed with suspicion by some Christian faiths because of the teaching that Jesus was a man and not a divine being. Al Dager, the author of A Masonic History of America, wrote

“Freemasons pride themselves in their noble attitudes and adherence to strict moral codes. These are not “evil” men in the classical sense. But they are blinded to the true revelation of God’s Word, and their religious philosophy embraces all religions as valid. To be a Freemason, one must believe in a supreme being, but he need not be a Christian.”

Finally, while the, Declaration of Independence includes the references to Creator and “Nature’s God,” The Constitution, which is the bedrock of our government, makes no reference to God at all. The first sentence establishes our country’s secular stance by the claim that “We the People” formed this union, not some divine power.

I am glad that our nation’s roots are planted in rich soils that blend many ideas and faith claims. I’m certain, Mr. Pogge, that I have not persuaded you to change your point of view on this matter, and that’s all right. I doubt that you could persuade me to change mine. To be honest, as someone who reveres the teachings of the Rabbi from Nazareth, I’d be delighted to hear a politician call for policies based on the sayings of Jesus that we know as the beatitudes:

Blessed are the peacemakers, the merciful, the humble, and those who suffer for the sake of justice, that the wealthy have an obligation to care for the poor, and that peace is worth pursuing, even at the risk of losing one’s life.

But I doubt that this will ever happen.

I’m grateful that you and I live in a country where we can follow our own spiritual leanings and disagree. I’m grateful that we are a nation of many faiths and points of view. This makes us strong and keeps us from the terrible things that people often do to one another when there is only one acceptable way to think and believe. May God bless America in all its diversity.

May it always — always ... always — be so!