Is America a 'Christian nation'?

A New York Times Magazine article renews the debate over the role the nation's founders intended for religion

A conservative Christian bloc on the Texas Board of Education wants to revise history textbooks to teach children that the Founding Fathers established the U.S. as a "Christian nation," according to an article in The New York Times Magazine. Critics say the activists are trying to push religious views on public school children by ignoring the founders' desire to separate church and state. But the board members pushing for change say secular liberals are suppressing the truth about the founders' religious views to advance their own agenda. Did the founders really intend the U.S. to be a Christian nation?

Absolutely not: "If the Founding Fathers had wanted America to be a Christian nation, they would’ve said so," says Lewis Grossberger in True/Slant. Instead, they went out of their way to suggest the contrary, which should be enough to blow this "nutty right-wing concept to smithereens." Besides, the founders left it to future generations to abolish slavery -- even if they said they wanted "a statue of Jesus in every home," we "wouldn't have to do it."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us