Not that long ago President Obama was all to happy to point out that America was no longer a Christian nation. Some went even further and proclaimed that America never was a Christian nation.
Trump says that together we can “make America great again.” Clinton says that American has always been great because we are “good.” Both ignore the truth.
The most important thing about America is that we cherish freedom. But from where do we get that valuation? Frankly, it comes from truths that should be “self evident”: We were created by God and endowed with certain unalienable rights.
And when it comes down to rights, one of the most important, if not the most important, is freedom of religion. However, it must be understood that even though America was founded in such a way as to protect the individual’s right, the foundation on which this right was secured was not irreligious or secular – it was the very gospel of Jesus Christ.
“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here.” – Patrick Henry
You see, pluralism does not guarantee anything. Other religions could not have been the basis for our founding documents. America was unique in that it was founded with Christianity at its core. Why is this important? If for no other reason Jesus never forced anyone to follow him, and that is why “people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here.”
Just in case you didn’t get that, it is precisely because of Christianity other religions have the right and freedom of worship in the United States. The founding fathers understood this.
So, go ahead, force Christianity and all its followers into the back alleys and into hiding. Go ahead, make it criminal to be dogmatic and evangelical. Go ahead, become like Russia and ban all forms of religious speech outside of government-sanction meeting places – for safety’s sake. Go ahead, let another religion/non-religion come to the forefront and drown out the gospel of Grace, then you will have no religious liberty at all, only the thing you mistakenly think Christianity is – and you will be forced to comply.
The Recovering Legalist 