Eleanor Finch
The role of religion in the United States is a highly debated topic, with academics, legislators, judges, and citizens seeking to validate their opinions by identifying them with the Founding Fathers. The Founding Fathers believed in religious liberty for all, regardless of creed, and recognized that the freedom to worship according to one's conscience must extend even to non-believers. The two key founding documents in American history are the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, with the former containing several references to God and the latter containing none. However, some argue that the Constitution does mention God in the ratification clause, which reads in the Year of Our Lord 1787. The absence of explicit references to God in the Constitution has led to varying interpretations, with some arguing for a Godless Constitution and others emphasizing the secular values it upholds.
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What You'll Learn
- The founding fathers believed in religious liberty for all
- The Declaration of Independence mentions God, the Constitution doesn't
- The Constitution is predicated on the Declaration of Independence
- The founding fathers quoted Enlightenment thinkers who believed in God
- The US Constitution differs from other constitutions that mention God
The founding fathers believed in religious liberty for all
The founding fathers of the United States are frequently referenced in debates about the role of religion in the country. The founding fathers enshrined religious freedom in the First Amendment to the Constitution, and this was important to them for several reasons. Firstly, there were political theory reasons; the founding fathers believed that religion was the source of morality and was necessary for popular government. They also believed that there could be an official role for religion in connection with the state, alongside a tolerant regime of religious liberty.
Many of the founding fathers, including the first two presidents, George Washington and John Adams, were firm believers in the importance of religion for republican government. Washington, in his Farewell Address of September 1796, called religion "a necessary spring of popular government". Adams claimed that statesmen "may plan and speculate for Liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand".
In addition to political theory, there were also personal history reasons for the founding fathers' commitment to religious liberty. Many of the founding fathers, and the Americans they represented, had experienced religious persecution and intolerance in Europe, and had come to America in search of a place where they could practise their faith freely. America thus attracted a wide variety of religious sects from Europe, and the founding fathers had to consider how to accommodate this religious pluralism.
The founding fathers also frequently cited the Bible in their political documents, particularly texts that spoke of liberty, such as Galatians 5:1: "Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty, where in Christ hath made us free".
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The Declaration of Independence mentions God, the Constitution doesn't
The United States Declaration of Independence mentions God several times, while the US Constitution contains no references to God. This is a point of contention for some, who see the Founding Fathers as having purposefully omitted God from the Constitution, creating a ""Godless Constitution". However, others argue that the Founding Fathers did mention God, in the ratification clause, "in the Year of Our Lord 1787".
The Declaration of Independence, one of the two key founding documents in American history, explains why the US exists as a nation and mentions God four times. Most importantly, it says that the rights of Americans come from the Creator. The Constitution, on the other hand, explains how the nation functions. It is predicated on the Declaration, and some argue that it does not need to mention God because it is based on the Declaration, which does.
The Founding Fathers believed in religious liberty for all, and many recognised that the freedom to worship according to one's beliefs must extend even to non-believers. John Adams, for example, said, "Government has no Right to hurt a hair of the head of an Atheist for his opinions." Thomas Jefferson expressed a similar sentiment: “The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god."
The Founding Fathers also included the words "one nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance as they believed that Americans' shared commitment to democracy could transcend religious differences. However, this was added in 1954, long after the Founding Fathers.
The US is not alone in its constitutional references to God. Many countries, especially those with strong established churches, invoke God in their constitutions. For example, the constitutions of 19 US states, as well as Puerto Rico, refer to "God the Almighty" or the "Supreme Ruler of the Universe". In Europe, the preamble to the Constitution of the Czech Republic refers to the country's "spiritual wealth", while Poland's preamble contains a nominatio dei.
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The Constitution is predicated on the Declaration of Independence
The United States Constitution does not mention God, but the Declaration of Independence does. The Founding Fathers invoked God in the Declaration of Independence to express the notion of unalienable rights. The Declaration of Independence is not legally binding, but it is powerful. It states the principles on which the US government and identity are based and expresses the ideals on which the United States was founded. The Founding Fathers did not invoke God when expressing the notion of a government answerable to the people in the Constitution.
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The founding fathers quoted Enlightenment thinkers who believed in God
The founding fathers of the United States were influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment, and some of them have been described as Deists. Deism is a philosophical belief system that emerged during the Enlightenment, which posits that God created the universe but does not intervene in it. Deists believe in God, but reject religious dogma and organised religion, and advocate for the use of reason and observation of the natural world.
Thomas Paine, a prominent Deist and the protégé of Benjamin Franklin, wrote "The Age of Reason", in which he called Christianity "a fable". Paine wrote:
> "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 in endeavouring to make our fellow-creatures happy."
Other founding fathers, such as George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, have been described as Christian Deists. These individuals recognised the importance of Christian morality in public life, but may not have strictly adhered to Christian doctrine or participated in church sacraments.
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The US Constitution differs from other constitutions that mention God
The US Constitution does not mention God or the divine, unlike the nation's state constitutions and the Declaration of Independence. While the US Constitution guarantees that religion can never be a requirement for holding public office, the state constitutions of Hawaii, Colorado, Iowa, and Washington explicitly prohibit non-believers from holding public office.
The US Constitution does use the formula "the year of our Lord" in Article VII, but this is considered a boilerplate term for recording dates at that time, rather than a direct reference to God. The First Amendment to the US Constitution also states that the country shall have no official religion, reflecting the country's founding principles and the separation of church and state.
In contrast, many other countries' constitutions do include references to God or the divine. For example, the Preamble to the Constitution of Ireland includes an invocation of God and Jesus, which has been cited in Supreme Court rulings. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms also mentions God in its preamble, although this has not had much effect on court rulings. Several European constitutional traditions, including those of Islamic countries, have a history of including invocations of God in their founding documents, reflecting the strong position of established churches in those countries.
Some authors interpret the nominatio dei in the 1949 German constitution as committing the state to active support of Christian teachings, although this view is rejected in German constitutional practice. The inclusion of a nominatio dei in the preamble to the proposed European Constitution was hotly debated, but the member states ultimately failed to reach a consensus for a reference to Christianity.
The US Constitution's omission of God differs from other constitutions that mention God or include invocations of God and Jesus. Instead, the US Constitution focuses on secular values and the separation of church and state, guaranteeing religious freedom and ensuring that religion is not a requirement for holding public office.
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Frequently asked questions
No, God is not mentioned in the US Constitution. The only reference to a supreme being is in the date, which reads "the Seventeenth Day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven".
The Founding Fathers believed in religious liberty for all, regardless of creed. They wanted to ensure that the freedom to worship according to one's beliefs extended to non-believers as well. The concept of "separation of church and state" was very much on the minds of the Founding Fathers when they drafted the First Amendment.
There are differing opinions on this. Some skeptics argue that the Founding Fathers purposefully left God out of the Constitution, while others claim that they simply forgot. It is worth noting that the Founding Fathers did include references to God in other important documents, such as the Declaration of Independence.
Yes, at the state level, the constitutions of several states, including California, Colorado, Florida, and Illinois, make explicit references to God. Additionally, the Pledge of Allegiance, drafted in 1892, did not originally contain the phrase "under God", but this phrase was added in 1954.
