Eleanor Finch
The United States Constitution is a document of human governance and law, embodying moral, philosophical, and political principles and values. While the US Constitution is not a religious document, it is argued that it was influenced by the Bible and biblical values. The Bible was the most-quoted source in the founding fathers' speeches and writings, and the Constitution expresses sensitivity to biblical convictions.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Theological or doctrinal propositions regarding human nature, civil authority, and political society | Genesis 3 |
| Belief in a future state of rewards and punishments | Article IV, § 4, cl. 1 |
| Hebrew commonwealth described in the Old Testament | Exodus 18:21 |
| The Bible was the most quoted source in the Founders' speeches and writings | Isaiah 33:22 |
| The Bible was a great handbook for nurturing morality and ethics | Deuteronomy 17:6 |
| The Bible was interpreted through the lens of respective constitutions | Ezekiel 18:20 |
| The Bible was applied to shape political theories | Ezra 7:24 |
| The Bible was used to justify the break with Britain | |
| The Bible was used to justify continuing the war | |
| The Bible was used to justify basic principles of Americans writing their own constitutions | |
| The Bible was used to justify the rationale for the Declaration of Independence | |
| The Bible was used as a source of Liberty Cards | |
| The Bible was used as a basis for the Mayflower Compact | |
| The Bible was used to justify the idea of a limited government | |
| The Bible was used to justify the idea of rule of law | |
| The Bible was used to justify the idea of unalienable rights | |
| The Bible was used to justify the idea of religious freedom |
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What You'll Learn
- The US Constitution and Bible's shared influence on the Declaration of Independence
- The Bible's role in the justification for breaking away from Britain
- The Constitution's lack of explicit mentions of God, Christ or religion
- The Bible's influence on the Founding Fathers' political and legal models
- The Bible's impact on the Founders' views of morality and ethics
The US Constitution and Bible's shared influence on the Declaration of Independence
The US Constitution and the Bible share influence on the Declaration of Independence. The founding fathers were guided by the Bible's teachings when drafting the Constitution, which remains the law of the land with only 27 amendments. The Bible was the most quoted source in the Founders' speeches and writings.
The Bible's influence on the Constitution is manifested in several ways. Firstly, general theological or doctrinal propositions regarding human nature, civil authority, and political society informed the conceptions and institutions of law and civil government. The Bible's understanding of original sin and humankind's radical depravity inspired the framers to design a system that would guard against the concentration or abuse of government powers. The most basic features of the American constitutional design, such as limited government, separation of powers, and checks and balances, are best understood in light of this theological doctrine of human depravity.
The founding generation also saw in the Bible political and legal models that they sought to incorporate into their systems. For example, the Constitution requires every state to maintain a Republican form of government, and many in the founding generation believed that the Hebrew commonwealth in the Old Testament provided a divinely inspired model for this.
The Bible and the Constitution also share some direct parallels. For example, both stipulate that no one may be executed by the testimony of only one witness. Both also prohibit the practice of "attainder", the charge of a felony or treason, and the loss of all civil rights, including the culpability of family members.
The Constitution also applies several governing principles, including popular sovereignty, consent of the governed, self-government, republicanism, federalism, social contract, rule of law, common law, constitutionalism, separation of powers, limited government, unalienable rights, and religious freedom. These principles are informed by the Bible's recognition of a Creator of the universe with a moral law for fallible mankind.
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The Bible's role in the justification for breaking away from Britain
The Bible played a significant role in justifying the break from Britain and shaping the principles of the new nation. The Founding Fathers, including Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, were influenced by biblical ideas and incorporated them into the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
The Revolutionary War marked a turning point in political history, and the political break influenced how Americans viewed their continuing links to Great Britain. After independence, Americans felt a need to justify their cultural preferences and practices to their fellow citizens and observers in Europe. This included justifying their love of British goods, as questioned by foreign allies.
The Bible was the most frequently quoted source in the Founders' speeches and writings. The Founders drew from Enlightenment-era thought, the colonial and state constitutions, the Declaration, and the Bible to shape their political theories and the laws, practices, and design of their Constitution. They often referenced the Bible and applied governing principles such as popular sovereignty, consent of the governed, self-government, republicanism, federalism, social contract, rule of law, common law, constitutionalism, separation of powers, limited government, unalienable rights, and religious freedom.
The Puritans in America, for example, favored rule of law based on the Bible and supported limited government and democracy over aristocracy. They also favored religious tolerance and believed in the value and dignity of all human beings, which influenced the Great Awakening Principle that "all men are equal before God."
In conclusion, the Bible played a crucial role in justifying the break from Britain by providing a moral and philosophical foundation for the new nation's principles and values, which were enshrined in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The Founders' worldview was shaped by their interpretation of the Bible, which guided their political decisions and the creation of a new government.
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The Constitution's lack of explicit mentions of God, Christ or religion
The US Constitution makes no mention of God, Jesus Christ, or Christianity. It is deliberately secular, aiming to establish freedom of religion and the separation of church and state. This is in contrast to the Declaration of Independence, which invokes a Supreme Being several times.
The Founding Fathers' views on religion were varied, with some, like Thomas Paine, lamenting institutionalized religion and even calling the Bible the "pretended word of God". Paine's beliefs aligned more with Deism, the belief in God as the creator of all things, but not as a miracle worker. Thomas Jefferson, who composed the Declaration of Independence, was also a Deist and edited the Bible to remove references to miracles and anything he considered "contrary to reason".
The lack of explicit mention of God or religion in the Constitution may be surprising given the religious undertones of the time. The Bible was the most quoted source in the Founders' speeches and writings, and they often referenced the Bible and biblical ideas in their political literature. The Constitution itself was influenced by Enlightenment-era thought, which recognized a Creator of the universe and a moral law for mankind. This Creator-oriented, Bible-based worldview shaped the laws, practices, and design of the Constitution.
However, the Founding Fathers were also influenced by the ideas of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. This can be seen in the Constitution's statement that "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States". The omission of God or religion from the Constitution can be interpreted as a deliberate choice to protect religious freedom and maintain state religious neutrality.
While the US Constitution does not explicitly mention God, Jesus Christ, or Christianity, it is important to note that it also does not establish the United States as a secular nation. The Constitution's lack of religious references allows for the freedom of religion and the diversity of beliefs that exist within the country.
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The Bible's influence on the Founding Fathers' political and legal models
The Bible was a significant influence on the Founding Fathers' political and legal thinking. Many of the Founding Fathers were steeped in Protestant Christianity and regarded the Bible as indispensable to their political experiment in self-government. They valued the Bible for its literary qualities and its insights into human nature, civic virtue, social order, and political authority. The Bible was also seen as providing instruction on the characteristics of a righteous civil magistrate, conceptions of liberty, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens, including the right to resist tyrannical rule.
The Bible was the most frequently quoted source in the Founding Fathers' speeches and writings. They drew on diverse political and legal traditions, including British constitutionalism, Enlightenment liberalism, and classical and civic republicanism. The Bible was one of many influences, alongside the works of John Locke, Montesquieu, and William Blackstone. These writers recognized a Creator of the universe with a moral law for fallible mankind, and they applied this perspective to shape their political theories.
The Founding Fathers' political discourse is replete with appeals to the Hebrew "republic" as a model for their own political experiment. They looked to the Hebraic republic described in the Bible as a "perfect Republic" and an "excellent general model" to copy. They also drew on the Bible for guiding principles on political order, civil authority, civic virtue, and responsible citizenship.
The Bible's influence can be seen in the principles and values embodied in the US Constitution, including popular sovereignty, consent of the governed, self-government, republicanism, federalism, social contract, rule of law, common law, constitutionalism, separation of powers, limited government, unalienable rights, and religious freedom. The Constitution's survival and retention of authority can be attributed to its harmony with the laws, customs, habits, and popular beliefs that existed before the Constitutional Convention, which were shaped by the Bible.
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The Bible's impact on the Founders' views of morality and ethics
The Bible had a significant influence on the Founders' views of morality and ethics, which in turn shaped the laws, practices, and design of the US Constitution. The Founders, including political philosophers, adhered to a Creator-oriented, Bible-based worldview with specific understandings of truth, morality, and humanity.
The Bible was the most frequently quoted source in the Founders' speeches and writings, and its principles were reflected in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The Founders drew from the Bible and the political theories of thinkers like Locke, Blackstone, and Montesquieu, who recognized a Creator of the universe with a moral law for fallible mankind. They applied this perspective to shape their political theories, which influenced the structure of the US government.
The Bible also influenced the Founders' views on justice. For example, the Bible suggests that human judges can mediate even divine decisions if they possess sufficient moral capacity and wisdom. Additionally, the Bible's concept of covenant played a role in shaping the Founders' understanding of criminal justice. Within the ethical context of the covenant, certain sins were believed to bring ritual pollution to the community, and capital punishment was seen as a way to protect the community from the consequences of such pollution.
Furthermore, the Bible's teachings on love and compassion were central to the Founders' ethics. The Bible emphasizes that the Law is summarized by two commandments focused on love, as mentioned in Luke 10:25-28. The Bible also highlights the importance of motives for our actions, encouraging actions such as loving, serving, helping, and forgiving, while discouraging selfishness, greed, and prideful arrogance.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution was influenced by biblical values, but it was also shaped by other sources, such as Enlightenment-era thought, the Declaration of Independence, and the political philosophies of the time.
The Bible's influence can be seen in the following examples:
- The concept of a republican form of government, as outlined in Exodus 18:21, where Moses instructed the Israelites to select leaders who "fear God".
- The prohibition of the practice of "attainder", or the charge of felony or treason resulting in the loss of all civil rights, as mentioned in both Article I, Sections 9 and 10, and Ezekiel 18:20.
- The requirement of multiple witnesses for execution, as stated in Article III, section 3, and Deuteronomy 17:6.
No, the Founding Fathers did not create a Christian government. However, they were influenced by the teachings of the Bible and other religious texts when drafting the Constitution.
The Founding Fathers had diverse religious beliefs, including Presbyterian, Baptist, Deist, and Atheist. They interpreted the Bible through the lens of their respective constitutions and subordinate standards.
The Constitution was influenced by general theological propositions regarding human nature, civil authority, and political society. The fundamental features of the American constitutional design, such as limited government, separation of powers, and checks and balances, can be understood in light of the theological doctrine of human depravity.
