Christianity in the United States Government

By Robert Hupel

There has always been a debate about religion in the United States Government and the view about a separation between religion and state. To better understand this debate is to perform research into past documents and dealings with the state, and it is very evident in looking at this subject, that there is a separation between the state and religion, but the United States was based and influence by religion, and that it is an integral part of the United States. In looking at the period which the United States came into being as a breakaway colony of Great Britian. This event occurred during the time of the Enlightenment which emphasized reason, empirical evidence, and scientific methods. It also inspired the American Revolution with the ideas such as individual liberty, religious tolerance, and unalienable rights, and though the Enlightenment was different from the past, it was still an evolution and still drew upon and used the religious values of the past.

The first work that will be presented as evidence is the Declaration of Independence, which in the first paragraph notes “When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” The end of that sentence points out “the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them”. God entitled them. It does not say that are of moral value or that are human needs, it says God entitled them. The term God is usually related to either Christian, Islamic, or Jewish teaching, which the English colonist were Christians. They reiterate the use of God in the second paragraph in their argument about leaving England due to injustices that the colonist held were being done upon them by the English. The rest of the document covers their grievances to the English Crown, and their justification for separating from England.

In the second work that will be noted, the link to God and their Christian faith is not so well noted in the Articles of Confederation which was the first attempt that the American Colonies attempted to form a working government. The Article notes the time of its inception where the Congress assembled “on the Fifteenth Day of November in the Year of Our Lord One thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy seven in the Second Year of Independence of America.” In the presentation of the year, it is noted in reverence and reference to God. The rest of the document declares the laws of the land and the delegates authority to the different parts of the Government, and does not talk about God as much, but it starts off recognizing God “Our Lord”. This like the Declaration of Independence shows that their Christian beliefs and values were still a part of their government. In the third document and the one that has been the most lasting there is continued evidence of Christian background and connection to the United States government.

The next work that will be presented is the Constitution of the United States. This work is different than the others, as it does not start off noting the year but goes straight into talking about the purpose of this document and then assigning the responsibilities of each group within the government as well as how the government is going to function. In this work there is notes about justice, liberty, domestic tranquility, and many other unalienable rights that people have. There is not a mention of God until the end of the document which again refers to the year of Our Lord as they pay homage to God, and it is a reminder of their Christian heritage that the United States was formed upon. The next document is the one which started the debates about religion in government, The Bill of Rights and later amendments.

One of the things that can be noted is that with each passing document the number of references to God decrease, but they are always there. In the Bill of Rights, there is a different move in this document as the only mention of God is in the first amendment, but it is not so much God as it is about individual freedoms, and this amendment that started the debate about the separation between church and state. The amendment does not make any such claim or mention the separation between the church and the state. It does say that Congress will not make any law in respect to an established religion or prohibiting the free exercise of a religion. In this document it shows that the United States will not follow the practices of Europe of the time, in which the state will dictate which religion that the people can practice and follow. This is the meaning of that part of the first amendment, and it still has not changed.

The two works that will be presented for this argument are similar, though they were crafted nearly two centuries apart. The first was a sermon and prayer that had been given to an artillery company in Massachusetts prior to the anniversary of their elected officer calling upon God’s blessing. The other is making note of the prayer that an Army Chaplin had written for General Patton during the Battle of the Bulge asking for favorable weather so that he could move his army to relieve the units that were already there. In these two works it shows that Christianity has still played a predominate factor in the influences upon the United States and in this case the military.

The last work was chosen as it does show an attempt to have the mail delivered on the Sabbath. The writer makes some notes that there are inconsistencies in the policies and questions if the United States is a Christian nation and even points out that the Constitution is not composed of scripture and that it covers equal rights to all religious sects such as the Jewish people, Turk, Infidels, and Heretics. This document refers to the First Amendment, which notes that the government will not act upon nor prohibit a religion, yet the holidays and work schedules do follow Christian traditions.

In short and still following the points and references, the United States is influenced by Christianity and has been, but the state will not force the people to follow any prescribed religion. This argument also acts as a two-sided sword. On one hand, it holds that there is no conflict of religious education or actions taking place in government facilities or properties. The other side of that argument is that if Christian events or actions take place within the government facility, it opens the opportunity for other religions to do the same, which might bring conflict on that note.

 Resources:

“Articles of Confederation.” ushistory.org. Accessed November 8, 2025. https://www.ushistory.org/documents/confederation.htm.

“Bill of Rights and Later Amendments to the United States Constitution.” ushistory.org. Accessed November 8, 2025. https://www.ushistory.org/documents/amendments.htm.

Cooper, Thomas. To any member of Congress. New York: Day & Evans, printers, 1829. Sabin Americana: History of the Americas, 1500-1926 (accessed November 8, 2025). https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CY0111002910/SABN?u=vic_liberty&sid=bookmark-SABN&xid=569b0912&pg=1.

“Declaration of Independence.” ushistory.org. Accessed November 8, 2025. https://www.ushistory.org/documents/declaration.htm.

Patton, George S. (Soldat. War as I knew it. New York, NY u.a: Bantam Books, 1989.

“United States Constitution.” ushistory.org. Accessed November 8, 2025. https://www.ushistory.org/documents/constitution.htm.

West, Samuel, and Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. The Christian soldier: a sermon, preached before the ancient and honorable artillery company, on Monday, June 2d, 1794, being the anniversary of their election of officers. Boston: Printed by Manning and Loring, 1794. Sabin Americana: History of the Americas, 1500-1926 (accessed November 8, 2025). https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CY0101524136/SABN?u=vic_liberty&sid=bookmark-SABN&xid=083e0c81&pg=1.