Religion and America: Have We Strayed from Our Path or Have We Become Misguided?

The Treaty of Tripoli, signed in 1796, sheds light on the Founding Fathers' views regarding the relationship between religion and government. Article 11 of the treaty states unequivocally that the government of the United States is not founded on the Christian religion.

This sentiment was echoed by several Founding Fathers. James Madison, in a letter to William Bradford, expressed hostility towards religious bondage and its debilitating effects on the mind. Thomas Jefferson, in his famous letter to the Danbury Baptists, advocated for a separation between Church and State in the United States.

Despite some commentators on the right believing that the Founders imagined a nation based on Christianity, this belief is not supported by the Founders' political philosophy. Jefferson self-identified as a materialist and was accused of atheism by his political opponents. Madison, despite a brief flirtation with the idea of ministry, seems to have been agnostic.

John Adams, too, had unconventional religious beliefs. He rejected the idea of the holy trinity, a standard doctrine in many sects of contemporary Christianity. He also expressed doubt about the possibility of a free government existing with the Roman Catholic religion.

George Washington's religious beliefs are debated, with some categorizing him as a deist. However, Washington valued hard work and did not consider those values exclusive to any particular religion or religious belief.

The Founding Fathers valued moral knowledge and conscience, backed up by secular laws, as mainstays of orderly society. They believed that religion played a fundamental role in supporting a free government by promoting virtue and morality among citizens, but that the government must not interfere with religious freedom or establish a state religion, ensuring that religious liberty is protected as a key pillar of political liberty.

The Treaty of Tripoli was approved by the administration of John Adams and signed off on by a Congress that included James Madison. If the Founding Fathers had intended America to be a Christian nation, the Treaty of Tripoli would not have been approved.

The attempts to intertwine government and religion, politicize matters of private conscience, and force religion into politics are where America has lost its way, according to the Founders' vision. Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists also revealed that he held some form of religious belief as a matter of private conscience.

In conclusion, the Founding Fathers did not intend for America to be a "Christian Nation" in the modern sense. They valued religious freedom and the separation of Church and State, ensuring that the United States would be a nation where all could practice their faith freely.