The Constitution andAmerican law are notbased upon the Bible,Christianity or Ten Commandments. I have written about this before,but it bears repeating. American law is based upon the English Common Law. Thomas Jefferson studied the subject and concluded that the Common Law existed before Christianity arrived in England.
Should religion influence laws?
The First Amendment does not say that the government must exclude religious influences from the political sphere. Of course religious principles will have some influence on the formation of law, since law is largely an extension of societal morality. Many laws are expressions of moral principles.
What does the constitution say about Christianity?
What does the US Constitution say about Christianity? Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Were laws created based on religion?
^ In history, systems of law have almost always been based on religion: decisions regarding what was to be lawful among men were taken with reference to the divinity. Unlike other great religions, Christianity has never proposed a revealed law to the State and to society, that is to say a juridical order derived from revelation.
What laws protect religious rights?
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals because of their religion (or lack of religious belief) in hiring, firing, or any other terms and conditions of employment. The law also prohibits job segregation based on religion, such as assigning an employee to a non-customer contact position because of actual or feared customer preference.
Christianity Matters in American Law and Jurisprudence
Since the first English settlements in North America, Christianity and its sacred text have had a significant influence on American jurisprudence. This reflects Christianity’s imprint on Western legal traditions in general and the English common law in particular.
About the Author: Daniel L. Dreisbach
Daniel L. Dreisbach is a professor in the School of Public Affairs at American University in Washington, DC. His research interests include the intersection of religion, law, and politics in American public life.
About the Author: Mark David Hall
Mark David Hall is Herbert Hoover Distinguished Professor of Politics and Faculty Fellow in the William Penn Honors Program at George Fox University.
The Constitution and Blue Laws
What does the reference to Sunday in Article I, Section 7 above [“If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) .
Religious Tests
While the framers of the Constitution were absolutely opposed to a national, established Church, they understood that in order for people’s words to be believed in court, they had to believe in God and future rewards and punishments in the world to come.
The Establishment Clause
Thomas Jefferson’s 1802 letter to a group of Baptists of Danbury, Connecticut states that the purpose of the First Amendment was to build “a wall of separation between church and state.” Yet what President Jefferson meant by this wall is patently obvious from the weight of historical evidence cited above: namely, that this did not mean that there could be no point of contact between church and state.
What did George Washington believe about the new government?
It is clear that the framers of this new government believed that the people should elect and support leaders with character and integrity. George Washington expressed this in his Farewell Address when he said, "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports."
What did Page Smith believe about the Protestant Reformation?
He believes that. The Protestant Reformation produced a new kind of consciousness and a new kind of man. The English Colonies in America, in turn, produced a new unique strain of that consciousness.
What was the Christian world view?
A Christian world and life view furnished the basis for this early political thought which guided the American people for nearly two centuries and whose crowning lay in the writing of the Constitution of 1787. 9. Actually, the line of influence extends back even further.
What did Benjamin Rush say about the religious foundation of the republic?
He said that, "the only foundation for a useful education in a re public is to be laid on the foundation of religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments." 4
What would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net?
Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. 1.
What is Kerby Anderson’s focus on?
Probe’s Kerby Anderson looks at the Christian influence on our American governmental institutions: our Christian roots, the importance of Christian character, and the influence of the Protestant Reformation.
Can morality be maintained without religion?
And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle. 2.
What does anti-Christian history revisionists like to re-write?
Anti-Christian historical revisionists like to re-write history to make it seem like our nation was not founded on biblical principles but that is not what the historical records actually say nor is there any hint of this from the founding fathers of America. John Adams wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson on June 28, …
What are the requirements for holding political office?
The requirements for holding political office always held that it should be righteous men who must mold government and righteous men who must hold government offices. The idea of usurping the First Amendment to obstruct public expressions of faith instead of protecting it would leave the Founders aghast.
How many articles has Jack written?
Jack has written 1170 articles on What Christians Want To Know! Read them in the archive below.
Where does the separation of church and state come from?
In fact the phrase “ the separation of church and state ” is not found in the U.S. Constitution, it is not found in any of the Amendments, nor is it found in the Bill of Rights. This term came from Thomas Jefferson’s statement about a wall of separation between church and state but it was made in a letter on January 1, …
Which amendment protects religious freedom?
It’s interesting that the First Amendment that was designed to protect religious freedom and liberty is now being used to restrict it. This is not what the First Amendment says as we read “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”.
Who wrote the laws of nature?
George Mason, another of this nation’s founding fathers wrote “The laws of nature are the laws of God, whose authority can be superseded by no power on earth.” Benjamin Franklin insisted on prayer before each session of the Constitutional Convention and Franklin obviously must have read enough of the Bible to have said “I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?” John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail in a letter dated July 3, 1776 in which he said “The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever.” Thomas Jefferson wrote “God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever; That a revolution of the wheel of fortune, a change of situation, is among possible events; that it may become probable by Supernatural influence! The Almighty has no attribute which can take side with us in that event” (Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVIII, p. 237). Tragically, these things have been left out of the history books now being fed to our younger generation. What would the anti-Christian history revisionists say about these factual historical statements of the founding fathers?
Who wrote the letter to Thomas Jefferson?
John Adams wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson on June 28, 1813 and said “The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.”.
Why should we not be afraid of laws based on Christian beliefs?
The reason little fear should be expected is because virtually all Christian laws employ the standard set forth by Jesus Christ: “Love they neighbor as thyself.”
How have secularists eliminated religion?
There is no need to labor through the volumes of success stories the secularists have achieved in eliminating religion (in particular, the Christian religion) from public view – religious monuments have been destroyed; public prayer has been banned; religious words have been censored; entire laws have been overturned; religious symbols have been removed and, in some extreme cases, religious speech has been stricken.
Why are we a Christian nation?
We are a Christian nation because the people in America are decidedly Christian. But our laws, institutions and policies are quickly becoming un-Christian, mainly because Christians have been committing political suicide for nearly a century. Blame it on Supreme Court rulings, media bashing, secular education or weak churches, Christians in America routinely censor themselves out of fear of violating some fictitious “separation of Church and State” standard.
What was the point of the 1931 Supreme Court ruling?
The point of the 1931 Supreme Court ruling is that laws come from a core set of beliefs. In the case of U.S. v Macintosh it was understood that that core set of beliefs came from a Christian perspective.
What is the strongest element in America?
Predominant means to be “present as the strongest element, exertion or power.” So the strongest element in America, according to the Pew Research Center, is Christians.
Why is it unacceptable to claim a law is being passed?
Starting in the late 20th century and now continuing into the 21st century, it has become publicly reprehensible and unacceptable to claim a law is being passed because it has roots in the Bible. It is universally understood in America that that if a law is being drafted, supported or promoted it must come from a non-sectarian point of view, meaning a secularist point of view.
What are some examples of insane laws?
Examples of these insane laws include the banning of large sodas (New York City), outlawing Happy Meals (San Francisco), giving drivers tickets for having a muddy vehicle (Minnesota), making it a crime to collect rainwater on your own property (Utah) and handing out citations to car owners with trash in their vehicles (Hilton Head, SC). There are many other man-made crazy laws that are far too numerous to recite here.
Why is it tempting to push back against politicians justifying their regressive morality laws?
It’s tempting to push back against politicians justifying their regressive morality laws by way of the "Judeo-Christian values" of the founding. It’s tempting to push back by simply pointing to the First Amendment and declaring the United States was always founded as a secular country. Unfortunately, that claim would ignore a long history of discrimination against minority religions and the privileging of Christianity.
What were the forms of state sponsored discrimination against non-Christians?
There were also forms of state-sponsored discrimination against non-Christians that did not require explicit privileging of Christianity over other religions. Consider the ubiquity of "Sunday Laws," which prohibited people from working Sundays. Jews had to work on the sabbath (Saturday), lose two days of work over the weekend or risk prosecution. These laws resurged in 1880s New York with the arrival of more Jews.
Why was the United States founded?
The United States was founded with an attempt at secularism as well as freedom of religion. As opposed to monarchies, democracies in general are less Christian-based, as rulers are not justified on the "divine right of kings.". Practically, "freedom of religion" often meant the freedom to practice whichever sect of Christianity, …
What was considered a consideration for the courts?
One consideration for the courts was the "racial performance" of immigrants to determine how successfully they would assimilate. Courts often used an immigrant’s lack of Christianity as a detriment to assimilation and therefore to whiteness.
What was the requirement for naturalization?
Naturalization required an immigrant be "white" or of African descent after the Civil War until 1952. This requirement led to a number of cases, dubbed "prerequisite cases," brought by immigrants to prove their "whiteness.".
When considering religious freedom in early America, we must look beyond federal law and beyond the Bill of Rights.?
The Bill of Rights was not applied to the states, except to declare the citizenship of formerly enslaved people, until the Incorporation Doctrine was applied to incorporate the Bill of Rights to the states through the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment. This doctrine has been traced to Gitlow v. New York in 1925, when the Supreme Court held that states were required to protect freedom of speech, partially incorporating the First Amendment.
Is there a Jewish value system?
Except Judaism and Christianity don’t have a common value system on those issues. While it is hard to declare a universal Jewish value —there are many sects of Judaism and one of our core tenets is argument—most Jewish rabbis acknowledge that abortion should be allowed at least in certain circumstances. Jewish law dictates that life begins at first breath, not conception. Additionally, many Jews consider themselves atheists and consider Jewish practice to be through behavior and attitude, not belief. Unfortunately the acceptance of LGBT people in Judaism is more complicated, depending on the sect, but Reform and Conservative Judaism are publicly accepting of LGBT people. Basically, there’s no such thing as a "Judeo-Christian values."