Is our country a “Christian nation”?

July 6, 2010 | Posted by GrumpDaddy

During discussion of politics with “Constitutionalists”, I often hear the claim that our country was intended to be a Christian Nation. In support of that thesis, David Barton, the Founder and President of WallBuilders, a national pro-family organization, has made a series of publications that he claims are based on historical fact. In response, Chris Rodda has written a book titled Liars for Jesus, in which she disproves essentially every argument made by Barton.

As an example, a letter from Baptists in Danbury, Connecticut is often used to explain that religious leaders initiated the idea of separation of Church and State. Ms. Rodda reveals the real background behind the letter and President Jefferson’s replies in Oh No! Not Another Article About Jefferson and the Danbury Baptists!.

I was surprised to see that Mr. Barton makes the case that the Democratic Party was supportive of slavery but fails to explain that the states in the Deep South switched from Democrat to Republican after the Civil Rights Act was passed.

“The truth is that there was very little that was subconscious about the G.O.P.’s relentless appeal to racist whites. Tired of losing elections, it saw an opportunity to renew itself by opening its arms wide to white voters who could never forgive the Democratic Party for its support of civil rights and voting rights for blacks.”^[28]

Bob Herbert, a New York Times columnist