Supreme Court Affirms U.S. as Christian Nation (1931)

This blog has several posts about whether our nation is rooted as a Christian Nation. The point is not that we have or ever had a theocracy, but that our founders were either Christian or were strong supporters of Christian beliefs as a benefit to society and to government. In 1931, The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the Christian foundations of our nation. The case was U.S. v. MACINTOSH, 283 U.S. 605 (1931), 283 U.S. 605. The court referred to the earlier 1995 Holy Trinity case as precedent. Some have discounted Trinity, saying that the reference to Christian nation was not a valid precedent. However, the Court in 1931 apparently thought that is was entirely valid:

"We are a Christian people (Holy Trinity Church v. United States. 143 U.S. 457, 470 , 471 S., 12 S. Ct. 511), according to one another the equal right of religious freedom, and acknowledging with reverence the duty of obedience to the will of God. But, also, we are a nation with the duty to survive; a nation whose Constitution contemplates war as well as peace; whose government must go forward upon the assumption, and safely can proceed upon no other, that unqualified allegiance to the nation and submission and obedience to the laws of the land, as well those made for war as those made for peace, are not inconsistent with the will of God."

Read the case at FindLaw:

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=283&invol=605

Justice Story on the Importance of Religion to Good Government

Joseph Story is one of the most significant figures in American History that most people have never heard of. He was a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1811-1845, which in itself is an important fact. What makes him special is that in 1933 he wrote an authoritative commentary on the U.S. Constitution. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about his Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States:

"Dominating the field in the 19th century, this work is one of the chief cornerstones of early American jurisprudence. It is the first comprehensive treatise ever written on the U.S. Constitution, and remains a great source of historical information of the formation and early struggles to define the American republic."

Having commenced his term on the high court when many of the original founders were still alive, and when the debates on the Constitution were known to many first-hand, Story's work is uniquely positioned to give us an insight into the true meaning and intent of the U.S. Constitution.

Here is what he said about the relationship between religious faith and good government:

The promulgation of the great doctrines of religion, the being, and attributes, and providence of one Almighty God; the responsibility to him for all our actions, founded upon moral freedom and accountability; a future state of rewards and punishments; the cultivation of all the personal, social, and benevolent virtues;--these never can be a matter of indifference in any well ordered community. It is, indeed, difficult to conceive, how any civilized society can well exist without them. And at all events, it is impossible for those, who believe in the truth of Christianity, as a divine revelation, to doubt, that it is the especial duty of government to foster, and encourage it among all the citizens and subjects. This is a point wholly distinct from that of the right of private judgment in matters of religion, and of the freedom of public worship according to the dictates of one's conscience.

Purchase Story's book here:











Or see the link below:
http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/amendI_religions69.html

Andrew Johnson Declares Day of Prayer in Honor of President Lincoln

The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln was a national tragedy that still pains our country to this day. The country reacted and paid tribute in much the same way as we would today, or that we did after President Kennedy's death. There were solemn parades, songs of mourning were written, speeches were given, etc.

One difference from what might happen today was that the new President, Andrew Jackson, declared a national day of fasting and prayer to honor the former President. I think such an act today might be met with protestations in many circles, accompanied by claims that such an act violates the so-called "separation of church and state." There is a misconception about our Constitution, and those who think such a day of prayer is unconstitutional are mistaken and perhaps not aware of our history.

Here is a little more detail on the events following Lincoln's death, as collected by the Smithsonian Institution.

http://americanhistory.si.edu/presidency/3d1a3.html

Travelogue of USA' Religious Roots

Do you ever hear people who claim that our nation really doesn't have much of a religious foundation? I have, which is one incentive I had to start this blog.

In actuality, one doesn't have to look far to see signs of our religious roots. You don't even have to crack open a book or do an Internet search. Just do on a road trip. You may pass through some of these towns if you tour New England:

• Heaven Heights, Massachusetts
• Jericho, Vermont
• St. John, Maine
• Providence, Rhode Island
• Bethlehem, New Hampshire
  

Are you too far from New England? How about the Midwest:

• St. Johns, Illinois
• St. Paul, Iowa
• Gospel Ridge, Missouri
• St. James, Minnesota
  
• Galilee, Arkansas
• St. Mark, Kansas
  

Or maybe the Western states:

• Titus, California
• St. Paul, Oregon
• Moses, Washington
• or Moses, New Mexico
• Solomon, Arizona
• Trinity, Nevada

Truth be told, there are town names like this all over the USA. Check out the much more complete list on this page:

Biblical United States County/City/Town Names

Can History be Taught Well without Mentioning "Church"

I have stated many times that religion was an important of the history and culture of our country. But the role of religion in our founding and development is being downplayed or even ignored in some history texts (see the post The Bible Removed from History? on this blog). In fact, one of the purposes of this blog is to help restore knowledge of that part of our history.

Consider this example. Did I have to go to some right-wing blog source to find it? No, just to the Stamford Historical Society. It is from an article with the heading Stamford’s Colonial Period 1641–1783, and points out that the church had a very strong role and influence in the town.

During the colonial period, two major forces dominated life in Stamford and these were the authority of the New Haven Colony over Stamford on the one hand and the power of the Congregational Church on the other. Stamford was established as a settlement belonging to the New Haven Colony. In 1640 the Connecticut Colony and the New Haven Colony were separate jurisdictions, each with its own government and court system. Stamford chafed under New Haven until Charles II of England issued the Connecticut Charter in 1662 under which New Haven was merged into the Connecticut Colony. The Congregational church was the key force that dominated all spiritual and secular affairs. Until 1731 Town Meetings and church meeting were one.

The Congregational Church later lost its tight grip on the town as other Christian denominations became more present. Read the whole article below:

Portrait of a Family: Stamford through the Legacy of the Davenports