We Have Never Been Christian Nation

Most Christians in America are good people.They go to church. They help their neighbors. They try to live by what Jesus actually taught.This article is not about them.This is about a completely different group, one that has hijacked the word “Christian” to mean something Jesus never intended.What Christian Nationalism Actually IsChristian nationalists believe America was built for white Christians and should stay that way.That means everyone else doesn’t fully belong here.Black Christians. Brown Christians. Immigrants. Gay people. Jewish people. Muslims. In their vision of America, all second class.And if democracy gets in the way of that goal? Democracy has to go.That is not Christianity. That is something much darker. And the research and the historical record, prove it.What the Research ShowsResearchers at PRRI surveyed over 6,000 Americans to find out what Christian nationalism actually predicts.What they found: Christian nationalism does not predict church attendance. It does not predict prayer. It does not predict any actual Christian behavior.What it does predict is a love of authoritarian leaders, resentment toward people who look different, and support for political violence.People who believe in Christian nationalism are nearly seven times more likely to support political violence than people who believe in regular Christianity.Seven times.This is not a faith movement. This is a power movement wearing a cross.We Have Seen This BeforeJim Jones called himself a Christian preacher. He used the Bible to demand total obedience. He killed over 900 of his own followers.David Koresh called himself a Christian prophet. He used scripture to justify abuse and control. He armed his followers and prepared them for war.Neither of these men represented Christianity. They used Christianity as a weapon to gain power over people.Christian nationalism works the same way. It takes the cross and puts it in front of a political agenda. It uses the language of faith to demand loyalty to a leader. It punishes anyone who questions the movement.Real Christianity calls for humility, mercy, and love of your neighbor.Christian nationalism calls for dominance, fear, and the destruction of anyone who gets in the way.These are not the same thing. They have never been the same thing.What the Founders Actually SaidHere is where Christian nationalists have a serious problem. They claim America was founded as a Christian nation. But the people who actually founded it said the opposite in writing, officially, as law.The Constitution itself never mentions God. Not once.It does say this, in Article VI:“No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”No religious test. Ever. For any office.That is the opposite of a Christian nation.And the First Amendment written by the same founders begins:“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”No established religion. That’s not an accident. That was the entire point.Then There’s the Treaty of TripoliIn 1796, the United States negotiated a peace treaty with Tripoli a Muslim nation to protect American ships from pirates in the Mediterranean.The Senate read it aloud on the floor. Every senator got a copy. Then they voted unanimously to ratify it. No debate. No objection.John Adams signed it into law on June 10, 1797.Here is what Article 11 of that treaty says, word for word, as ratified by the United States government:“As the government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility of Mussulmen; and as the said States never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.”“Not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.”Those are not the words of a secular blogger trying to score a debate point. Those are the words of the United States government in 1797. Signed by John Adams. Ratified unanimously by the Senate. Printed in the Philadelphia Gazette for the American public to read.If the founders believed they were building a Christian nation, why did they write that into an official treaty and ratify it without a single dissenting vote?What the Research Says Christian Nationalism Is Really AboutResearchers Samuel Perry and Andrew Whitehead spent years studying Christian nationalism. Their finding was the same every time.The strongest predictor of Christian nationalism is not how religious someone is.It is how much they want power over other people. How afraid they are of losing that power. How much they resent people who don’t look like them. How willing they are to use violence to stay on top.Jesus said blessed are the meek.Christian nationalists want a leader who will never turn the other cheek.That is not Christianity. That is authoritarianism with a Bible in its hand.Real Christians Should Be the Most Offended People in the RoomThis is not an attack on Christians. It is the opposite.Real Christians should be furious that a movement built on racial resentment, authoritarian obedience, and political violence has claimed their faith as its banner.The founders were clear. The Constitution is clear. The Treaty of Tripoli is clear.America was not founded as a Christian nation.And the people trying to turn it into one are not following Christ.They are following something else entirely.And the research proves it.SourcesResearch* PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute) — Christian Nationalism and the January 6, 2021 Insurrection — prri.org* Samuel Perry & Andrew Whitehead — Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States (2020), Oxford University PressPrimary Sources* Treaty of Peace and Friendship (Treaty of Tripoli), Article 11 — ratified by the U.S. Senate June 7, 1797, signed by President John Adams June 10, 1797 — Full text: avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/bar1796t.asp* U.S. Constitution, Article VI, Clause 3 (No Religious Test Clause)* U.S. Constitution, First Amendment (Establishment Clause)Historical Record* Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the United States Senate — documents the treaty being read aloud and copies distributed to every senator prior to unanimous ratification* Philadelphia Gazette, 1797 — original publication of the treaty text for public recordAdditional Reading* Americans United for Separation of Church and State — A Word From John Adams: A 224-Year-Old Treaty Says The U.S. Was Not Founded As A Christian Nation — au.org* First Amendment Encyclopedia (Middle Tennessee State University) — 1797 Treaty of Tripoli — firstamendment.mtsu.edu This is a public episode. 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