Religion is a factor in the election and protecting freedom of conscience and religious liberty is a priority. [View all]

[lees1975]

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2024/09/religion-is-factor-in-2024-election.html

The first amendment to the Constitution of the United States eliminates any doubt related to whether or not the United States is a "Christian" nation, or whether it ever can be a Christian nation, depending on how any form of Christian nationalism interprets that term. It was not the intention of the founders, clearly, to establish a "Christian" nation, even by allowing a state church to attach itself to the government and then have influence over the religious practice of American citizens, which was the case in several of the states when the Constitution was written and ratified.

In fact, it was the presence of a state church in Virginia, the Church of England, and its attempt to control the religious practice of dissident Christian denominations, most notably the Baptists, through use of the law, and by persecution of their members and ministers, that convinced James Madison of the need for the Constitution to protect freedom of conscience, and religious practice and belief was at the top of his list of protections. A church, vested with government authority to enforce its own doctrine, theology and practice was not consistent with the vision of America's founding fathers.

There's no argument that Christianity, and more specifically, Protestant Christianity, has been an overwhelming Christian influence over American society and culture, and over its politics, too. Even now, Protestant church members make up a majority of the members of Congress. A majority of Americans claim affiliation with one of several branches of Protestant Christianity, or they are Catholic or Orthodox.

But this has all been the result of that first amendment right to freedom of conscience. In fact, Christian evangelism, which involves a ministry of convincing individuals they are sinners in need of a Christian conversion experience in order to be reconciled to the God who created them, through Jesus Christ, the incarnation of God in the flesh, has never enjoyed the kind of success it has experienced in those places in the world where it is free from control of the state, and required to exercise its faith spiritually, rather than enforce doctrine and practice by government edict.

State enforced Christianity is not Christianity, and it has never been successful in achieving anything but bloodshed and destruction resulting from the hatred it generates.