The United Sates of America is a country with no royal family, no
heritage of timeless and interdependent state institutions, no symbols or
national icons that date back centuries, a country without one dominant
religion or church.1 It is a country where immigrants freely come with
their own religions, values, and cultures. Many of these immigrants share
their beliefs, and many differ. The increasing religious diversity in the
nation has an effect on how Americans choose to have the country run and on
who runs it.
People have been immigrating to the United States since the ancestors
of the Native Americans crossed the Bering straight over 10,000 years ago.
Since then, the people, their nationalities, and their religions have
differed dramatically from the Native Americans. The Native American
religion put an emphasis on nature. They worshipped the trees, and all
life, and the earth itself. “The lake is our church. The mountain is our
tabernacle. The evergreen trees are our living saints…We pray to the
water, the sun, the clouds, the sky, the deer.”2 The main group of people
to come to America since the Native Americans is the Europeans, who brought
back a very different concept of religion.
The Europeans had many different denominations that branched out once
in America. People came to America for religious diversity and tolerance,
and felt safe expressing themselves and their beliefs. Before 1690, 90% of
all congregations in colonial America were either Puritan or Anglican.3 The
Puritans were English people, mostly inhabiting New England, that were
unable to reach further reformation in the Church of England and therefore
came to America. They were simple people that were strong followers of the
bible, not just sermons. The Anglicans were also English, who wanted to
remain English and continue the Church of England in America. They settled
in Virginia, where there churches were supported by the taxpayers. Other
than the Puritans and Anglicans there were many other smaller denominations
that began forming.
Most of the religions outside of Puritan and Anglican were started by
one radical leader or by immigrants from other countries in Europe. The
Quakers settled in Pennsylvania under the leadership of William Penn, and
also were very simple people that wanted religion to be kept separate from
government. They eventually had a hard time because they were anti-slavery
pacifists and refused to join in any war efforts and Americans doubted
their loyalty.4 The Huguenots were Calvinists from France that settled
mostly in Boston, New York, and South Carolina. They did not last long
because they were not strict with who they could marry and married outside
of the religion often. Germans came to America bringing six religions with
them; Lutherans, German Reformed, Mennonites, Moravians, German Baptists,
and Catholics.
The German Reformed and the Lutherans were the largest two
religions of the German immigrants. Jews entered the American colonies in
the late 17th century. They mostly settled in New York City where the two
main groups, Sephardics and Ashkenazics, practiced their faith. Jewish
families were faced with much adversity in terms of religious tolerance
from the other religions in the area. Finally, the Baptists and Methodists
arrived in the colonies. The Baptists settled mostly in Pennsylvania and
New Jersey and were much like Calvinists. They believed in baptism for
adults where they can wash away the “original sin”. The Methodists were a
reform group of the Church of England started by John and Charles Wesley.
They believed in methodical praying and heavy reading of the scriptures.5
Mormonism, another denomination of Christianity, was very controversial.
They departed from traditional standards of sexuality and monogamous
marriage and stressed the isolation of modern society.
With so many different religions and value systems in the country it
would be very difficult to enforce one religious doctrine over another
using government influence. Even though the majority of the country was
Christian and most of those were Protestant, there still would be disputes
within the state system between leaders of different denominational
backgrounds. The Founding Fathers were aware of this issue and thought not
to introduce religious concepts into any federal documents.
The United States Constitution was drafted in 1787 and ratified in
1788; it is a completely godless document. 6 The first amendment states,
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof…or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of
grievances.” Clause Three of Article Six of the Constitution states, “The
Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the
several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both
of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or
Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever
be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the
United States.” 7
Even though there was no religious test, Americans have yet to elect
more than one non-Protestant President, the exception being John F.
Kennedy, a Catholic. The Founding Fathers left it up to the individual
states to decide to keep church and state separate or not within their own
state. Even in one of the most religiously diverse states, Rhode Island,
only Protestants could vote or hold office. New Hampshire, New Jersey,
North and South Carolina, Vermont, and Georgia all required officials to be
Protestant. Many other states had similar qualifications for their
government officials.8 Since different religions put emphasis on different
values; politically there were problems with what to focus on. Some
denominations valued centralization, education, nationalism, pacifism, and
other ideals that varied from group to group. It was hard for officials to
not be influenced by their own church and beliefs.
Although the constitution does not grant federal aid to religious
establishments, it does not require government officials to hide their
personal commitments. Since the government would not fund the construction
of congregations they allowed various religious denominations to use the
House of Representatives for worship. George Washington set a day aside as
a day of national prayer and repentance. This day is known and Thanksgiving
and is still celebrated today. The second president of the United States,
John Adams, continued in Washington’s tradition. His inaugural address
specified a “decent respect for Christianity” as a recommendation for
public service.9 Since then, the religions of government executives was
always known to the public even thought the official did his best to not be
influenced by his faith.
The increasing religious diversity was evident. Politicians had to be
careful with their actions as numbers multiplied in denominations other
than the majority. By 1770, about 20% of all congregations were Protestant,
15% Anglican, 18% Presbyterian, 15% Baptists, 10% German reformed/
Lutheran, and about 25% Non-English. “In colonial America many religions,
not just one or two, quickly came to typify the immigrants’ spiritual life,
and much of this diversity emerged between 1690 and 1770.”3
The differences in denominations and the great amount of different
religions in America have influenced the American culture. Church and State
are separate, yet with some entanglements. As a result of America’s unique
status and the role religion has played in politics, this country has
prospered and bloomed into the world’s leading nation.
Works Citied
1 Kramnick, Isaac and R. Laurence Moore. The Godless Constitution. W.W.
Norton & Company: New York. p.26
2 Butler, Jon, Grant Wacker and Randall Balmer. Religion in American Life.
Oxford University Press: New York. 2003. p. 339
3 Butler, Jon, Grant Wacker and Randall Balmer. Religion in American Life.
Oxford University Press: New York. 2003. p.77
4 Butler, Jon, Grant Wacker and Randall Balmer. Religion in American Life.
Oxford University Press: New York. 2003. p.167
5 Butler, Jon, Grant Wacker and Randall Balmer. Religion in American Life.
Oxford University Press: New York. 2003. pp.77-85
6 Kramnick, Isaac and R. Laurence Moore. The Godless Constitution. W.W.
Norton & Company: New York. p.27
7 http://www.house.gov/constitution/constitution.html
8 Kramnick, Isaac and R. Laurence Moore. The Godless Constitution. W.W.
Norton & Company: New York. p.30
9 Butler, Jon, Grant Wacker and Randall Balmer. Religion in American Life.
Oxford University Press: New York. 2003. p.172
