he Constitution and the Declaration of Independence both lack any reference to the United States being founded as a Christian nation. The 1797 Treaty of Tripoli specifically stipulates that we are not a Christian nation when it said: “the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.” And, it was clear to Martin Luther King Jr., our history — bright in some respects — was notably marred by human stealing and genocide, emphasizing this fact.
“We are perhaps the only nation who has tried, as a matter of national policy, to wipe out its Indigenous people.”
Further, unlike England and some of the American colonies, the framers of the U.S. Constitution declined to require a religious test for any public office or public trust. Article VI specifies that “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification . . .”
In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower inserted “under God” into the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance. This represented the first time the pledge had a reference to God or Christianity.
The push to add “under God” to the pledge gained momentum during the second Red Scare, according to a History.com article, “Why Eisenhower Added ‘Under God’ to the Pledge of Allegiance During the Cold War.” During this time U.S. politicians asserted the moral superiority of the U.S., and capitalism over Soviet communism, which many conservatives regarded as “godless.”
“In using God for propaganda and influence over the American people, U.S. politicians depicted Soviet communism as inferior and atheist in nature.”
One year after placing “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, Congress passed a law to place on currency “In God We Trust” in 1955. Despite legal challenges of the separation of church and state, this slogan appeared and still appears on currency today.
“Today even ardent separationists seem to agree with retired Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, who wrote in 1983 that slogans such as ‘In God We Trust’ have ‘lost any true religious significance.’” This questioned the piety of America then and the question still lingers to this day through Christian nationalism.
“Our country is facing an authoritarian threat from far-right extremists and Christian nationalists in a new, unique, and frightening way,” said Global Project Against Hate and Extremism co-founder Wendy Via. “Voters, political figures, and the media must be on alert that Project 2025 is an authoritarian roadmap to dismantling a thriving, inclusive democracy for all.”
That’s why the actions to disband the civil service and replace them with conservative personnel are integral in executing Project 2025. The Project 2025 website indicates that through “properly vetted and training personnel to implement them (right conservative policy recommendations), we will take back our government.”
Politico reported 37 ways in which Project 2025 mandates are directly reflected in the current presidential administration’s Executive Orders. Project 2025 thus influences everything, from social issues and immigration to government staffing, energy, foreign affairs, and economic policy. Fear that Christian nationalism is instilling its ideology in the public sphere grow more real every day.
Mahatma Gandhi stated, “I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Gandhi recognized that even some who call themselves Christians are not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.