Although only 20% of Americans were church members during the Civil War, the majority had some form of Christian faith whether they attended church or not. President Lincoln believed that a “non-sectarian Christianity” was the faith of the nation, and this influenced many of his decisions, including the declaration of a day of Thanksgiving during the Civil War. After the war, Memorial Day was proclaimed as a day to honor those who had died. Both new holidays represented non-sectarian but implicitly Christian celebrations.

In 1961, the U.S Supreme Court unanimously rejected a provision of the Maryland Constitution that required individuals to declare their belief in the existence of God as a prerequisite to holding public office. In this decision, the Court was declaring that state and federal laws could not establish a specific state-sponsored religion, and furthermore that even demanding a belief in God violated those whose moral and ethical beliefs were not based on any religious faith nor on a belief in a God.

This decision was reaffirmed in 1963 in the Abington vs. Schempp case where the Court said there must be “the extension of evenhanded treatment to all who believe, doubt, or disbelieve.” Opponents of the decision argued for the appropriateness of priority being given to Christianity as the dominant faith in the U.S. as long as tolerance was extended to other faiths, but the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently upheld the principle of equal freedom for all. Opponents argue that these Court decisions do not represent equal freedom but are imposing restrictions on the religious practices of the majority.

From: Gausted, E. & Schmidt, L. (2002). The Religious History of America: the heart of the American story from colonial times to today. New York: HarperCollins.

Critical Thinking Questions:

1. the information provided above, how would you respond to someone who claimed that the United States was intended to be a Christian country and was founded on Judeo-Christian principles?

2. Do you agree or disagree with opponents of these court decisions who say that these judges have not just upheld the first amendment’s provision for religious freedom, but imposed “restrictions on the religious practices of the majority?” Explain.