Photo by Charles “Duck” Unitas on Unsplash
A timely op-ed by Freedom From Religion Foundation Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor rebutting President Trump’s Christian nationalist claim that America is “one nation under God” has been published by The Progressive — and picked up by several newspapers and outlets around the country as well!
The column, “America is Not ‘One Nation Under God,’” originally ran in The Progressive on June 18 and was distributed by The Tribune News Service. It has since appeared in TribLive, the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Qoshe, the West Central Tribune and The Henderson Dispatch.
Gaylor’s op-ed arrives as the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and as President Donald Trump and Christian nationalist allies seek to exploit the occasion to promote revisionist religious history.
“This July 4, America will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a document that throws off the yoke of a divinely appointed ruler,” Gaylor begins. “But President Donald Trump is exploiting this occasion to promote a revisionist history of America as ‘one nation under God.’”
Gaylor points out that the phrase appears nowhere in the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. “Under God” was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954, while “In God We Trust” became the national motto in 1956 — both Cold War-era additions pushed by religious interests.
The op-ed dismantles the frequent Christian nationalist claim that the Declaration’s passing deistic references somehow make the United States a Christian nation. Gaylor notes that Thomas Jefferson’s original draft contained only one deistic reference, “nature’s god,” reflecting Enlightenment Deism, not Christianity. The final Declaration contains no mention of Christianity, Jesus, the bible, the Ten Commandments, a church or a sect.
More importantly, Gaylor emphasizes, the Declaration is not the nation’s governing document. That role belongs to the U.S. Constitution, which begins with “We the People,” contains no references to a deity and explicitly bars religious tests for public office.
“The declaration was tantamount to divorce papers, but the Constitution is like vows for a new marriage,” Gaylor writes.
The column closes by calling on Americans to reclaim the nation’s original motto, “E Pluribus Unum” — out of many, one — as the country prepares to mark its semiquincentennial.
“‘Christian nation’ zealots have never understood its wisdom: that unity requires inclusion, pluralism, and freedom of conscience,” Gaylor concludes.
You can read the full op-ed at The Progressive.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With about 41,000 members, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.
