Q&A Friday #18: Why Does Christianity Have Such An Impact On Politics In The US?

by John Hawkins | June 24, 2005 3:52 pm

Question: “God does not appear in the US constitution. Why does Christianity appear to play such a major role in US political thinking?” — simonbegg

Answer: There are two major reasons for that in my opinion.

#1) America is an overwhelmingly Christian nation that was originally settled in large part by people looking for religious freedom and fleeing religious persecution. Moreover, God is all over monuments in Washington, on our money, and the very First Amendment to the Constitution was designed in part to insure religious liberties (although its meaning has been perverted by the courts). If you look at our country’s history, heritage, and the current percentage of the population that’s Christian in the US, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Christianity has a big impact on politics in the US.

#2) Whether you’re talking about prayer in schools, Roe v. Wade, gay marriage, or any number of other issues, the courts have stepped in and overruled state legislatures in ways that a lot of Christians not only find offensive, but also believe are contrary to State Constitutions and/or the Constitution. As a result of that, more religious people have decided to get involved in politics in order to protect their rights and have an impact on the judges who are put on the bench.

Put another way, over the last few decades in particular, secularists & anti-Christian groups like the ACLU pushed Christians with the help of liberal judicial activists on the bench and that convinced many Christians that they needed to enter the political arena and push back.

Source URL: https://rightwingnews.com/uncategorized/qa-friday-18-why-does-christianity-have-such-an-impact-on-politics-in-the-us/