Is the Constitution Christian?

I am no Constitutional scholar.  However, lately,  all of us have been deluged with various groups reciting constitutional principles , especially regarding the latest impeachment trials of President Trump. Those of us who feel that our country is a product of divine intervention in one way or another, also feel that our Constitution was at least an “inspired” document. 

Critics assume that several of the Founders were not even Christian and the Constitution itself gives no indication that God was ever involved in its writing.  True enough.  The Constitution does not explicitly label America as a Christian nation.  The Founders did not make laws forcing citizens or our government officials to adopt Christianity.  They desired religious freedom.  The government’s role was not to interfere with the religious views of its people. 

However, the laws still required a foundation.  What better place than Biblical principles?  The various laws that were written back in the 1700s point to Christianity as the bedrock the Founders used. 

OK…….here is a good example.  Let’s look at the Sunday clause. When the Founders wrote how a new law was to be passed, it was given to the president who had a time limit of 10 days.  If the president did not pass or veto the bill after 10 days the bill automatically passed.  Within   that time period however, Sundays were not counted!!  They assumed that the President would not want to rule on a law on the Christian “holy “ day. 

Swearing an oath:  Article VI of the Constitution mandates that all members of Congress, as well as any executive officer, swear an oath to protect the Constitution.  This has traditionally been done by holding one’s left hand on the Bible, one’s right hand in the air and ending the oath by saying…..”So help me God.”  We read in Isaiah 62:8, “The Lord has sworn by His right hand.”  The founders saw a connection here. 

There are many overt Biblical principles included in the Constitution:  Article III. Section 3 states that on the topic of treason one cannot be found guilty unless at least two people testify against that person.  Deuteronomy 17:6 states ”on the testimony of two or three witnesses a person is be put to death but no one is put to death on the testimony of only one witness.”

There are many more references in the Constitution implied in its biblical foundation. Today’s liberal voices still reject the assumption that the nation’s founding was clearly based on biblical morality. 

As one author quipped “when you take God out of the equation, out of our origins, then you have nothing left.”  Well said.