Keeping God in U.S. History

Whether acknowledged or not, there’s a real debate going on in today’s society over whether or not to keep God in U.S. history. And understandably so. It’s hard to justify getting rid of God and religion, or at least heavily regulating it to the private realm to the extent that speaking and acting on one’s personal belief can be construed as intolerant, bigoted or downright wrong, without sidelining the role and presence of God/religion in the past. It’s much harder to do away with something that has played a crucial role in history and culture than it is to get rid of something that we pretend never really existed, or at least didn’t exist the way we all “thought” it did.

Funny thing is, though, that history doesn’t change. Our understanding of history and the way history is presented might change, but HISTORY itself doesn’t. What happened, happened, whether or not we acknowledge it. While the “penumbra” of the constitution might be constantly reinterpreted to support any which agenda, the fact is, there was a historical context and culture in which the Constitution was written. And that context included God and religion. It didn’t include equal devil and God worship, paganism, or a society devoid of religion. In fact, the very settlement of this nation began in efforts to respect the free and ACTIVE living out of religious beliefs, not to regulate them to the private (behind closed doors) realm.

The history of the Orient is incomplete without an understanding of the influence religions like Hinduism and Buddhism have played in its development. The history of the Middle East makes no sense without an understanding of Judaism and Islam. Likewise, the history of the United States is incomplete without awareness and acknowledgment of the role Christianity played in its settlement and founding values, the role of God in U.S. history.

For free references you can use to teach your children more about the role of Christianity in the early history of the U.S., and hands-on printable activities and resources, go to Eyes On Heaven.