The first colonial settlers were most certainly Christians. Beginning with the Puritans in 1620, they built colonies -- mostly segregated along sectarian lines -- and established laws based on biblical scriptures and religious creeds. Using the Bible as justification, ecclesiastical authorities forced obedience by public humiliation or flogging. Incorrigible persons were accused of "possessing demons" and executed by stoning or hanging.
Fortunately for all of us there were a few brave infidels, educated and forward-thinking men like Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Paine. These men, the exalted founders of the United States of America, challenged the religious status quo and established a secular government based on civil law.
The word "Christian" does not appear in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution or the Bill of Rights. Nor is there a single biblical quotation. The name "Jesus Christ" is absent from all founding documents.
The First Amendment mandates government indifference to Christianity and all other religions. Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, defined the First Amendment as a "wall of separation" between state and church.
Article XI of the original Treaty of Tripoli declares, "...the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion." The Treaty of Tripoli was ratified by the entire U.S. Senate, and signed into law by President John Adams.
Many Christians often cite the phrase "Nature's God" from the Declaration of Independence as proof of their notion. The assertion, however, fails all logical interpretation because Jefferson was a Deist -- not a Christian. In a letter to Adams, he wrote, "The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus...will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter."
Christians also invoke the words "In God We Trust" printed on our currency and "One Nation, Under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. But neither of these occurrences acknowledge Christianity; they seem instead to promote Deism.
According to the CIA Fact Book (1995), 84 percent of Americans identify themselves as Christian (56 percent Protestant, 28 percent Catholic), leaving 16 percent of American citizens outside the envelope of Christendom (2 percent Jewish, 4 percent other, and 10 percent none).
The U.S. House recently passed a resolution declaring that the Ten Commandments be permitted in government offices and courtroom. This action is an affront to the freedom of more than 42 million Americans. What happened to "liberty and justice for all?"
For reasons political, prejudicial and egotistical, our government has couched itself too closely with Christianity. The "Lemon Test," established by the Supreme Court in Lemon vs. Kurtzman to identify breaches of state-church separation, mandates that government:
1) May engage in no activity the purpose of which is not secular;
2) May not advance religion, or further one religion over another;
3) May not engage in any activity which involves excessive entanglement with religion.
This standard is regularly ignored by local, state and federal government officials in an attempt to establish Christianity as the de facto state religion.
In Hawaii there are a significant number of religious encroachments which must be corrected. These include the large cross at Kolekole Pass, religious displays on city property, prayer rituals at the state Capitol and privileged tax exemptions for churches.
Religion -- in all its manifestations -- remains a significant part of American society and its "free exercise" must be protected. However, protecting religious liberty must never become an excuse for religious intrusion. Our cherished freedom of religion is ipso facto a freedom from religion. As members of the overwhelming majority, Christians should practice tolerance and support equal rights for minority religions and non-believers.
Americans must remain on guard against a return to religious persecution and tyranny. History proves that all theocratic civilizations fail. If the United States is to remain a free nation, we must endeavor to maintain an absolutely secular government -- separate from any and all religious doctrines or creeds.