David Barton

At the time of the adoption of the Constitution and the amendments, the universal sentiment was that Christianity should be encouraged, not any one sect denomination. Any attempt to level and discard all religion would have been viewed with universal indignation. It must be considered as the foundation on which the whole structure rests. In this age there can be no substitute for Christianity; that, in its general principles, is the great conservative element on which we must rely for the purity and permanence of free institutions. That was the religion of the founders of the republic, and they expected it to remain the religion of their descendents. Senate Judiciary Committee: The clause speaks of “an establishment of religion.” What is meant by that expression? It referred, without doubt, to that establishment which existed in the mother country which was an endowment, at the public expense, in exclusion of or in preference to any other, by giving to its members exclusive political rights, and by compelling the attendance of those who rejected its communion upon its worship or religious observances.

These three particulars constituted that union of church and state of which our ancestors were so justly jealous, and against which they so wisely and carefully provided. They the Founders intended, by this Amendment, to prohibit “an establishment of religion” such as the English Church presented, or anything like it. But they had no fear or jealousy of religion itself, nor did they wish to see us an irreligious people they did not intend to spread over all the public authorities and the whole public action of the nation the dead and revolting spectacle of atheistical apathy.

The First Amendment was enacted only for a very narrow purpose and to prohibit a very specific offense. The Founders, however, not only chose not to establish federally any particular denomination of Christianity, they further never intended the First Amendment to become a vehicle to promote a pluralism of other religions. As Justice Story explained in his Commentaries: The real object of the First Amendment was not to countenance, much less to advance, Mahometanism, or Judaism, or infidelity, by prostrating Christianity; but to exclude all rivalry among Christian sects.

Some people raise two objections against the original intent of the First Amendment. First, they argue that its purpose is no longer valid today since at the time of the Founders the nation was completely homogeneous in its faith. This assertion is incorrect. The Founders openly acknowledged the presence of numerous religious groups in America, including Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, etc. In fact, in 1790, Dr. Benjamin Rush a signer of the Declaration and one of America’s top educators authored the first work calling for free public schools.