Is America a Christian nation? I think the answer to that is Yes, simply because of the numbers. A large majority of Americans identify themselves as Christians, and I think that is enough to make us a Christian nation. Some people will argue "what if I'm not a Christian, does that mean I'm not American?" to which I would say "not at all- but the nation of America is"
Are we a car-driving nation? Yes. If you ride a bike or don't have a license or car, does that mean you're not American? No.
I'm not especially religious, and I am a strong believer and supporter of the separation of religion and state. Yet I have no problem with admitting that America is a Christian nation. The real issue arises from people extending that observation into a policy recommendation such as "let's teach religion in schools" or "let's not allow stem cell research because God doesn't like it"- this is problematic at best, and devastating to the quality of our liberties and strength as a nation at worst.
Sort of a spin-off of this is the question of whether or not America was founded on Christian principles. I have to admit that I don't believe that Christianity was instrumental in the tenants of our constitution. There have been many governments founded on "Christian" principles, many of them in the Middle Ages, when the Divine Right of Kings was in full affect. America's success comes from its individual liberties and the separation of the various branches of government, and neither of these ideas can be claimed by a religion. Check out this video on youtube to see a debate on exactly this matter, featuring the always entertaining Christopher Hitchens.
Pictured above is Thomas Jefferson, one of our most important founding fathers and self-proclaimed deist who had serious doubts about the divinity of Christ.
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