An Interview with David Barton
What can Christians do to return the U.S. to a “Christian nation?’
They believed that the theology of Christian principles produced good citizens. As Ben Franklin reminded Thomas Paine: “[T]hink how great a portion of mankind . . . have need of the motives of religion to restrain them from vice, to support their virtue. . . . If men are so wicked with religion what would they be if without it?” And the great Daniel Webster explained: “The cultivation of the religious sentiment represses licentiousness, incites to general benevolence, . . . inspires respect for law and order, and gives strength to the whole social fabric.” Webster thus concluded: “Whatever makes men good Christians, makes them good citizens.” Indeed, the police do not arrest “good Christians” for drive by shootings, burglary, theft, murder, etc., for they make good citizens.
However, Thomas Paine once argued that religion was not the sole source of good behavior – after all, he pointed out that in his life he demonstrated honorable character traits (e.g., honor, integrity, morality, courage, etc.) but that he was no friend of religion. Yet, Benjamin Franklin (another who rejected much of the theology of Christianity) pointedly reminded Paine of what Paine had evidently forgotten, telling him: “[Y]ou are indebted to her originally, that is, to your religious education, for the habits of virtue upon which you now justly value yourself.” That is, all citizens – even non-Christian ones – benefit from being taught the virtues correspondent with Judeo-Christian faith.
Fourth, they believed that the promotion of Judeo-Christian principles elevated science, literature, knowledge, and national stature. To them, this was a self-evident and consistent lesson from history. Therefore Declaration signer and Princeton President John Witherspoon explained: “It is certain, I think, that human science and religion have kept company together and greatly assisted each others progress in the world.” Dr. Benjamin Rush, another signer of the Declaration and “The Father of Public Schools under the Constitution” who founded five universities and colleges, similarly observed: “[T]he greatest discoveries in science have been made by Christian philosophers and . . . there is the most knowledge . . . where there is the most Christianity.”