Non-Christian Nation

The Fox News banner during an argument between network host Kayleigh McEnany and network contributor Harold Ford reads "TALARICO IS WORSE" TRUMP SAYS TX SEN CANDIDATE WORSE THAN GRAHAM PLATNER."   I

It's odd to believe that a guy who has said that he believes communion "is a form of asking for forgiveness" and that with it "I feel cleansed" is qualified to refute James Talarico's biblical arguments, but here we are. I don't know precisely what preceded the portion of the McEnany/Ford confrontation but the remarks of the onetime Trump 45 press secretary are intriguing. McEnany comments

There is a one-and-a-half, three minute clip of Charlie Kirk. It is epic A breakdown of how nine of the thirteen original states required you to be a Bible-believing Chistian- the original states of the United States. He goes on to list thirteen of thirteen required a declaration of faith. Several of them said "profess Christ as Lord and Savior." You're lying to say this is not a Christain nation. You're lying to say that God is several genders. You're lying to say that Christianity is not a religion of eclusivity. 

Say what you will but President Trump is very spot-on to say the greatest danger and I believe and I will cross the Democratic Party is not Graham Platner for his moral indiscretions. There are people in the Republican Party who have moral indiscretions, too. It is someone who lies about Scripture and that is what this man is doing.

Kayleigh: He says we are not a Christian nation—false

Ford: The constitution never mentions the bible.

Kayleigh: Go read the original 13 colonies and their constitutions. Nine of the 13 required you to be a bible-believing Christian. pic.twitter.com/4t5uhmDXbA

— Acyn (@Acyn) June 3, 2026

 

If the Center for the Study of  the American Constitution is reliable, McEnany is not entirely wrong when she remarks that "thirteen of thirteen required a declaration of faith. Several of them said 'profess Christ as Lord and Savior.'"  While only one- Delaware- referred to Jesus Christ, all of them required what McEnany presumably means by "a declaration of faith,".adherence to a specific religion.

And what would that religion be? McEnany's clear implication- "Bible believing Christian" and "declaration of faith"- is that all of these states required an office-holder to be a Christian. However, that applies only to five of the states- the aforementioned Delawar, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Massachusetts. The other four- New Jersey, North Carolina,, Georgian, and New Hampshire- required the individual to be a Protestant Christian. It was expressed as "professing belief in the faith of any Prorestant sect" (N.J.); "no person, who shall deny the being of God or the truth of the Protestant religion" (N.C.) "of the Protestant religion" (Ga.); and "shall be of the Protestant religion" (N.H.).

So to be clear: not all of the 13 originals were the same.  It has been a very long time that voters required thought that non-Protestants were unqualified because they were of the wrong (in their view) branch of Christianity.

Fortunately, the framers of the USA Constitution believed similarly.and inserted the No Religious Test Clause, which reads  

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

The Constitution forbids a religious test clause. Individuals who identify as Protestant, Roman Catholic, or Orthodox Christian are equally entitled to serve in public office, as are members of any religion, or individuals who have unconventional religious beliefs or none at all.. Further, a growing number of Americans identifies religiously as "none and aside from Jews, an increasing number of citizens are of the Muslim faith or another.  Approximately 45% of individuals of a Christian religion admitted (split infinitive alert!) in a 2025 survey of the Baptist Press to not attending church, and many of the others are lying.

I would like to be a strong safety in the National Football League, or maybe a nuclear engineer.  Kayleigh McEnany would like this to be a "Christian nation". But wishing doesn't make reality, and for better or worse, this hasn't been a Christian nation for a very long time, is not one now, and won't be one in the future.

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