Clear Majority of Americans Believe US Was Designed to Be a Christian Nation, Survey Reveals By Tré Goins-Phillips for Faith Wire
Close to half of Americans — 45% — believe the U.S. ought to be a “Christian nation,” according to new data collected by the Pew Research Center.
“That is a lot of people,” Greg Smith, one of the survey’s lead authors, told the Religion News Service. “[But] what people mean when they say they think the U.S. should be a Christian nation is really quite nuanced.”
Interestingly, a clear majority of those surveyed — 60% — believe the U.S. was, in fact, intended to be a Christian country. However, only 33% of respondents said the U.S. remains so today.
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Six-in-ten U.S. adults say the founders of America originally intended for the U.S. to be a Christian nation. 45% say they personally think the U.S. should be a Christian nation. https://t.co/RElFoQFX7V pic.twitter.com/1EQIrOwR0I
— Pew Research Religion (@PewReligion) October 27, 2022
The data also revealed that about half of Americans — 47% — think Scripture should have “a great deal” or “some” influence on U.S. laws. And 27% of survey participants said, if the law and the Bible conflict, Scripture “should have more influence than the will of the people.”
Of those who believe the U.S. should be a Christian nation, 78% said the Bible “should have a great deal or some influence on U.S. laws.” Interestingly, 21% said Scripture should have “little or no influence.”
Nearly half (47%) of all American adults say the Bible should have “a great deal” or “some” influence on U.S. laws. And 27% say that when they conflict, the Bible should have more influence than the will of the people. https://t.co/RElFoQFX7V pic.twitter.com/EMYy04jyRh
— Pew Research Religion (@PewReligion) October 27, 2022
The new data comes as debate swirls over the ambiguous definition of “Christian nationalism.”
Dr. Michael Brown, a Christian apologist, recently spoke with CBN’s Faithwire about the oft-divisive topic, explaining that — in his view — “there’s a healthy Christian nationalism, there’s an unhealthy Christian nationalism, and there’s the boogie man Christian nationalism that the left has kind of exaggerated.”
