John Edwards' discomfort with the U.S. being called a Christian nation got me thinking that I guess people hear different things in that phrase. Some probably hear imperialism or exclusivism and that makes them, legitimately I think, uncomfortable. But those ideas aren't really what is meant by "a Christian nation."
It's a historical fact that Christianity, the principles and values found in the Old and New Testaments, provided the necessary grounding for the religious freedom and all other freedoms our Founders established. Freedoms are just claims to something, and therefore have to be justified by something. They don't just float freely for grabs. Our founding documents establish that grounding in God-given rights and freedoms that government must respect.
That government is restrained by these inalienable rights is one of the unique features of our system. We essentially take that for granted now because it's so familiar to us, but it is a rare thing in history. And frankly, it's not just any religion or faith itself that provides the grounding for these rights. I truly think it unlikely that this system would have been founded if the Founders had been of a different kind of faith. Other holy books just don't offer this view of God-given rights.
Of course, it's the religious freedom grounded in Christianity that also supports the religious pluralism of our country, the freedom to worship as you wish without compulsion. So calling the U.S. "a Christian nation" is not incidental, and it's that very form of grounding rights that allows religious expression to flourish. There's no need to be uncomfortable with that phrase.
