The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism Is Un-American

by Andrew L Seidel, Susan Jacoby (Foreword by), Dan Barker (Preface by)

Overview

Do “In God We Trust,” the Declaration of Independence, and other historical “evidence” prove that America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles? Are the Ten Commandments the basis for American law? A constitutional attorney dives into the debate about religion’s role in America’s founding.
 
In today’s contentious political climate, understanding religion’s role in American government is more important than ever. Christian nationalists assert that our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, and advocate an agenda based on this popular historical claim. But is this belief true? The Founding Myth answers the question once and for all. Andrew L. Seidel, a constitutional attorney at the Freedom from Religion Foundation, builds his case point by point, comparing the Ten Commandments to the Constitution and contrasting biblical doctrine with America’s founding philosophy, showing that the Bible contradicts the Declaration of Independence’s central tenets. Thoroughly researched, this persuasively argued and fascinating book proves that America was not built on the Bible and that Christian nationalism is, in fact, un-American.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454933281
Publisher:	Union Square & Co.
Publication date:	05/14/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	71,303
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Andrew L. Seidel lives in Madison, WI, and works as a constitutional attorney at the Freedom from Religion Foundation (ffrf.org), litigating cases involving religion and the Constitution. He has appeared on Fox and Friends, MSNBC, and TheO’Reilly Factor; numerous radio shows; speaks and writes extensively about religious freedom; and has been profiled on BBC News, BuzzFeed, International Business Times, and more. Learn more about Andrew at: @AndrewLSeidel on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Table of Contents

Foreword vi

Preface x

Introduction: Prelude to an Argument 1

Usage Note 22

Part I The Founders, Independence, and the Colonies

1 Interesting and Irrelevant, the Religion of the Founders 26

2 "Religion and Morality": Religion for the Masses, Reason for the Founders 40

3 Declaring Independence from Judeo-Christianity 53

4 Referrals: The Declaration's References to a Higher Power 68

5 Christian Settlements: Colonizing the Continent, Not Building a Nation 91

Part II United States v. The Bible

6 Biblical Influence 110

7 Christian Arrogance and the Golden Rule 119

8 Biblical Obedience or American Freedom? 123

9 Crime and Punishment: Biblical Vengeance or American Justice? 128

10 Redemption and Original Sin or Personal Responsibility and the Presumption of Innocence 138

11 The American Experiment: Religious Faith or Reason? 145

12 A Monarchy and "the morrow" or a Republic and "our posterity" 152

Part III The Ten Commandments v. The Constitution

13 Which Ten? 160

14 The Threat Display: The First Commandment 172

15 Punishing the Innocent: The Second Commandment 179

16 Suppressed Speech: The Third Commandment 186

17 Forced Rest: The Fourth Commandment 194

18 On Family Honor: The Fifth Commandment 203

19 Unoriginal and Tribal: The Sixth, Eighth, and Ninth Commandments 208

20 Perverting Sex and Love: The Seventh Commandment 221

21 Misogyny, Slavery, Thoughtcrime, and Anti-Capitalism: The Tenth Commandment 229

22 The Ten Commandments: A Religious, Not a Moral Code 241

Part IV American Verbiage

23 Argument by Idiom 252

24 "In God We Trust": The Belligerent Motto 260

25 "One nation under God": The Divisive Motto 275

26 "God bless America": The Diversionary Motto 289

Conclusion: Take alarm, this is the first experiment on our liberties 294

Epilogue 299

Acknowledgments 312

Notes 313

Index 348

Picture Credits 354

Editorial Reviews

03/04/2019

Seidel, a constitutional attorney, provides a fervent takedown of Christian Nationalism in his furious debut. After support by far-right Christian nationalists helped Donald Trump win the U.S. presidency, Seidel worries that Evangelical political influence is increasing and dangerous. He argues that America was not founded as a Christian nation on Judeo-Christian principles, and thus Christian nationalists are inherently wrong. Judeo-Christian principles, he argues, are directly opposed to the Enlightenment principles on which the United States was founded: “to put it bluntly, Christianity is un-American.” Seidel points out subtle but pervasive Christian theocratic arguments that aim to link patriotism with religion by looking at the history of the 1950s media blitz conducted by Christian organizations promoting religion in American life, the 1954 addition by Congress of “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance, and Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan’s use of “God bless America” as a concluding remark for presidential addresses. According to Seidel, Christian nationalists see Christianity as the foundation of American exceptionalism; Seidel subverts this claim by arguing that democratic freedoms (such as freedom of religion and speech) are what make America exceptional. While many readers who don’t agree with Seidel will dismiss his forceful tone, his well-conceived arguments will spark conversations for those willing to listen. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Seidel, a constitutional attorney, provides a fervent takedown of Christian Nationalism in his furious debut. After support by far-right Christian nationalists helped Donald Trump win the U.S. presidency, Seidel worries that Evangelical political influence is increasing and dangerous. He argues that America was not founded as a Christian nation on Judeo-Christian principles, and thus Christian nationalists are inherently wrong. Judeo-Christian principles, he argues, are directly opposed to the Enlightenment principles on which the United States was founded: ‘to put it bluntly, Christianity is un-American.’ Seidel points out subtle but pervasive Christian theocratic arguments that aim to link patriotism with religion by looking at the history of the 1950s media blitz conducted by Christian organizations promoting religion in American life, the 1954 addition by Congress of ‘under God’ to the Pledge of Allegiance, and Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan’s use of ‘God bless America’ as a concluding remark for presidential addresses. According to Seidel, Christian nationalists see Christianity as the foundation of American exceptionalism; Seidel subverts this claim by arguing that democratic freedoms (such as freedom of religion and speech) are what make America exceptional. While many readers who don’t agree with Seidel will dismiss his forceful tone, his well-conceived arguments will spark conversations for those willing to listen.” —Publishers Weekly

“Brilliant, ambitious, well-researched, and compelling. . . . Seidel has written a masterful book. No one henceforth can attempt to discuss the claim that America was founded as, and is today, a Christian nation without seriously addressing his work. Seidel’s scholarship, on religion, history, law, and the Constitution, is prodigious, wide ranging, authoritative, and comprehensive. . . . his arguments are well articulated, inventive, amply documented, and convincing. . . . [the] very recent and dangerous Supreme Court decision makes Seidel’s book even more timely and urgent. And it makes his concluding words even more imperative.” —Los Angeles Review of Books

"Andrew Seidel, a constitutional attorney who litigates cases for the Freedom of Religion Foundation, is a powerful muse on this subject. The Founding Myth is an invigorating double-shot espresso that reveals how the original Constitution and the version slathered in religious tomes to serve political purposes are not the same document.”—New York Journal of Books

“Seidel is far from the first author to address the historical myths and confusions of political philosophy that sustain Christian nationalism. But no one has written a book quite like this before, because of its sweep, its depth, its viewpoint and its tone. ‘The Founding Myth’ goes far beyond debunking the false history that Christian nationalists advance to a detailed examination of how biblical principles are fundamentally at odds with our constitutional order.” —Salon.com

“That something as specious as Christian nationalism has and continues to influence public policy is the reason The Founding Myth, written by constitutional attorney Andrew Seidel, is so important. Ten years in the making, this phenomenal and deftly argued book comes at the perfect time, laying to rest the claim that America is in any way founded on Christianity.” —The Crowded Bookcase (thecrowdedbookcase.com)

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