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David Josiah Brewer
Supreme Court Justice for 20 years
December 18, 1889 - March 28,1910 |
Answer
: Nothing!
"The American nation, from its first settlement at Jamestown to this hour, is based upon and permeated by the principles of the Bible"
- David Josiah Brewer
Indeed, Justice Brewer's book, The United States: A Christian Nation, published in 1905,contained the following passage:
But in what sense can [the United States] be called a Christian nation? Not in the sense that Christianity is the established religion or the people are compelled in any manner to support it. On the contrary, the Constitution specifically provides that 'congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.' Neither is it Christian in the sense that all its citizens are either in fact or in name Christians. On the contrary, all religions have free scope within its borders. Numbers of our people profess other religions, and many reject all. [...] Nor is it Christian in the sense that a profession of Christianity is a condition of holding office or otherwise engaging in public service, or essential to recognition either politically or socially. In fact, the government as a legal organization is independent of all religions.
