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→The United States
{{cquote|The Americans combine the notions of Christianity and of liberty so intimately in their minds, that it is impossible to make them conceive the one without the other; and with them this conviction does not spring from that barren traditionary faith which seems to vegetate in the soul rather than to live.<ref>Democracy in America, Volume I Chapter XVII (1835)</ref>}}
{{cquote|The Americans combine the notions of Christianity and of liberty so intimately in their minds, that it is impossible to make them conceive the one without the other; and with them this conviction does not spring from that barren traditionary faith which seems to vegetate in the soul rather than to live.<ref>Democracy in America, Volume I Chapter XVII (1835)</ref>}}
The [[Puritans]] in [[New England]], and other Christian groups were instrumental in forming a country with a distinctive Christian character. Though the extreme of creating theocracies ruling over those without (contrary to the charter given to the church in the New Testament<ref>John 18:36; 1Cor. 5:12,13; 2 Cor 10:4; Eph. 6:12; Romans 13:1-5; 1Pet. 2:16</ref>) was resisted by men such as [[Baptist]] [[Roger Williams]] yet all 50 states referred to God in their Constitutions,<ref>http://www.whateveristrue.com/heritage/preamble.htm</ref> and the effect of a Bible based Christianity is credited with working to bring souls to be ruled from within by God and a sound conscience, thus helping to enable relatively small government and yet promote stability in a vast and fertile country with multitude of different peoples, and to endure and overcome many serious negative consequences of the abuse of freedom, and the iniquity of unjust bondage.
The [[Puritans]] in [[New England]], and other later Christian groups were instrumental in forming a country with a distinctive Christian character. Noted evangelical author and commentary [[Os Guinness]] comments that,
<blockquote>
while America has never officially been a "Christian Republic," for much of its history the Christian faith has been a leading contributor to its unofficial civil religion.<ref>Os Guinness, ''American Hour'', p. 225</ref>
</blockquote>
While not all the Founders were Christian, none were known atheists, and Deists such as [[Benjamin Franklin]], [[James Madison]], and [[Thomas Paine]] upheld general Christian morality.
Though the extreme of creating theocracies ruling over those without (contrary to the charter given to the church in the New Testament<ref>John 18:36; 1Cor. 5:12,13; 2 Cor 10:4; Eph. 6:12; Romans 13:1-5; 1Pet. 2:16</ref>) was resisted by men such as [[Baptist]] [[Roger Williams]] yet all 50 states referred to God in their Constitutions,<ref>http://www.whateveristrue.com/heritage/preamble.htm</ref> and the effect of a Bible based Christianity is credited with working to bring souls to be ruled from within by God and a sound conscience, thus helping to enable relatively small government and yet promote stability in a vast and fertile country with multitude of different peoples, and to endure and overcome many serious negative consequences of the abuse of freedom, and the iniquity of unjust bondage.
While not all the Founders were Christian, none were known atheists, and Deists such as [[Benjamin Franklin]], [[James Madison]], or [[Thomas Paine]].
Primary in establishing a strong moral foundation was [[education]]. In elementary schooling in early America, the overtly Christian ''[[New England Primer]]'' was used in [[New England]], which is estimated to have sold upwards to 3,000,000 copies from 1700 to 1850. Introduced in 1690, this reader was used in what now would be the 1st grade, and taught multitudes of children how to read for 200 years, until 1900. The [[Alphabet]] was taught with Bible verses that began with each letter of the alphabet. Lessons had questions about the Bible and the Ten Commandments. An example of the Primer is, A = In Adam's fall, we sinned all. B = Heaven to find, the Bible mind."<ref>[http://www.shalomjerusalem.com/heritage/heritage19.htm The Honorable Judge Robert Ulrich Chief Justice, Missouri Court Of Appeals, Western District]</ref>
Primary in establishing a strong moral foundation was [[education]]. In elementary schooling in early America, the overtly Christian ''[[New England Primer]]'' was used in [[New England]], which is estimated to have sold upwards to 3,000,000 copies from 1700 to 1850. Introduced in 1690, this reader was used in what now would be the 1st grade, and taught multitudes of children how to read for 200 years, until 1900. The [[Alphabet]] was taught with Bible verses that began with each letter of the alphabet. Lessons had questions about the Bible and the Ten Commandments. An example of the Primer is, A = In Adam's fall, we sinned all. B = Heaven to find, the Bible mind."<ref>[http://www.shalomjerusalem.com/heritage/heritage19.htm The Honorable Judge Robert Ulrich Chief Justice, Missouri Court Of Appeals, Western District]</ref>