A Christian Nation?

Many people hold strong to the 'fact' that the United States was built on Christian principles by Christian Forefathers, and is therefore, a Christian Nation. Here are a few fast facts to consider:

The Pledge of Allegiance:
The words "under God" were not original to the pledge, but added in 1954. It is not part of tradition, or American culture, but rather the product of a nation that was ashamed of not being religious.

In God We Trust?
Not until 1956. A law passed by the 84th Congress and approved by the President on July 30, 1956, became a Joint Resolution, declaring IN GOD WE TRUST the national motto of the United States, despite the Constitution's First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

Thomas Jefferson wrote:
"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his god, [the people, in the 1st Amendment,] declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state."

Jefferson did not have a hand in the authoring of the Constitution, nor of the 1st Amendment, but he was an outspoken proponent of the separation of church and state, going back to his time as a legislator in Virginia. In 1785, Jefferson drafted a bill that was designed to squash an attempt by some to provide taxes for the purpose of furthering religious education. He wrote that such support for religion was counter to a natural right of man:

"No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship..."

Can we fix it?
One man attempted to fight this in court, but lost on a technicality. On June 14, 2004, the Court found that Newdow did not have standing to bring the suit, meaning that he had no right to bring up the issue in the courts. The lack of standing stemmed from the facts of Newdow's family. He tried to file that suit, saying that his daughter shouldn't have to say the Pledge of Allegiance. However, his daughter lived with her mother at the time, and Newdow and she never married. The girl's mother did not oppose her recitation of the Pledge. Because of the ongoing custody issues, the Court ruled that Newdow was not in a legal position to speak for his daughter.

Who's next?