I posted this on another site in a similar debate and I will post the same here.
When Jamestown was founded, which is the first permanent English colony in America, the first thing the colonists did was plant a big wooden cross on the beach. When the Puritans landed in Plymouth, MA, they created a compact that dedicated their mission to God and Christ. From then, Christianity played a key role in the formation of America. You did have other beliefs as well, but Christianity was dominant and influential. In the writings of the founders, you find many references to Providence, the Father, The Supreme Being, etc. In those times, these were references to the Christian God and Christ, not some vague being that the word god often refers to today. When George Washington made the first Thanksgiving proclamation, the purpose of the holiday was to repent your sins, pray to God for forgiveness and guidance, and give thanks to Him for our blessings. There are numerous writings where the founders, the very large majority of them, write about God. Also, you can't forget this, "We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men. . .are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; . . .life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." These unalienable rights are also known as natural rights, which can only be God-given, and thus unalienable by governments. Prayer has always been part of our national heritage--from Thanksgiving, to prayers going into wars and battles, to beginning sessions of Congress, etc.
Also, the founders knew that our government, a democratic republic with much freedom, could only survive if the culture maintained strong morals. They recognized that freedom without restraint would be disastrous, and Christianity was the moral foundation upon which the hope for freedom was placed. The key reason for the demise of a nation is decadence, or the rejection of the values that made a nation great. This is seen in ancient Israel and the Roman Empire, and it is what we are seeing in the U.S. What many don't realize is that the Romans were a moral people, though not Christian. It is when they turned from their moral foundations--honesty, hard work, etc, that they began to falter. It is the same here. As we continue to ignore our Christian roots and accept behaviors that were once considered immoral and deviant, the nation begins to crumble. Although societies always had sin, crime and other problems, these are exacerbated by the lack of a moral compass. However, a nation always has a moral compass, but what type does it choose? Today, our nation has chosen the environment, self, money, secularism and atheism as its morality, or religion. As a result of these things, you see the problems we have today--gangs, teen pregnancy, disolution of the family, tattoos, the content in tv shows, homosexuality, gay marriage, promiscuity in general, etc. The Bible clearly explains that a nation can choose God or not, and the consequences of each.
People focus on the environment and the end of humanity. But the only thing that will lead to the destruction of our nation and the world is the rejection of God. The founders had a strong faith and belief in the Christian God, and that foundation is what allowed our nation to become great; this greatness is not man made, it is God's will as he blessed a faithful people.
