Government and Religion: Words of Our Forefathers

“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” ~ Declaration of Independence

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” --1^st Amendment to the United States Constitution

"It is impossible to govern the world without God. It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits and humbly implore his protection and favor." ~ George Washington

"Do not let anyone claim tribute of American patriotism if they even attempt to remove religion from politics." ~ George Washington

"The future of this nation depends on the Christian training of our youth." ~ George Washington

"One's god dictates the kind of law one implements and also controls the application and development of that law over time. Given enough time, all non-Christian systems of law self-destruct in a fit of tyranny." ~ George Washington

"The reason that Christianity is the best friend of government is because Christianity is the only religion that changes the heart." ~ Thomas Jefferson

"Rebellion to tyranny is obedience to God." ~ Thomas Jefferson

"Man will ultimately be governed by God or by tyrants." ~ Benjamin Franklin

"Remember civil and religious liberty always go together: if the foundation of the one be sapped, the other will fall of course." ~ Alexander Hamilton

"The future and success of America is not in this Constitution, but in the laws of God upon which this Constitution is founded." ~ James Madison

"Our Constitution represents the work of the finger of Almighty God." ~ James Madison

"It is when a people forget God, that tyrants forge their chains." ~ Patrick Henry

"No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people." ~ Noah Webster

"The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity." ~ John Quincy Adams

"The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country." ~ Calvin Coolidge

"The fundamental basis of this nation’s laws was given to Moses on the Mount…If we don’t have a proper fundamental moral background, we will finally end up with a totalitarian government which does not believe in rights for anybody except the State." ~ Harry S. Truman

"If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under." Ronald Reagan

"The framers of our Constitution meant we were to have freedom of religion, not freedom from religion." ~ Billy Graham

"To those who cite the first amendment as reason for excluding God from more and more of our institutions and everyday life, may I just say: The first amendment of the Constitution was not written to protect the people of this country from religious values; it was written to protect religious values from government tyranny." ~ Ronald Reagan