Romans 13 -- The Founders' Starting Point

The modern doctrine of "separation of church and state" is a myth. It is anti-American. In our day it has nothing to do with "church" or "churches." It really means the separation of God and State, an idea opposed by every single person who signed the Constitution.

Modern secularists have problems understanding the American relationship between religion and government because they do not understand that the Founding Fathers believed:

Religion was the foundation of government;
There was a true religion and there were other false religions;
It would be suicidal to base a commonwealth on a false religion and trust in a false god;
The Government, in order to survive, must endorse and promote the true religion.

Every single person who signed the Constitution agreed with these four premises, and they agreed that the true religion was Christianity.

It doesn't matter that they didn't agree among themselves as to the details of the Christian religion.
It doesn't matter that they made sure that one ecclesiastical denomination of Christianity would have no legal power over other varieties of Christianity.

What matters is that not a single signer of the Constitution believed in the "separation of church and state" where the word "church" means "Christianity, the true religion." A secular (that is, atheistic) government was not in the mind of a single signer of the Constitution. None of them accepted the possibility of a Civil Magistrate separated from true religion and independent of God, owing no duties to God to abide by His Standard of Justice. There was a "Law above the law."

Both Church and State were under God, though there was a "wall of separation" between these two spheres. And make no mistake: the "minister of justice" in the State was just as directly responsible to God as a "minister of the Word" in the Church.

All of these beliefs were encapsulated in a single passage of Scripture well known by all of the Founding Fathers.

All of their political thinking could be extrapolated from this single Biblical text.
Those who support the myth of "separation" are utterly unaware of this Biblical text and its implications.

Romans 13

Probably one of the most important Biblical texts in the history of political science in Western Civilization is the thirteenth chapter of the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans. Since the time of Augustine, this passage has been the starting point for all discussions of government. And that starting point led to the conclusion -- universally held by the Founding Fathers -- that the human task of forming civil governments was a religious obligation.

Yet most Secular Humanists haven't the foggiest idea what this passage of Scripture says, nor have they the remotest sensitivity for how the Founding Fathers reverenced and built upon this text. History shows it pervaded their thinking. It was an underlying assumption. Not knowing what the text says, nor familiar with those who preached and wrote about it, Secularists don't recognize it when they see it in America's founding charters and speeches. Even today, when people speak of "the powers that be" they are using the language from Romans 13, likely without knowing the source.

Here are links to pages which explain the meaning of this Biblical text, the understanding of this text which the Founding Fathers had, and how the text should shape our understanding of "the separation of church and state":

If you know nothing about Romans 13, start by reading the passage here or here.
Learn how scholars applied the passage from Augustine to the American Revolution.
Notice that far from being repudiated, the passage was the basis for the birth of America.
The "wall of separation" between ecclesiastical governments and civil governments does not in any way imply a separation between either of these institutions and God.

Romans 13 says that the civil magistrate is "the minister of God." The Founding Fathers, to a man, agreed.

Anti-Pluralism Home Page

The pages below are designed to expose the myth of pluralism and to show that pluralism was universally denied by the Founding Fathers. The truths found in the links below stem from the belief of our Founding Fathers that the institution of civil government is ordained by God. The "separation of church and state," as understood today (the separation of religion and civil government) is a myth.

Religion is the foundation of government. There can be no secular government. Deism, infidelity, and atheism are threats to good government.
There is a true religion, others are "false religions."
America's attitude toward false religions is peaceful and respectful the more those false religions resemble Christianity.
But if false religions require anti-Christian conduct, they will be penalized by the criminal code. There is no such thing as "pluralism."
This means the government in America endorses Christianity, and the "separation of church and state" as it has become expressed in the "no-endorsement" test of the Supreme Court, is completely mistaken.
Not just passive approval, favoritism, or endorsement -- the government in America must actively promote Christian piety, according to the Founders.
The establishment of Christianity is the goal of America.

Vine & Fig Tree's Romans 13 Home Page
The most disastrously misunderstood Biblical text in history!

|| Romans 13 and Parallel Texts || Romans 13 in American History || Romans 13 in Western Political Thought || Romans 13 and the American Revolution || Romans 13 and the "Separation of Church and State" ||

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