Data Over Dogma Podcast

Currently Playing: The U.S. was NEVER a Christian Nation

This episode, we're tackling a claim that American Christian nationalists have been making all over the internet lately. Did the "founding fathers" of the United States actually quote the Bible more than any other text? And did they do it expressly to make it clear that this was to be an explicitly Christian country? It's an idea that's gaining a lot of attention, but how true is it, and what are the implications for now? ---- For early access to an ad-free version of every episode of Data Over Dogma, exclusive content, and the opportunity to support our work, please consider becoming a monthly patron at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/DataOverDogma⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out our new website at: https://www.dataoverdogmapod.com Follow us on the various social media places: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/DataOverDogmaPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://x.com/data_over_dogma https://www.instagram.com/dataoverdogmapod/ Have you ordered Dan McClellan's New York Times bestselling book ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Bible Says So⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ yet??? Buy at this link: https://static.macmillan.com/static/smp/bible-says-so-9781250347466/ _____________________________________________ Chapters: Video Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Did the Founding Fathers Quote the Bible the Most? 01:40 David Barton, WallBuilders & Christian Nationalism 04:28 Debunking the 1984 Donald Lutz Paper 06:25 The "Reprinted Sermon" Catch (Why 34% is Misleading) 09:50 The Real Influences: Montesquieu, Blackstone & Locke 10:15 The Era of Lowest US Church Attendance 11:44 How Much Did the Federalists Quote the Bible? (0%) 13:39 Why the Founders Rejected Religious Tests 17:32 Thomas Jefferson's Christianity & James Madison's Separation 20:45 The Treaty of Tripoli & Structural Secularism 21:24 Cultural Touchstones vs. A Christian Nation 23:21 Outro ____________________________________________ Credits for photos used in thumbnail: Image Credit: Photo of Glenn Beck by Gage Skidmore, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Glenn_Beck_(55022782145).jpg License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ Note: This image was modified from the original (e.g., masked and color-adjusted). Image Credit: Photo of Ben Shapiro by Gage Skidmore, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Conservative_Political_Action_Conference_2018_Ben_Shapiro_(39798514014).jpg License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ Note: This image was modified from the original (e.g., masked and color-adjusted). Image Credit: Photo of Charlie Kirk by Gage Skidmore, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charlie_Kirk_in_Tampa_July_2025.jpg License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ Note: This image was modified from the original (e.g., masked and color-adjusted). ____________________________________________________________________________ #podcast #oldtestament #bible #biblestudy #biblestories #biblereading #bibleteaching #religion #Jesus #jesuschrist #god #adonai #athiest #athiesm #faith #faithjourney #podcasting #podcastclips #podcastlife #podcasters #podcastshow #skeptic #skepticism #judaism #hebrew #hebrewbible #christianbible #christianity #newtestament #christian #christianity #christianityexplained #holybible #doubt #believe #believer #belief #utah #saltlakecity #lds #mormon #scholar #middleeast #israel #religious #church