America :
A Bible Nation
Explore the profound connection between America's beginnings and biblical truth. This page delves into the spiritual foundations that guided our founders, revealing the timeless principles that continue to shape our national identity and the values we honor at RIFL Society.
The Bible and America are both testimonies to amazing success. The Bible has enjoyed the status in America as the number one selling book since our nations' founding. No other nation has sustained the success that America has. Founded in 1776 with the passing of the Declaration of Independence, America has maintained the same form of government since the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1789.
The Bible and America stand alone as testimonies of this great heritage. The true history of the Bible's influence upon our early settlers has been and is being rewritten though. Most people today know little of the enormous impact the Bible had at the founding of our great nation. Our founders were not irreligious, quite the opposite. Please enjoy just a small sample of quotes from our founding fathers of their complete reliance and devotion to God and His Holy Word.
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Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
John Adams, 1798
Voices of the Founders
Historical Wisdom
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It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.
George Washington, 1796
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The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men.
Benjamin Franklin, 1787
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The Bible contains more knowledge necessary to man in his present state than any other book in the world. By renouncing the Bible, philosophers swing from their moorings upon all moral subjects...It is the only correct map of the human heart that has ever been published.
BENJAMIN RUSH, 1791
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The Bible is worth all the other books which have ever been printed.
Patrick Henry, 1799
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The belief in a God All Powerful is the source of our moral and social life.
James Madison, 1825
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Our all gracious Creator, Preserver, and Ruler has been pleased to discover and enforce His laws by a revelation given to us immediately and directly from Himself. This revelation is contained in the Holy Scriptures.
JAMES WILSON, 1816
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The law... dictated by God Himself is superior in obligation to any other.
Alexander Hamilton, 1775
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The moral principles and precepts contained in the Bible ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions.
Noah Webster, 1832
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The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next.
John Jay, 1784
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No book in the world deserves to be so unceasingly studied and so profoundly meditated upon as the Bible. The first and almost the only book deserving such universal recommendation is the Bible.
John Quincy Adams, 1848
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Why should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a school book? Its morals are pure and noble.
Fisher Ames, 1789
The Mayflower Compact Origins
- Signed in 1620, this social contract explicitly stated it was undertaken for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith.
- It established the precedent of self-governance under a biblical framework long before 1776.
Education and The Bible
- The 'Old Deluder Satan Act' of 1647 required towns to appoint teachers so that every child could read the Scriptures for themselves.
- Early American literacy was tied directly to the necessity of knowing biblical truth.
Foundational Laws
- Common law in the colonies was deeply rooted in the Decalogue and the principles of justice found in Hebrew law.
- The concept of Unalienable Rights directly mirrors the biblical truth that man is created in the Image of God.
Scripture References
Biblical Truth & National Foundation
The Liberty Bell is inscribed with a verse from Leviticus, a testament to the scriptural roots of American liberty.
“Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.”
Leviticus 25:10
George Washington’s conviction that national morality is inseparable from religious principle reflects the wisdom of the Proverbs.
“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”
Proverbs 14:34
The Declaration of Independence appeals to the 'Supreme Judge of the world,' aligning with the biblical view of divine sovereignty.
“For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.”
Isaiah 33:22
“Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.”
The structure of American civil government reflects the scriptural acknowledgment of God as the ultimate source of law and order.
Many people today believe that we are a democracy, and our political leaders often tell us we are, but we definitely are not. Our founders had an opportunity to establish a democracy in America and deliberately chose not to; the form of government they entrusted to us was a constitutional republic. In fact, Article IV, Section IV of the U.S. Constitution requires that: The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a republican form of government.
EXODUS 18:21
What type of government are we?
America’s early government structure was profoundly influenced by biblical principles and the founders’ understanding of accountability to God. Recognizing the inherent fallibility of man, they established a constitutional republic designed to safeguard individual liberties through a system of checks and balances. This historical framework reflects a worldview where governance is a stewardship, rooted in moral accountability and the pursuit of a just society under higher law.
So what is a constitutional republic? A government in which the sovereign power is exercised by representatives elected by the people. John Adams described it as "a government of laws and not of men."
Exodus 18:21: Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders....
A constitutional republic must be maintained correctly if it is to remain operating as it is intended. Founding Father Noah Webster rightly gave these instructions to the succeeding generations of american citizens: "When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers just men who will rule in the fear of God. The preservation of a republican government depends on the faithful discharge of this duty. If the citizens neglect their duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizens will be violated or disregarded. If a republican government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the Divine commands and elect bad men to make and administer the laws.