The Declaration of Independence  

Issues of history and tradition seem to get involved whenever issues of government religion separation arise. It is particularly the issue of religious heritage that the right wing stakes its claim to the ground of government upon.   Their claim is that the Nation was founded on a fundamental belief in “God”.  The  weakness of the argument, however, is evident in the fact that nowhere in the Constitution is there any mention of a deity called "God".  Heedless of this rather decisive omission, they go on to claim that the Declaration of Independence itself refers to God numerous times.  Is the claim true?  Actually, the Declaration contains only four phrases that allude to anything supernatural.  Those phrases are “their Creator”, “Nature’s God”,  “Supreme Judge of the World”, and "divine Providence", each used only once.  It obviously suits the biblical agenda to “interpret” all four as denoting the same supernatural entity and a male no doubt.  However, there is nothing in the Declaration’s literal message that should force anyone to that conclusion.  For example, the phraseology employs "their Creator", not "the Creator".  More notably still, the term “God” appears only once but is not used in the singular sense. If only one god was assumed, then what purpose did Jefferson have in using the phrase "Nature's God" rather than just "God"?  In view of this, a legitimate interpretation of the Declaration's metaphysics is one of multiple supernatural influences, rather then just one singular omnipotent deity.  

"But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg," (Thomas Jefferson, 1776, Reference 3)

Some might protest against a polytheistic interpretation because Jefferson himself, the Declaration’s primary author, was claimed to be a deist.  He probably never claimed it of himself, but regardless of whether he was or not, he was indisputably a critic of biblicalism throughout his public life, as was Madison, Adams, Franklin, Lincoln, and others.  Whatever it was that Jefferson intended by the use of “their Creator” and “Nature’s God”, it was not in regard for the  deity of Moses.  

In addition, the initial draft of the Declaration was different in some significant ways from the one finally endorsed by the Continental Congress.  For example, Jefferson’s first draft of the manuscript included a section condemning slavery.  This was omitted because not all members of the Continental Congress agreed and unanimous support of the manuscript was the strategic goal.  In addition, the terms “Supreme Judge of the World” and “divine Providence” were not Jefferson’s handiwork.  The Continental Congress added them prior to signature. Thus the signed document were possibly not entirely consistent with Jefferson’s personal metaphysical insight regarding matters of divinity (Reference 21).  Rather, it was a collective, pluralistic solution.

Regardless of one's disposition toward the metaphysical side of the issues, the signed version of the Declaration provides one inescapable truth.   Nowhere within are any phrases like "one true God", “God of Moses”, "biblical God" or “under God” to be found.  Similarly, nowhere within is the term “God” used even once as the stand-alone identifier for any entity.  The Declaration clearly does not substantiate the claim that the Nation was founded on a fundamental belief in a deity called “God”.  

The document’s overriding message is not about theism. Rather, it is about the right of people to be free of tyranny and injustice.  The strongest supportable conclusion that the Declaration allows, is that the Nation was founded on a fundamental belief in liberty and equality.  As testament to the Nation’s historical struggle to liberate itself from the autocratic establishments of the old world, the Declaration’s advocacy of unalienable human rights most certainly encompasses freedom from involuntary conscription to religion, and thus also freedom from conscription to biblicalism, or to its idols, belief systems, or to its institutions and clergy.

The Declaration of Independence is a critical benchmark in our historical ledger. It establishes the fundamental ideals underlying the Nation’s will to emancipation from the dogmas of the old world.  In verifiable fact, the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and many subsequent Amendments were in direct pursuance of those ideals.  Still, to guard against abuses of  interpretation, recognize that the Declaration is not the supreme law of the land.  That exclusive status belongs to the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and all other amendments and statutes pursuant to them (Article Six).  If the claim that the Nation was founded on a fundamental belief in God were truly tenable, then we would expect the Constitution to support the claim, but it does not.  

Whatever the personal religious beliefs of the Constitution's Framers were as individuals, they collectively did not intend that God or any other deity ever hold the status of deity of State.  What they did intend, was complete separation between the spheres of government and religion, and matters of deity belong to the sphere of religion.  Among all other considerations, the Framers clearly intended to protect this nation from the inequity of government ruled by the establishments of religion as Europe was for more than a millennium.   If the Nation was truly founded on a belief in a deity called "God", then the Founders would have designed the government to be a theocracy dedicated to that end, whereas, they did not.