The United States deliberately does not have a "national god". Most of the major Founding Fathers -- Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, James Madison -- were deists, not Christians. They had some very disparaging things to say about Christianity and its behavior. They deliberately set up a state without a deity. All the expressions about God we are used to -- on our money, in the Pledge, etc. -- all came later. So what is the position of the UMC on the separation of church and state?
Separation of Church and State
"We believe in the Christian church, the community of God's people founded on the confession of Christ. Jesus is the head of the body, the universal church, which is united by its common faith in Him. The church participates in the worship of God, the fellowship and training of believers, and the spread of God's love in the world. This ministry of God's love continues in the church as people are called to love and to bring together those who are separated from God and each other (Matthew 16:16-18; John 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 5:14-20). On the other hand, we believe that government is an institution established by God for the welfare of society. Government, as many other things in creation, is a part of God's common grace to humanity. This is a grace where all members of society benefit, whether they are Christians or not."
"The fact that God allows for the establishment of governments cannot be interpreted to mean that they are all good, as we can see in Scripture. As a matter of fact many governments act contradicting God's will. The reality is that governments fail as human beings fail to live according to God's will."
This, IMO, is why it is so dangerous to try to merge government and God and equate government with God or to say we have "God's nation." Governments are formed by fallible, sinful human beings. To equate government and God or to say "we have a Christian nation" is to elevate these fallible, sinful humans to the level of God. It allows sinful people -- and we are all sinful people, right? -- to do sinful things and have them mistaken for the will and purpose of God. This is stated in the UMC as:
"The above in no way equates God and government, on the contrary there is no way to reconcile God's purpose for government with a government that acts contrary to God's will. There are many examples where governments pervert this God-given authority. It is in situations such as this where the prophetic voice of the church best honors its responsibility to the state, and its faithfulness to the gospel, by calling the state to accountability. Christians must become the conscience of government, in the best sense of the prophetic tradition. As Martin Luther King, Jr. once stated: "The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool." "
If we equate God and the state, then we lose the ability to do our duty to God and act as conscience for the state. When the government/state is equated to God, then the church becomes the tool of the state, because then the church cannot criticize the state. After all, we don't criticize God, do we? IMO, the idea that we have a "national God" or a "Christian nation" is a trap. It makes us a tool of politics, not the conscience of politics. It leads us to worship 2 masters, because the state and God can NEVER be one and the same. God is God, the state or government is humans.
Separation of Church and State
"We believe in the Christian church, the community of God's people founded on the confession of Christ. Jesus is the head of the body, the universal church, which is united by its common faith in Him. The church participates in the worship of God, the fellowship and training of believers, and the spread of God's love in the world. This ministry of God's love continues in the church as people are called to love and to bring together those who are separated from God and each other (Matthew 16:16-18; John 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 5:14-20). On the other hand, we believe that government is an institution established by God for the welfare of society. Government, as many other things in creation, is a part of God's common grace to humanity. This is a grace where all members of society benefit, whether they are Christians or not."
"The fact that God allows for the establishment of governments cannot be interpreted to mean that they are all good, as we can see in Scripture. As a matter of fact many governments act contradicting God's will. The reality is that governments fail as human beings fail to live according to God's will."
This, IMO, is why it is so dangerous to try to merge government and God and equate government with God or to say we have "God's nation." Governments are formed by fallible, sinful human beings. To equate government and God or to say "we have a Christian nation" is to elevate these fallible, sinful humans to the level of God. It allows sinful people -- and we are all sinful people, right? -- to do sinful things and have them mistaken for the will and purpose of God. This is stated in the UMC as:
"The above in no way equates God and government, on the contrary there is no way to reconcile God's purpose for government with a government that acts contrary to God's will. There are many examples where governments pervert this God-given authority. It is in situations such as this where the prophetic voice of the church best honors its responsibility to the state, and its faithfulness to the gospel, by calling the state to accountability. Christians must become the conscience of government, in the best sense of the prophetic tradition. As Martin Luther King, Jr. once stated: "The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool." "
If we equate God and the state, then we lose the ability to do our duty to God and act as conscience for the state. When the government/state is equated to God, then the church becomes the tool of the state, because then the church cannot criticize the state. After all, we don't criticize God, do we? IMO, the idea that we have a "national God" or a "Christian nation" is a trap. It makes us a tool of politics, not the conscience of politics. It leads us to worship 2 masters, because the state and God can NEVER be one and the same. God is God, the state or government is humans.