One Nation under God…but Since When?
To the Point
KCRW
4.4 • 583 Ratings
🗓️ 3 July 2015
⏱️ 52 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
American values may be compatible with the Christian Bible, but the Founding Fathers insisted on the separation of Church and State. Yet many Americans believe they live in a historically "Christian Nation." We hear about a long-running campaign to associate religion and politics.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | From KCRW in Santa Monica and PRI, Public Radio International, this is To the Point. |
| 0:08.2 | America is a Christian nation. Since when? |
| 0:14.7 | Hello again, I'm Roman Alney with a holiday rebroadcast of To the Point from Public Radio International. |
| 0:19.9 | A daily look at the issues Americans care about most. |
| 0:22.3 | The Constitution never mentions God, and the founding fathers were adamant about the separation of church and state. |
| 0:28.2 | The Pledge of Allegiance didn't say under God till the 1950s. |
| 0:31.9 | So why does so many Americans consider that this is a Christian nation? |
| 0:36.2 | We'll hear how big business used religion to |
| 0:38.5 | discredit the New Deal, organized labor, and government regulation. Socialism was demonized |
| 0:44.4 | and God associated with free enterprise capitalism all the way to the White House. Is that legacy |
| 0:50.1 | still with us? Today's talking point, the American citizens who are being victimized by their |
| 0:55.6 | parents' immigration status. First, here's the news. |
| 1:02.0 | Listen to KCRW's 24-hour all-news channel. Stream BBC World Service, NPRW programs, |
| 1:10.5 | continuous coverage and accessible via our smartphone |
| 1:13.3 | app or online at KCRW.com. |
| 1:20.5 | Support for To the Point comes from the members of KCRW and from the Public Radio International |
| 1:26.3 | Program Fund. |
| 1:31.6 | Hello again. We're an Al-Neback with a special Fourth of July edition of To the Point. |
| 1:38.7 | American values may be compatible with the Christian Bible, but the founding fathers insisted on the separation of church and state. |
| 1:43.5 | Nevertheless, many Americans believe they live in a historically Christian nation. |
| 1:49.4 | We'll hear about a long-running campaign to associate religion with business and politics. |
| 1:59.8 | Today's talking point, a six-year-old American citizen who refuses to speak is collateral damage from policies that require her undocumented parents to leave the country. |
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