Does the word God exist in the Constitution?

Asked by: Elva Shanahan  |  Last update: February 9, 2025
Score: 4.8/5 (66 votes)

While the U.S. Constitution does not mention God, nearly all state constitutions reference either God or the divine, according to a 2017 analysis. God also appears in the Declaration of Independence, the Pledge of Allegiance and on U.S. currency.

Where in the Constitution does it say under God?

U.S. Congress, a divided panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that the 1954 Congressional amendment adding the words “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance violated the First Amendment's proscription that, “Congress shall make not law respecting an establishment of religion.” Because ...

Why isn't God mentioned in the Constitution?

Others wanted to permit the individual states to support established churches if they so chose. Both groups were reluctant to make explicit references to God in the nation's founding document. Religion was only mentioned in Article VI, which forbids any religious test for public office.

Did the founding fathers put God in the constitution?

After the Constitutional Convention in 1787, when Alexander Hamilton was asked why God had not been mentioned in the Constitution, he reportedly quipped, "We forgot." True! The story of Hamilton's famous quip may be apocryphal, but the Founders really didn't mention God in our country's charter.

How many states mention God in their Constitution?

Those who question the permissibility of official acknowledgements of God might be surprised to learn that the preambles of forty-five of the fifty state constitutions expressly invoke God. The practice is common in both liberal and conservative states and is equally prevalent in all regions of the country.

DOES THE U.S. CONSTITUTION - Reference God or Jesus? THE TRUTH

35 related questions found

Does the U.S. Constitution refer to God?

In the United States, the federal constitution does not make a reference to God as such, although it uses the formula "the year of our Lord" in Article VII.

Did the founding fathers believe in God?

Many of the Founding Fathers were men of prayer who sought God's guidance in their decisions. For instance, Benjamin Franklin, during the Constitutional Convention, famously called for daily prayers, recognizing the need for divine assistance in their deliberations.

Where is God mentioned in our Constitution?

While the U.S. Constitution does not mention God, nearly all state constitutions reference either God or the divine, according to a 2017 analysis. God also appears in the Declaration of Independence, the Pledge of Allegiance and on U.S. currency.

How many times does the word God appear in the Constitution?

The U.S. Constitution never explicitly mentions God or the divine, but the same cannot be said of the nation's state constitutions. In fact, God or the divine is mentioned at least once in each of the 50 state constitutions and nearly 200 times overall, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.

Is Jesus mentioned in the Declaration of Independence?

The declaration doesn't mention the trinity, the resurrection, Christ's divinity, or other essential Christian tenets.

Where is Jesus mentioned in the Constitution?

The Constitution does not mention God, Jesus Christ, or Christianity. It contains the word “religion” only twice, in Article 6, which exempts government office holders from a religious test; and in the First Amendment.

When was God added to the U.S. Constitution?

The phrase "one nation, under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954. These references to God are not in the original Constitution but were introduced later, reflecting the influence of religious sentiment in the country's history.

Why is God mentioned in the Declaration of Independence but not Constitution?

While God is referenced in the Declaration of Independence and the Pledge of Allegiance and appears on U.S. currency, the most religion is mentioned in the Constitution is in the First Amendment. It prohibits Congress from establishing an official religion and protects the right of citizens to practice their faith.

Is the Bible quoted in the Constitution?

The U.S. Constitution does not mention the Bible, God, Jesus or Christianity, and the First Amendment clarifies that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Still, some scholars have argued that the Bible heavily influenced America's founders.

Why is prayer in school unconstitutional?

REASONING The majority, via Justice Black, held that school-sponsored prayer violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Was America founded on Christianity?

In short, while America did not have a Christian Founding in the sense of creating a theocracy, its Founding was deeply shaped by Christian moral truths. More important, it created a regime that was hospitable to Christians, but also to practitioners of other religions.

Does the Constitution say separation of church and state?

Though not explicitly stated in the First Amendment, the clause is often interpreted to mean that the Constitution requires the separation of church and state.

Is God mentioned in the Bill of Rights?

The Bill of Rights addresses religion and the establishment of a church but does not mention God. The framers of the Constitution intended for the document to be a secular one and nowhere in the document is God mentioned except in the signing of it which uses the phrase ''Year of our Lord.

Does the Constitution say God given rights?

The Declaration of Independence asserts that all men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. In other words, our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are God-given, not government given.

What did the founding fathers believe about God?

It is true that the founders, by virtue of the fact that they signed the Declaration of Independence, probably believed in a God who presided over nature, was the author of human rights, would one day judge the dead and governed the world by his providence.

How many times did the word God appear in the Bible?

If you count the times they use lord or God it is close to 6892 times.

Where in the Constitution does it say in God we trust?

The United States Code at 36 U.S.C. § 302, now states: "'In God we trust' is the national motto." The resolution was reaffirmed in 2006, on the 50th anniversary of its adoption, by the Senate, and in 2011 by the House of Representatives, in a 396 to 9 vote.

What religion believes that God the Father is the only true God?

In Jehovah's Witness theology, only God the Father (Jehovah) is the one true almighty God, even over his Son Jesus Christ. They teach that the Logos is God's Only-begotten Son, and that the Holy Spirit is God's active force (projected energy).

What did Thomas Jefferson think of God?

While Jefferson was a firm theist, the God in which he believed was not the traditional Christian divinity. Jefferson rejected the notion of the Trinity and Jesus' divinity.