America was founded by a puritan /Evangelical protestant English people. Virginia by a regular English people of the anglican church. then further British immigration added to all this.
Yankee america in its moral, intellectual, society, and any essence or identity that separates itself from other peoples is entirely from Puritan protestantism.
The people and the establishment.
in the south it was also protestant but less religious greatly.
America was and was always segregated protestant peoples until in minor ways immigration brought others.
America is christian more then any other nation in human history in passion and results from that in character and intellect and soul.
When these segregated peoples united to form a new nation it was indeed not to be any particular protestant sect or even protestant or religious in its government.
Many also meant in its identity but others presumed it would still be a protestant civilization in all ways including the nations soul.
It was.
so if a christian people form a nation does it make it a christian nation.
I say no.
It wasn't a spoken intent to make the collective identity any religious identity. It was just to unite the thirteen colonies.
it wasn't talked about or a subject.
it didn't matter. they couldn't be the identity they were because of segregation of religious identies.
So it didn't matter greatly or since unless threatened or perceived threatened.
America was Christian because her peoples were and it mattered in how they ran things.
Yet no one would say America is a Christian nation since it would force non Christians to think they are not fully American.
The identity is first as a nation of the people within the boundary.
if the nation was christian then it would be united to any other Christian nation.
Yet the boundaries are the identity and so its not a Christian nation.
its just the people regardless of religion.
Those who stress America is not a cHristian nation really are trying to say its not a Christian civilization.
It is in all ways despite rejected presumptions of cHristianity today.
America is simply a civilization founded by and on Christian worldview and today is influenced by this past and by present Christian influences.
The word nation is the error here.