Eunice Grace Valladores

03/11/15
Critique paper #1

Was America once a Christian nation? How come its history refutes itself to prove that it
was never a Christian nation? Orozco addresses these questions in Chapter 3, The Origins of
Republican Protestantism in his book titled Republican Protestantism in Aztlan. First of all, he
supports Franklin Littells claim that United States was neither a Christian country at birth, nor
did it truly reflect a Christian culture per se, and he also mentions that it is a pagan society
because the population was not even nominally Christian (Orozco, 56-57). He supports these
ideas by presenting the secular roots of false Americanism, which adapted the concepts of
Liberal Christianity, Rationalism, and Deism. It proves that America did not start as a Christian
nation, but a Christo-pagan framework was followed in order to satisfy their quest that created
chaos to the Spanish-speaking community. America was not a Christian nation, but it was based
on Deism or natural religion primarily geared for their secular humanistic goals that eventually
brought havoc to the Spanish-speaking people, and it had an anti-Catholic legacy.
Deism is one of the anti-Christian movements that arose during the start of the republic
(Orozco 59). He argues how this was considered as a threat to the Christian community.
American Deism can be traced from several movements and theories including the anticlericalism of Voltaire. [T]he Deists denatured the Christian God that is Jesus Christ, by
emphasizing his corporeality (Orozco 61). Empiricism was used in this principle to prove that
God is invisible, and the works of Christ were just similar to a prophet or great teacher. This

clearly shows how it contradicts the views of Christianity, and it was also shown that some of the
founding fathers of America had beliefs that were congruent to Deism. ...and if they had
interviewed Franklin, Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe, they would
undoubtedly have placed every one of these six founding fathers in some way under the
category of Deism and Unitarianism (Hume 51). By presenting the theological components of
Deism, Orozco adds credibility to his point that America did not start as Christian nation because
the people who founded it were not Christians at all.
Orozcos also points out that natural religion became the stepping stone of what he calls
false Americanism, which was based on secularism. He adds that a unique Christo-pagan set
of core values were formulated and a religio-philosophical pattern was used by the founding
fathers for their big plan in this country. He calls this religio-philosphical pattern as Republican
Protestantism that was developed by the founding fathers not for religious goals but for their
secular humanistic interests. According to him, a seemingly sound, vague, and formless
Christian tone emerged as a statescraft mechanism by which to satisfy mans acknowledged
natural quest for God (Orozco 64). Religious freedom was not actually the real reason for the
Euro-American immigration to America for the separation of church and the state did not happen
at all. He cited Brattons work that says how the constitution was based on deistic and
revolutionary platforms (Orozco 65). What the authors of the American constitution came up
with emerged as the religion of the America that became the source of evils of racism (Orozco
65). Their martyred bodies remained hanging for forty minutes before the American sheriff cut
them down, surely sending a powerful message to the Mexican and Indian people of the Taos
Valley (Gomez 16).

Lastly, false Americanism proceeded to its anti-Catholic legacy. Their deCatholicization

agenda was also part of their False Americanism framework. He claims that the competition
between science and theology was the main reason for their anti-Catholic sentiment (Orozco
67). Having this sentiment is not part of the Christian doctrine anymore since it violates the laws
of God in the Bible, and it just exemplifies evil and hatred. According to Whites study (qtd. In
Kendall 4) anti-Catholicism has remained consistent with its characterization of the Church
as a heretical religious empire of despotism, idolatry and excess almost always citing biblical
prophecy as proof for condemnation. He also features the reverse side of the American seal that
symbolizes their ultimate goal of destroying the Catholic Church. The pyramid represents the
conspiracy for the destruction of the Catholic Church, and the establishment of a One World
(Orozco 69). Having the date of the founding of the Order of Illuminati at the base of the
pyramid raises questions because it should have been the date of the signing of the Declaration of
Independence (67). This is not a clear evidence to prove that Illuminati doctrine was incorporated
with the constitution. Nonetheless, the symbol exposes that there was something going on among
the founding fathers of this so-called Christian nation.
The third chapter of Republican Protestantism in Aztlan titled The Origins of Repubican
Protestantism addresses the question whether America started out as Christian nation or not.
Deism, an anti-Christian movement, was congruent to the natural religion in the United States,
and some of the founding fathers were proved to be Deists. False Americanism became the
religion in America, and it was revealed that Christianity was not the real foundation of the
country, but it was the Republican Protestantism or their religio-philosophical framework was
used for their secularly humanistic goals. Lastly, the final product of this big plan made by the
founding fathers resulted in the havoc of the lives of Spanish-speaking people and persecution of

the Catholics. Therefore, Christianity was used as a facade to cover up their real goals which
were to destroy the Catholics, gain land, and power.
Works Cited

Gmez, Laura E. Manifest Destinies: The Making of the Mexican American Race. New York,
NY, USA: New York University Press (NYU Press), 2007. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 8
March 2015.
Holmes, David L. Faiths of the Founding Fathers. Cary, NC, USA: Oxford University Press,
Incorporated, 2006. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 8 March 2015.
Kendall, Adam G. "The Whitewash Committee Of 1914: The Knights Of Columbus,
Freemasonry And Anti-Catholicism In California." European Journal Of American
Culture 33.1 (2014): 49-60. America: History and Life with Full Text. Web. 9 Mar. 2015.
Orozco, E C. Republican Protestantism in Aztlan: The Encounter between Mexicanism and
Anglo-Saxon Secular Humanism in the United States Southwest. Glendale, Calif.:
Petereins Press, 1980. Internet resource.