By Lee Roper
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch debunked the myth pushed by far-right Republicans that the United States was founded as a Christian nation.
“We were founded, a lot of our colonies, for religious pluralism, right? And the opportunity to practice your own faith in your own way,” Gorsuch told PBS’ Margaret Hoover.
“And we were never supposed to be a nation that was about one race or one religion,” he continued. “It was about those ideas. And those things are perfect ideas that speak to every human heart and that unite us all.”
The conservative justice argued the idea that the US is a Christian nation is antithetical to the First Amendment of the Constitution.
“I mean, we have a First Amendment, for crying out loud. No established religion. Everybody has a freedom of religion. Everybody has the freedom of speech. We are all equal under law, okay?” he said, adding, “Now, you can not agree with those ideas, fair enough. Then we have a problem. But those three ideas are something all of us can unite behind.”
Conservatives like JD Vance and Kevin Roberts have recently asserted America was founded as a Christian nation.Justice Neil Gorsuch disagrees.“I just don't see it that way,” says Gorsuch. “We have a First Amendment for crying out loud. No established religion.”
— Firing Line with Margaret Hoover (@firinglineshow.bsky.social) 2026-07-26T18:59:43.702Z
Gorsuch’s comments come as several prominent Republicans, including JD Vance, have been asserting that the United States was founded as a Christian nation and as such, the Bible should shape policy ideas.
“The only thing that has truly served as an anchor of the United States of America is that we have been, and by the grace of God we always will be, a Christian nation,” Vance said at Turning Point USA’s annual “AmericaFest” event.
“Across that history, our country’s major debates have always centered on how we could best, as a people, please God,” he added at the time.
Also, Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission recommends that the federal government diminish the separation of church and state.
