The Founding Fathers were an interesting mix of Deists and Christians, though the majority seem to have been devout (for today's standards) Christians or those from Christian backgrounds. Although both camps acknowleged the concept of a Supreme Being and both routinely called that being "God", many of the similarities stop there. Just because both referred to "God" doesn't mean they were referring to the same belief structure...
Now, that's not to say that the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independance, the US Constitution and other historical documents of prime importance that led up to the founding of law and order in the United States are totally devoid of Christian influence; quite the opposite. Many documents refer to "God" and call forth His protection, guidance, wisdom, etc., etc., countless writs and laws held their roots in biblical doctrine, and few Founding Fathers can be found to have not warmed up to the subject of God, religion or Christianity in their speeches or musings. Respect and admiration for a religion and it's teachings doesn't equivocate "worship", though. Even though some of their moral fiber and character was clearly grounded in biblical fashion, not all were firm believers or followers of Christ.
I certainly wouldn't call the US a "Christian Nation" in terms of it's founding (say, like the Vatican); rather a nation molded and shaped largely in part by what could be called "Christian principle" . Anyone that claims otherwise wins the "labotomy of the day" prize as they know jack-sh!t about the bulk of the US population then as well as it's leadership, as it damn-sure wasn't built on time-travelling ACLU doctrine or anything coming CLOSE to it, as it seems some here would have us believe...
Point in case:
The Pilgrims were a fairly uptight and right-wing Christian sect that sought these shores to escape persecution from the English leadership of the time.
That's right. They were so uptight, pious and religiously starched that after being singled out as a point of "aggravation" towards the Crown, they decided to high-tail it to another plot of land where they could practice their particular brand of religious "extremism".
They were the precursors to the Founding Fathers and much of their common law, practices and beliefs were carried foward. The zealotry and rather absolutist nature of their religious beliefs WERE largely diluted from governing bodies by the time of the Revolution, especially in forming the Constitution, but the foundation and cornerstone of Christian doctrine permeated almost all levels of social, legal and philosophical thought, art, etc., etc.
To add layer of complexity to this tale: Christianity was as much of a social institution as a religious institution back then; a profound lack of movie theaters and other secular leisure activities pretty much had most of the population attending church if not for the spiritual aspects of congregating and worship, for the social aspects of it.
Another nail in the coffin: What was one of the most commonly used and available books to further reading and comprehension skills during the 18th century?
The Bible.
Books weren't readily available and flying off of the shelves back then, but if there was one book many families had, it was a Bible. Family records (births, deaths, marriages, etc.) were held in these and they were used as sources of discussion, debate, education, etc., etc.
This could go on and on and on, but rest assured that one of the largest cornerstones of historical US identity is the decidedly Christian heritage that seeps from it's pours. It's waxed and waned over the years, but it's always been there.
