Presidents and Church and State

Here are some notable quotes from U.S. Presidents about Christianity:

George Washington

It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.

The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which heaven itself has ordained.

John Adams

We recognize no sovereign but God, and no other King but Jesus!

James Madison

We have staked the whole future of American civilization not on the power of government, far from it. We have staked the whole of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the commandments of God.

Abraham Lincoln

We have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand, which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

Ronald Reagan

If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

Of the many influences that have shaped the United States into a distinctive nation and people, none may be said to be more fundamental and enduring than the Bible.”

James Monroe

Before any man can be considered as a member of civil society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe. And to the same Divine Author of every good and perfect gift we are indebted for all those privileges and advantages, religious as well as civil, which are so richly enjoyed in this favored land.

Andrew Jackson

Finally, it is my most fervent prayer to that Almighty Being before whom I now stand, and who has kept us in His hands from the infancy of our Republic unto the present day, that He will so overrule all my intentions and actions and inspire the hearts of my fellow-citizens that we may be preserved from dangers of all kinds and continue forever a united and happy people.

John F. Kennedy

The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.

Jimmy Carter

You can’t divorce religious belief and public service. . . I’ve never detected any conflict between God’s will and my political duty. If you violate one, you violate the other.

George H. W. Bush

We asked for God’s help; and now, in this shining outcome, in this magnificent triumph of good over evil, we should thank God.

George W. Bush

Each day millions of our citizens approach our Maker on bended knee, seeking His grace and giving thanks for the many blessings He bestows upon us.

John Quincy Adams

The Bible is the first and almost the only book deserving of universal attention.

My custom is to read four or five chapters of the Bible every morning immediately after rising. It seems to me the most suitable manner of beginning the day. It is an invaluable and inexhaustible mine of knowledge and virtue.

Abraham Lincoln

I am profitably engaged in reading the Bible. Take all of this Book upon reason that you can, and the balance by faith, and you will live and die a better man.

Theodore Roosevelt

A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.

Calvin Coolidge

The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.”

Herbert Hoover

The study of the Bible is a post-graduate course in the richest library of human experience.

John Adams

I consider a decent respect for Christianity among the best recommendations for public service.

Thomas Jefferson

The reason that Christianity is the best friend of government is because Christianity is the only religion that changes the heart.

Grover Cleveland

All must admit that the reception of the teachings of Christ results in the purest patriotism, in the most scrupulous fidelity to public trust, and in the best type of citizenship.

Harry S. Truman

This is a Christian nation. It was founded by men who believed in prayer. They had faith in a Supreme Being.

Woodrow Wilson

America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture.

Quotes from the Presidents

How the Presidents Viewed Church and State