Are English and Christianity the official language and religion of the US?

Answer 1

None. The U.S. has no official language or religion. English is the most common language, as it was the primary language of the first Colonists. Likewise, Christianity is by far the most common religion, but to declare an official religion would violate the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Answer 2

It depends how the term "official" is defined in this context. No federal statute or provision of the United States Constitution defines English as the official language of the United States. However, several State Constitutions, notably that of the State of Florida, do define the official language as English, in State law.

In terms of U.S. federal Constitutional law, Amendment I contains two operative clauses: (1) the Free Exercise Clause; and, (2) the Establishment Clause. The former requires that the government cannot interfere to too great an extent in the practice of religion in all its forms within the United States. The latter prohibits any governmental action from having the effect of establishing a state-sanctioned religion. There is an entire body of Constitutional law defined in opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States that speak to the effect and applicability of both of these clauses. Also, textually, these clauses form the cornerstone of the political doctrine of the separation of church and state, although its precise contours are beyond the scope of this very small monograph.

That said, many lawmakers and jurists under the U.S. and its States are professed Christians, and proponents of the English language. Debates of the U.S. Congress are conducted only in English, without official translation of any kind. The Congressional Record is published only in American English, and opinions of the federal courts are written and published only in American English. While the U.S. Congress has official chaplains of several faiths, including those of Judaism and Islam, as well as non-denominational Christianity, its Christian chaplain is, as a de facto matter, the most prominent.

As a de facto matter, government interaction with the people occurs in American English, although as a courtesy, the U.S. federal government does communicate in the Spanish language, where a sufficient number of aggregated U.S. citizen consumers of U.S. government services speak and read Spanish, as this language is spoken somewhat widely in several parts of several U.S. States, and it is an official language in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Some official diplomatic communications by the U.S. government on behalf of U.S. citizens internationally are conducted trilingually, in English, French and Spanish, such as the "all lawful aid and comfort" exhortation found in U.S. passports.

Also as a de facto matter, most U.S. Presidents have adhered to the Episcopalian denomination of Christianity, and this is the denomination of Christianity of Washington National Cathedral.