evidence: - The quote argues that America "was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians." [...] In a tweet posted on the Fourth of July holiday, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri quoted Patrick Henry — one of the Founding Fathers of the United States — to make a point about the specific role that Christianity played in the foundation of the country. "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ," reads the quote. "For this very reason, peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here."