Is the Constitution a Pro-Christian document, or Atheist document?

Question

The first amendment to the Constitution protects the free exercise of religion. It does not protect just the free exercise of Christianity nor does it suggest that Christianity and Christians should be have special protections and privileges. The authors used the term "religion," meaning that all religions have exactly the same status before the law and the government.


Article VI says: "No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."

The first amendment to the Constitution also prohibits the government from "establishing" any religion.

The American Constitution begins with the phrase "We the People," and its significance cannot be overlooked. This establishes that sovereign power rests with the people and that all government power and authority derives from the consent of the people. NOT GOD.

It's a repudiation of older Eurpean ideas that governments are established by Gods divine choices.

Answer 1

It's a secular document that considers religion to be a fundamental right, but also recognizes the danger of having the state involved in it.

I suppose if it were written today, it might be 'freedom of thought' rather than religion, which would include religion, but is broader in scope.

Answer 2

I believe the Constitution is a Pro-Christian. Government and religion are supposed to be separate from one another. They are supposed to be two distinct parties. America was based on Christian laurels.

Everything about America is pased on the Puritan thinking. Religion, is a broad term for a way of worship. If you specify christian, buddihists, muslim, [ who we are currently fighting ];then it would protect all. The interesting thing you are asking, is if, these founding fathers, were creating this document as a means to make way for atheism?

Now that is the true question. I will address "WE THE PEOPLE," America in its vain, was trying to become in theory a democratic nation. A nation that catered to all people. Instead, it morphed into a republic. " WE THE PEOPLE" is like a vow, between government and citizen, that are entering into a marriage bond. Yes, its significant, HOWEVER, one cannot take out of context what it was written for, and that is RIGHTS FOR ALL. Remember under the first amendment what it is saying, CONGRESS cannot make a law banning religion, not saying it cannot create one.

GOD NEVER intended for man to rule anyway, man took it upon himself to go against GOD'S rule and here we are today.

I see where you can see if its Atheist, because it never really addresses a diety just implies. Good question. I hope ti helps.

Answer 3

It is neither Christian nor atheist. If a term must be applied, it would be Enlightenment Deist. Most of the Founding Fathers were Christian, but a few (maybe seven) were either Deist or Unitarian. It is true that the authority of the government comes from the consent of the governed. However, as seen in the Declaration of Independence, "Nature's God" is understood to be the basis of human rights and dignity --or to quote "the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them"

Of the Founding Fathers the Deists were Thomas Paine, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Bejamin Franklin, Ethan Allen, James Madison, and James Monroe. The rest were Christian. None were atheist.

Or, given his influence, we could call the Constitution a Lockian documen, after John Lock. His philosophical influence was immeasurable.

Answer 4

The Constitution does state what you are saying, and taken at face value, yes, all religions share the same status, and none are better over the other. However, looked at in the light of that all that was widely known back then was Christianity, there were other religions, but nothing that was considered mainstream now, you can safely assume that they were referring to only Christianity. This is true today, look at the prison system, or even the armed forces. The Gideons come around and hand out Bibles to everyone, regardless of religion. Granted it's the choice of the person to take it, but that gives the Christians a bible, while Satanists, Hindus, Wicca, Taoists, etc., nothing. Why isn't everything made available? The Constitution is a Pro-Christian document, since the way that we hold the United States today is based off of the way it was done back then. Only the Bible gets passed out in prison, armed forces, and hotels. Explain to me why that is.

Answer 5

The Constitution was written by men, for men. that makes it neither, at this time the people writhing it were influenced by religious belief, if I remember my history some were Puritans, and Quakers I don't think they are regarded as "Christians" It is a well known fact that are for fathers were "religious" so they would not have written anything from an Atheist point of view.

Answer 6

Politics and religion are different things. Any Constitution contain the law and procedures that men and women we must to follow and respect. The divine rules are coming from The Bible or religious front men and those rules may vary depending the religion we choose.

Answer 7

I would think NEITHER.
The Constitution was originally a document of complaints against unfair Brittish Laws imposed on the Continetal States of America. Watch some of the old "Daniel Boone" re-runs on TV-Land sometime. It'll begin to sink in. The Britts were cream-puff's (REALLY unfair) then!!

Answer 8

James Madison, called the "Architect of the Constitution," is said to have claimed,

We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government; upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.[31]

31. Cited in Barton, Myth, p. 120, and H. Alexander, How to Read the Federalist, 35 (1961). No original source for this quotation has yet been found. It may have been in a speech.

Answer 9

Neither. It is a political document which incorporates elements of Enlightenment though, humanism, Christianity, and a healthy dose of 55 rich white men trying to protect their assets and create a hedge against the common "rabble."

Answer 10

DUDE great point! however Christians TRUE Christians will tell you that no the USC is about freedom for all, and all religions I freakin hate people that worship the devil however according to our USC they can as long as they are not harming anyone! I think musslims are idiots and very dumb and i can say this becuase of the USC however THEY WILL TELL YOU THAT THEY ARE RIGHT and so will the JEWS and the Christians and so on and so on and so on! TO BE HONEST OUR GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN TAKEN OVER BY IDIOTS! most of them are named BUSH! TRUTH BE TOLD, you should be able to worship whoever or whatever you want as long as you are not harming anyone or anything! thats what it states! HOWEVER, it does not work like that! and thats because people in this country live in frear of themselves the gov, and church! TRUST ME FIND GOD AND THATS ALL THAT MATTERS! this is just a short time in your whole life as a spirit who cares what Man says you should only care what GOD says!