Did our four fathers mean freedom of denominations of the Christian Religion?

Question

I would like to think that our constitution was meant for all religions, however. history shows that the same people who wrote it burned witches and shunned other religions.

Sorry, typo, forefathers.

I guess i should clarify, "Judeo-Christian Religion"

I dont mean literally the same people, I mean society at that time, and what was acceptable.

Answer 1

The writers of the constitution had their own beliefs and in most cases followed the Christian faith. Although, they disliked other religions, what they did was more of creating rules for society. They never mentioned a specific dislike towards any religion. Many countries back then had few religions and thus most people believed in the same thing meaning there was little or no influence from their own beliefs. They wanted a just society.

Answer 2

You have a couple of good answers already. Our forefathers had been subjected to a state religion in Europe where the government financially supported the church and the people were coerced into membership and support. If you belonged to any other faith besides the state religion, you were punished. They were determined not to let that happen in America. The government is not allowed to enforce support of any particular religion, ie. establish it. Neither are they allowed to prohibit the free exercise of religious beliefs. Thus, the people are free to choose whatever faith they desire without government imposed support or suppression. It is true that some religious persecution still took place, although the witch hunts do not qualify in this category because they preceded the constitution by a hundred years. However, some churches were infringed upon in the early years, notably the Catholics in the early days and more recently, the Mormons. The good foundation of the constitution did not guarantee good application of the principles of good government by the flawed people representing the same. Thus, religious intolerance still raises its head from time to time contrary to our constitution.
Our forefathers were unanimously religious individuals acknowledging a dependance upon the supreme being. They never intended for the country to shun religion altogether as todays humanists are trying to promote. They have no more right to proscribe religion than did the early persecutors.

Answer 3

The Witch Trials were long before our Constitution was written. The Puritans were just that, puritanical. Teaching other than their own made them subject to banishment; the wilderness and hostile indians outside of settlements were not a pleasant option.
One educated English woman, Anne Hutchinson was exiled for being a woman and drawing a crowd when she preached. She was, later, killed with 5 of her children
Mary Dyer, A Quaker, was hung, along with two others for disobeying a Governor's order that she must not preach Quakerism.
Your history is off, our forefathers were not born for some time to come. The Witch Trials were in the 1690's.

Answer 4

Nope, they meant what they wrote, "Freedom of Religion."
I'm pretty sure if they meant only Christianity they would have wrote it in. Our forefathers came from a land were people were persecuted for not having the same religious beliefs of the majority, they established the U.S. with the notion of "freedom of religion" and it means exactly what it says. (People are imperfect, thus any and all laws are imperfect).

Answer 5

I think that what they meant was that the US government should not and could not establish a state religion, Christian or otherwise. What they probably could not foresee was that some groups would take that clause of the first Amendment and try to suppress all religion. It's not "freedom FROM" religion, but "freedom OF religion".

Answer 6

WHAT!?! The people who wrote the Constitution burned withces?
Uhh, maybe you better check your history book again. The Salem Witch Hunts happened in 1692, the U.S. Constitution was adopted in 1787. Those events were 95 years apart, and had nothing to do with each other.

Answer 7

No, all they meant was just what they said. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." . In other words, the government, as a ruling body, cannot mandate a state religion, cannot involve itself in the practice of religion, or prohibit any citizens who have religious beliefs from practicing them.

As you have noted, the First Amendment hasn't stopped religious extremists from being extreme, but up until recently it more or less prevented our government from involving religion in its operations.

Answer 8

No, the ones doing the burning were fanatics. The ones doing the writing were true leaders. There is a big difference. Religion always has had it's share of fanatics AND leaders....it's not fair to lump the two together.

Answer 9

There ARE four faces at Mt. Rushmore, much to the chagrin of the Native Americans.

Yes, I think the constitution meant freedom FROM religion also.

Answer 10

In the PC move to separate church and state, paradoxically, we are promoting a religion. Atheism has become the only accepted religion.