Ok so someone asks a question that says?

Question

our Founding Fathers weren't Christian and everyone answers and agrees with him. Most don't provide details but jump on the bandwagon.

Then I ask a detailed question cause I'm wondering where they get their info and hardly anyone answers me.

Are my question too long? Why don't people give me info to support their view?

Hmm, was just wondering. Thanks :o)

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Answer 1

For people like George Washington, at best, no one really knows much about what he believed as far as religion is concerned. But he was more than likely Deist, just like the vast majority of the founders. Search their names on Wikipedia or another neutral source and you'll find plenty of quotes that back up that claim.

Edit: If you're trying to say that they WERE Christian, I'd love to see what sources you're getting that from.

Answer 2

Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson are both really obvious.

Just Google "Thomas Jefferson religion" and you will get a ton of info. He was clearly not a Christian but a deist. He refers to Christians in the third person consistently and calls them superstitious. It really isn't hard to find. Oh ya, he also felt the need to write his own Bible with all the superstitious stuff removed because he did agree with the ethics. Its rather interesting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Bible

I don't like including short quotes because they are easily taken out of context. If you really want to know, you have to read several things and see how they changed over time.

You might want to look at Lincoln too....He had some very unorthodox beliefs too.

Edit: The "under god" in the pledge was not original. It was added in 1954. I would also like to point out the the very first act of Congress removed references to God in the oath that they took. These were not puritans, they were guys who at the risk of their own lives started a war with thiner own government. Read the Declaration of Independence sometimes and ask yourself if you would have the courage to sign it. They were pretty radical by ANY definition.

Answer 3

Many people, I have noticed, on this website do not really have any answers, they merely regurgitate what they think they are rebelling about. I have the same problem. When I ask a serious question because actually want to learn something 90% of the answers are calling me names. I'll probably be tired of this site in another couple of days or weeks.

The pilgrims were Catholics that had been chased to Holland by the English Protestants. If Catholics are not Christian then they may be correct or if they are talking about the founding fathers of Nigeria, they may be correct. You need to spell things out to some of these folks as comic books and video game sites do not always give factual answers.

Good luck

Answer 4

The general idea is, while the majority of the founding fathers suscribed to Christian ideals, they didn't support the prevalence of one religion over another within the boarders of the United States. In addition, while still deists, some of the founding fathers, for example Benjamin Franklin, didn't regard themselves as members of a specific church, and resented the dogmatic systems that the christianity of the time in large part championed.

Benjamin Franklin flat out attacked the Christian principles of free will and morality in a 1725 pamphlet, "A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain" for example. He consistently attacked dogma in general, arguing, like many Enlightenment thinkers, that morality was based on personal virtues rather than particular systematic actions.

The text of the pamphlet available above is available here - http://www.historycarper.com/resources/twobf1/m7.htm

Thomas Jefferson was another notable diest, that suscribed to christian principles in large part, but wasn't definitively christian, he in wrote in great volume on ths subject, this is in part why the Enlightenment's deistic terms, such as "creator" appear within the Declaration of Independance rather than "God". The main thing that distinguished him from christians was his rejection of the idea that Jesus was the promised Messiah and the incarnate Son of God.

In fact, these beliefs of Jefferson were fairly common among Americans intellectuals of the day.

John Adams, a Unitarian, had similar views on Christ, and believed in a non-intervening God, despite this, he believed Christianity to be the best among relgions he had personally sampled, and as such favored it, saying, "I have examined all... and the result is that the Bible is the best Book in the world. It contains more philosophy than all the libraries I have seen."

George Washington, as well, is difficult to count as a Christian, as though he accompanied his wife to church services, he is on record to have always left before communion was received, there is however some disagreement to what degree he was a deist, and to what degree he was a christian.

In summary, though the majority of the representatives believed in a single God and a historical figure reffered to as "Jesus Christ", as well as the majority of the bible, they didn't count themselves as christians for the most part, and didn't strictly adhere to the christian ideals of the time.

Answer 5

I missed this the first time around. What part of the pledge's "One Nation Under GOD" would lead these people to believe our founding fathers were not Christians? References to God are found all throughout our country's history. We even take an oath on a Bible to tell the truth in court! Do some research people!

Answer 6

people always answer the more controversial questions. Its easier to simply "jump on the bandwagon" as you say and agree with someone else without coming up with a well thought out original answer. Or on the other hand jump on some idiot who is asking a purely made up just asked to piss people off question for the same reason. No one who asks serious questions ever gets much of an answer.

Answer 7

Because I've answered this question before (many times before) and I'm tired of dragging all the books down from the upstairs library.

Believe it or not, this question is one of those questions (like, "Why don't atheist believe in God?", "Why do people believe in evolution?") that have been asked ad nauseum.

Check out the link below for many quotes about the Founding Fathers and Deism:

Answer 8

They are probably not answering because they don't really know the answer and can't there for get into details.

People are quick to jump on the bandwagon as long as they don't have to get into detail and show they really don't know what they are talking about.

Have a Blessed and safe New Year !
and God Bless You !

Answer 9

I also would like to know where the statistics come from. As far as I was taught, 99% of the founding fathers were Christian and they wanted to be sure the new country would not have an established state church as was already in England.

Answer 10

I hate essay questions and long winded people, and don't bother to read their one-sided views. This is neither a chat nor a debate site. FYI, I do have college degrees and a higher than average IQ.