Quote by John Adams _2nd President of US....showing America as a CHRISTIAN nation?

Question

"The highest history of the American revolutionis this:It connected in ONE INDISSOLUABLE BOND the principles of civil government with the principles of CHRISTIANITY". -- John Adam - 2nd President of the U S

" The American nation from its first settlement at Jamestown to this hour is BASED UPON and permeated BY THE PRINCIPLES OF THE BIBLE". Supreme Court Justice David Joseph Breiver (1837-1910)

" We stake the whole future history of this nation upon the ablility of its people to govern & control themselves according to the 10 Commandments". -- James Madison ...Chief Archetect of the US Constsitution and 2nd Pres. of US.

So why should we believe clueless atheists that are trying to convince us otherwise with fabricated lies? I choose to believe our Founding Fathers and reject the atheists who are trying to re-write history to suit their own selfish agenda.

Answer 1

i couldnt of said it better

Answer 2

First of all Gary, what is your source? John Adams as well as his son are well documented as Unitarians. Secondly, Adams opinion is not rule of law and therefore is not proof that the United States was founded as a Christian country. In fact all his statement does is voice his opinion that the principles of these two institutions were in alignment at the time of his statement. The formers of the constitution specifically did not declare the United States as a religion based state (theocracy) and the Bill of Rights prohibits the state establishment of religion de facto erecting a wall of separation between church and state (check your Thomas Jefferson and Supreme Court Rulings). While primarily of religious denominations that were or are Christian, the founders of this nation were, like it or not, religious liberals and fought for religious freedom. It would have been fool hardy of them to turn around and deny that freedom to others or in the very least hypocritical. Your twisting of Adams words to suit your own purposes is highly transparent and your ravings at other as to their "not doing their homework", belies the weaknesses of your own arguments. Furthermore, I can be relatively certain that the best answer for this question will be awarded by you to the person who best parrots your current beliefs, not the person with the most factual and thoughtful answer.

Answer 3

Slapping a question mark on the end of a statement doesn't make it a question.

Your quotes are bogus. Here's a real one from Adams
"I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved -- the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced!"
-- John Adams, letter to Thomas Jefferson

One from Madison.
"During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the Clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity, in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution. Enquire of the Teachers of Christianity for the ages in which it appeared in its greatest lustre; those of every sect, point to the ages prior to its incorporation with Civil policy."
-- James Madison, A Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments, addressed to the Virginia General Assemby, 1785

I can't counter the quote from "Briever" not the least because the man seems not to have existed. The man is a figment of some christian nationalist's fevered imagination. There is no justice of the US Supreme Court with that name.

Who's trying to rewrite history now? Atheists you say? Hmmm...

There was a David Josiah Brewer with the same birth and death years who was a justice in the suptreme court. I feel safe disreguarding the opinions of someone who consitsantly voted in favor of segregation.

Answer 4

Tell me...

How do you justify this?

"The divinity of Jesus is made a convenient cover for absurdity. Nowhere in the Gospels do we find a precept for Creeds, Confessions, Oaths, Doctrines, and whole carloads of other foolish trumpery that we find in Christianity."

Like Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, most of the founders of Christianity had respect for the Christian religion. However, they were not Christians (for the most part), they were Deists, and their definition of Christianity was FAR different from the Christianity you observe. Their idea of Christianity is the kind followed by Unitarian Universalists.

Here are some more quotes to chew on:

"The question before the human race is, whether the God of nature shall govern the world by his own laws, or whether priests and kings shall rule it by fictitious miracles?"

"As I understand the Christian religion, it was, and is, a revelation. But how has it happened that millions of fables, tales, legends, have been blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation that have made them the most bloody religion that ever existed?"

"Indeed, Mr. Jefferson, what could be invented to debase the ancient Christianism which Greeks, Romans, Hebrews and Christian factions, above all the Catholics, have not fraudulently imposed upon the public? Miracles after miracles have rolled down in torrents."

Answer 5

The James Madison quote is not historical. I'm not sure of the other two. I have a book in progress about America's Christian Heritage, so far I have almost 700 handwritten pages of NOTES, nearly all quotations and historical documents. Its obvious the Christian system was the most influential system in early America, but many bad things occurred in the name of Christianity. Truthfully, I regard much of America's Christian Heritage as contrary to the teachings of Christ. The closest I could find to modern Christians in early America were the Quakers, and they received the harshest persecution; they were hated as heretics. Oddly enough, they were liked in some degree by Thomas Paine, Jefferson, and Voltaire......... Strange that the ones I found closest to true Christianity were the ones that were most liked by the most anti-Christian men of their time.

While I think its foolish to say "America has no Christian heritage", I think it is also foolish to take a great degree of pride in America's Christian heritage.

Since I have 700 pages of quotes, if you want any just email me. I've read over 300 books by respected professors, and contacted professors from Yale and Indiana State University to fill in the gaps. From Columbus to Winthrop, Williams and Hutchinson, Penn and Franklin, Paine and Jefferson, Adams and Hamilton, Washington and Madison, I got a lot.

Answer 6

Adams used deistic terms in his speeches and writing. He believed in the essential goodness of the creation, but did not believe in the divinity of Christ or that God intervened in the affairs of individuals. Although not anti-clerical, he advocated the separation of church and state.

Why do you think that he had to be a Christian or an Atheist? Do you think that these are the only two choices there are? He saw good in religion and considered himself a Deist, not a Christian.

And, I have tried to find your quotes in the NET-cannot find them.

Answer 7

Only your second "quote" a can be found in a search, apparently. You have either butchered them beyond recognition, or you have made them up altogether.

This second quote was not from a person that most would consider to be a "founding father."

One quote you might find intriguing, and one that is most definitely traceable to a founding father - John Adams, who signed the document - is from Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli...

"As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion..."

And, strangely enough, I promise that you can easily find this quote on the web. In fact, here's a link...

http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/treaty_tripoli.html

Answer 8

Hmm, look at the Treaty of Tripoli, signed by George Washington - "This is not IN ANY WAY a Christian nation".

I can't help it if there were a few ignorant people along the way, but that's how it started - as a secular nation.

Answer 9

One problem with the Christian vs everyone else issue. If you'll notice the gays, the Atheists, the Pagans, even PETA will go to battle be it political or otherwise to grab control of the political machines. What are the Christians doing??? Oh yeah, they're busy "praying" for God to fix the problem because they are too scared to do it themselves and possibly hurt someone's feelings. Or God forbid, end up in jail or maybe even take a couple of shots to the chest for their God. My God is worth defending... Is yours? Or is He just an excuse to pass on your duty to self, country and God?

Answer 10

Whether we are a CHristian Nation or not really does not matter. At one time, GOD was very muich a part of the beginnings of this nation! HE allowed us to fight and beat THE WORLD POWER. Later HE allowed us to assist in the saving of that same nation (England). America still has some great Christians in the government. They may be less boisterous than their non-christian counter-parts but they are still there. It is my hope that we will again become a Christian Nation. It is not necessary, but I find it more appealing than what I have seen recently. Have a great weekend!
Eds

Answer 11

us "clueless atheists" follow more intelligent founding fathers than John Adams. Guys like deist Thomas Jefferson, deist George Washington, and deist Benjamin Franklin.
hm... 3 deists...
1 "christian"...
look who's re-writing history and quote-mining...
I don't think it's us...