Do you believe the U.S. was founded on the Bible/Christianity?

Question

Wrong-o!

http://bbs.stardestroyer.net/viewtopic.php?t=12272

I am sick of hearing Christian Fundamentalists say that the U.S. was founded on Christian values, and that if you don't like it you can leave.

Ever heard of the Treaty of Tripoli?

"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries"

Did you catch that first part?

Answer 1

What is the time element and the context of your quote? If you are asking if the Founding Fathers were mainly Christian, I think any honest examination of the facts would show they were. A high percentage were actually ordained ministers. Some were deists. That their principles were introduced into the Constitution I think is undeniable. Even the least religious, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were by no means hostile toward Christianity.

Answer 2

i've come to realize that the Fundies confuse the settling of the land with the founding of the nation.

The original settlers were indeed strongly Christian. Their colonies were based on Christian rule, which lead to atrocities such as the Salem Witchtrials. Overtime, the leaders realized they had to separate religion from politics (such as when the three murderous brats Tetsuba taught turned their fingers at the Governor's wife).

So you have this concept of separation right from the get-go... the idea that government cannot interfere or involve in religion, and vice versa. So the law of the land was based on that concept -- even the evangelicals amongst the founding fathers realized this was a necessary thing.

Answer 3

Some of the Founding Fathers has some nasty things to say about organized Christian religions and if you report me in violation I will quote those people, like Paine and Jefferson and Franklin. There was an ATTEMPT to Add Jesus and it was defeated, thus they could not get 9 or 10 states out of the 13 to go along with adding Jesus to the constitution. They didn't think they could get the bill of rights through, which is why I was submitted seprately and two of the original12 rights never got approved! As Thomas Jefferson wrote in his Autobiography, in reference to the Virginia Act for Religious Freedom: "Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed by inserting "Jesus Christ," so that it would read "A departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion;" the insertion was rejected by the great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohammedan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination." Thomas Jefferson interpreted the 1st Amendment in his famous letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in January 1, 1802: "I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and State." Thomas Paine, freethinker and author of several books, influenced more early Americans than any other writer. Although he held Deist beliefs, he wrote in his famous The Age of Reason: "I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my church. " "Of all the systems of religion that ever were invented, there is no more derogatory to the Almighty, more unedifiying to man, more repugnant to reason, and more contradictory to itself than this thing called Christianity. " Well, there are some of the quotes. These, then, are the people that Founded the US and championed the Constitution!

Answer 4

This country wasn't founded on Christianity. Jefferson was a deist and he would've detested the way Evangelicals want to inject religion into everything. You're going to get insulted and maybe thrown some bible verses at you. Don't worry, that is what they do when they're confronted with facts. Happy New Year.

Answer 5

As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion;

The founders were DEISTS. They believed in a Supreme Being who created the Universe, and then let nature take its course. We can see the truth of this in nature - the wonder of creation.

Thomas Paine wrote the following:

I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life.

I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy.

But, lest it should be supposed that I believe in many other things in addition to these, I shall, in the progress of this work, declare the things I do not believe, and my reasons for not believing them.

I do NOT believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church.

All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.

I do not mean by this declaration to condemn those who believe otherwise; they have the same right to their belief as I have to mine.

Thomas Jefferson developed the Jefferson Bible - in which he removed any thing that was miraculous, out of this world, not factual, - and so we are left with the basic story of Jesus. Just the history of his life, and what he said & taught, but none of the miracles and certainly not the resurrection or the rising into the clouds - which for humans is physically impossible to do.

Answer 6

The Bible's God, ruler of the universe, runs counter to the American Constitution. He does not support democracy (He rules;Psalms 2,89,110: the King is Yawweh's son), freedom of religion (no other gods allowed) or freedom of speech (no blasphemy). The Bible's god, many believe, will throw the majority into a lake of fire.

Answer 7

Nope. The guys that founded this country were often deists, not Christians. It isn't the act of sheepish followers to declare war on your government at the risk of your own life. Most of them were free thinkers with their own ideas on religion.

Answer 8

It was founded on the pursuit of freedom, not religion. Of course, we murdered a lot of native americans for that freedom.

Answer 9

US fought the British to get rid of a Christian Monarchy and then came freedom of worship.

Answer 10

Christian values, maybe, but not Christianity itself.