Did the authors of the American Constitution intend America to be a secular country?

Question

surely only a secular government can practice religious telerance...........

People seem to be misunderstanding the meaning of the word secular. Surely secularism ensures the freedom of all religions since it does not allow one particular belief system to take control.

Answer 1

I do not believe they meant for us to be forced to hide God, but at the same time allow all people to practice their own religion.

Look at many of the monument and buildings in Washington, they contain Bible verses, Ten Commandments, etc. Even the very TOP of the Washington monument has scripture carved into it

The Constitution even mentions the " Creator". Who do you think that is?

Misguided men have chnaged the meaning of the words to push thei agenda, and that agenda is trying to put down Christianity

Answer 2

Yes, even though the majority of our fore fathers subscribed to one Christian denomination or another, none were heated evangelicals nor did any demand a theocratic government.

I believe they were wise beyond their time. Since they came from England (England has a state religion) they saw how religious based governments can be a danger.

So, yes, the authors of the Constitution did indeed intend for America to be a secular country. I'm glad they did. With America being such an "open" country, with people of differing religious beliefs, it's best to be secular so no one particular religion can ride rough shod over others.

Answer 3

Yes, absolutely. They were just old enough, or their parents were, to have seen the ending of the major religious wars in Europe. The wars against the churches of the reformation had been truly viscious. The wars between religion and state had been long, bloody and cruel. They had shining examples in Europe and England of what happens when Churches have political power.
Even between the Colonies there had been religious /political tensions. They wanted to n!p that in the bud.
Take a look at the bickering going on right now between the different Christian denominations concerning who is a Christian.
If religion gets into politics how long do you think it will be before they are like Ireland was.

Answer 4

I think the answer is obviously no. The founders of America came here in the first place to escape secular governments in Europe. They left Europe to get away from state sponsored religion and the constitution takes specific care to provide for a separation between the government and it's peoples religious beliefs.

Answer 5

No, the seperation of Church and State was to safe guard against a state mandated religion as Dellow correctly stated. It was not intended to safeguard against religion itself or even to keep religion out of schools, and Government offices. They used the opening prayer in their congressionsl meetings, they repeatedly talked about the fact that this country was started on the foundation of Christianity.
In Benjamin Franklin's 1749 plan of education for public schools in Pennsylvania, he insisted that schools teach "the excellency of the Christian religion above all others, ancient or modern."
• Hamilton began work with the Rev. James Bayard to form the Christian Constitutional Society to help spread over the world the two things which Hamilton said made America great:
(1) Christianity
(2) a Constitution formed under Christianity.

Answer 6

They intended the American Government to be secular but not necessarily the people in their personal lives. There is not a single reference to God in the Constitution. But they ensured that American citizens would be free to worship as they pleased.

EDIT: it appears from other answers that people do not know the difference between the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence and they don't know that the "In God We Trust" did not become the motto until the Civil War.

Answer 7

Yes, the framers of the American Constitution wanted to have a separation of Church and State. This was in line with the Enlightenment thinking of the time; freedom of and from religion for white Anglo-Saxon Protestant men.

Would they have permitted building a mosque in Boston? Hell no, but it is a logical conclusion from the principle.

Answer 8

The early presidents and patriots were generally Deists or Unitarians, believing in some form of impersonal Providence but rejecting the divinity of Jesus and the absurdities of the Old and New testaments.

To see more on the beliefs of the founding fathers of this nation, visit this link:
http://jeromekahn123.tripod.com/thinkersonreligion/id9.html

You'll find that the intent was to keep church and state separate, and that there is a movement in this country by the christian right to rewrite history.

Answer 9

the Constitution was written predominantly by Thesists and Deists.. there was a minority of enlightenment influence which would be more on the secular side

after ratification individual states kept their own state religions for decades, one of the last to stop was massachussets many decades after the constitution was ratified

"the garden of the church should be seperated by a high wall of protection from the howling wilderness of the world" Roger WIlliams
from 50 years earliers.. they knew that sort of language.. which meant something far different today... and set it aside in favor of 'the estabilshment clause" language

Answer 10

They intended for people of all spiritual walks to have the freedom to worship according to the freedom of thier own conscience. In order to keep this country humming, they need to take a secular approach to legislation, in order to try to be fair to all, and not just to some. One needs to leave one's personal "wants" out of it, in order to work for the common good, for such a diverse group of people. As systems go, it's imperfect, but still the best in the world, if we make sure to keep it so, and protect it for everyone.