Back in the early 1600s, the Pilgrims and later the Puritans settled in America to escape from the religious oppression of the European ruling authorities. If it were not for that religious opression, do you think that the U.S. would ultimately have been created with the right to freedom of (and freedom from) religion???
2007-04-10 16:45:58 · 12 answers · asked by Searcher 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Could have been a very different america
2007-04-10 16:48:25 · answer #1 · answered by Eyota Xin 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Hypotheticals are so tricky. You'd have to work back further. How would the Roman Empire have broken down differently? And What about the Dark ages when the only cohesive force in westren Europe was the church. Religious scholars were responsible for carrying on the ancient legal practices of Rome. Of course these are all speculative.
One last point. We in America have a constitutional protection in the Bill of Rights. It states "Congress shall pass no law regarding establishment of religion, nor prohibit the free practice thereof." This is a restriction on CONGRESS prohibiting them from LEGISLATING religion as a requirement, as an instrument of the government, as subject to government, nor can it restrict the freedom to excercise religion and religious practices. In other words, Government is to leave religion and worship alone.
2007-04-11 00:02:33 · answer #2 · answered by Arnon 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes. The so-called Lost Colony of Roanoke was established 37 years before the Puritans landed, and had nothing to do with religion. The US would have been established with or without Jesus and probably wouldn't have been very different. Maybe a little more like Australia.
2007-04-11 00:03:07 · answer #3 · answered by Alice K 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes. The people who put those freedoms in action came along a good bit later. If you recall, the puritans and pilgrams were so opposed to other religions that they murdered people who didn't agree with them (just like the people they left behind!).
Also, if there were no Jesus, there would be no christianity, which would nearly eliminate the need for such freedoms. Most other religions (Judaism and Islam excepted) were quite open to followers of other beliefs and did not persecute them. The christians were among the first to raise that to an art form.
2007-04-10 23:52:55 · answer #4 · answered by Jensenfan 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋
The Indians were all ready here, and then the Spanish came. Yes, America would be here, but it would not be the same America we know today.
2007-04-10 23:48:23 · answer #5 · answered by Je veux changer le monde 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
If there were no Jesus there would not have been pilgrims or puritans or anyone for that matter. Jesus is God in the flesh. Nothing would exist
2007-04-10 23:54:06 · answer #6 · answered by tebone0315 7 · 2⤊ 3⤋
No the continent would have sunk.
If it weren't for the Catholics and Anglicans, the Pilgrim's and Puritans would not have fled to America.
2007-04-10 23:49:14 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
Good question but the thing is the world would be diffrent today not only america.
2007-04-10 23:48:24 · answer #8 · answered by Kostya G 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
It's certainly plausible: imagine Roman successor states glad to get rid of their Mithra/Indra/Isis/Thor - worshipping minorities by letting them sail overseas.
2007-04-10 23:50:00 · answer #9 · answered by Doc Occam 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
well hon.
there is no proof that there WAS a jesus.
and America is here.
WHOA!!
just think -- it was bible followers that came here to America and ruthlessly slaughtered native Americans.
2007-04-10 23:51:03 · answer #10 · answered by Phyllis 4 · 3⤊ 5⤋