Why do cons insist America was founded on the christian religion?

Question

when in fact America is a secular pluralistic nation with freedom for all religions as guaranteed by the constitution?

The founders came to America to escape state enforced religion. They specifically banned religious tests for office and state estabishment of religion.

THE TREATY OF TRIPOLI WAS ACCEPTED, RATIFIED, AND CONFIRMED BY THE SENATE AND PRESIDENT JOHN ADAMS. THAT MADE IT THE SUPREME LAW OF THE LAND.

"The Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion."
John Adams, Treaty of Tripoli, Nov 1796
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsp&fileName=002/llsp002.db&recNum=24

"This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land."
- Article VI of the U.S. Constitution
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/articles.html

RICARD,

Do you know what secular and pluralistic mean? It means we have a government that is ruled by the people not religious authorities who claim to hear the voice of God. It means the government does not discriminate or promote one religion over another. It means we're a country of MANY different faiths and some who have none at all.

That is all true.

impaler,

Go read the words of Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson. They were definitely no christians. You cite a Washington quote about him talking about an almighty being. So what? Bush could thank the Christian God for making him president. That doesn't make christianity the law of the land.

The Treaty of Tripoli was ratified by constitution and signed by President John Adams. According to the constitution, all ratified treaties, become THE SUPREME LAW OF THE LAND.

sociald,

I can come up with a bunch of sourced and unsourced quotes too from the founders criticizing christianity and organized relgion in general and/or criticizing the attempt to mix religion with government.

What matters is:

1) On what occassion was it made. Was it made on a treaty, and therefore making the statement the law of the land, or was it a side remark having no official influence on the government? You can quote Dubya too praying to Jesus (not the Deist "Almight Being") and that wouldn't make christianity the law of the land.

2) Credibility. Can you source it the original document in the library of congress website or offical founder website? Or is an unsourced quote and probably fake?

Answer 1

You are absolutely right.
It was founded on freedom of religion, it does not state which religion.
Cons are known to twist the facts to suit their agendas.

Answer 2

I think that every State Constitution meantions or gives reference to the Lord I know the first 48 did but I am not sure about Hawaii or Alaska. The US Constitution also refers to the Lord in article VII. Every state constitution was accepted by the Federal Government and if the founding fathers and authors of the constitution were vehemently as anti-Christian as the Supreme Court is now they would surely have spoken out against this mention of God in the state constitutions but non of their writings or recorded testimonies mentioned the illegal use of God's presence in the state constitutions. In fact Virginia had a state church for well over a decade after the constitutions were ratified.
The word religion as used in the 1700s and 1800s meant a denomination and a particular adherence to the belief such as Roman Catholic or Baptist etc.
It was a general consensus that the Christian faith was America's faith with freedom to worship in any faith such as Judaism
The U.S. Supreme Court took it a step further and through court decisions established the (former) Soviet Union's Constitution (article 50 something) separation of church and state ban on all religious expression except the official state religion of Atheism and made it into American law. The plainly written history unrevised by Liberal judges or politicians clearly indicates America was a Christian nation.
Liberalism is also a religion known as Human Secularism an athiest belief has now been made the official state religion and no tax money can be used for schools or any other purpose unless it conforms to the state religion of Athiesm.
. Now let me ask you a question: Why do you think the founding Fathers insisted state athiesm was the only belief allowed to be recognized as being Constitutional, as the Liberal Judges would have us believe?
.Another question: Do you think it is right for liberals to use tax money to push their liberal socialist athiesm onto the American people using the public school systems?

Answer 3

It's not a good way for conservatives to approach the subject, if they do that. It is the case that the goal of many if not most of the early settlers was to free themselves to worship in the Christian faith, and of course to spread that faith as well, but that is seperate from the forumulation of our federal system and Constitutional republic. As a legal matter of course the US was not founded on the Christian religion. It was just the case that the vast majority of Americans were Christian, but that doesn't have to be in any way in conflict, then or now, with the requirement that "Congress shall pass no law respecting an establishment of religion..." We make the mistake of not holding to that exact sentence, that is, any religious practice should be free from government intrusion assuming other laws are being followed. In too many cases the government takes an unnecessary and Constitutionally illegal hostile approach to the expression of Christianity that would never be done to minority faiths. That's no more right than if the minority faiths were met with hostility.

Answer 4

nicely, this is possibly simply by fact the rustic replaced into in line with judeo/christian values and has purely been those days puzzled. no one is claiming that the government replaced right into a theocracy. there is extremely a distinction between having no state faith and asserting war on something christian on public or maybe inner maximum assets. there is an basic false impression of what the Thomas Jefferson meant via a want for separation of church and state, contemporary in a private letter to a pal. there is not any such assertion contained in the form, or maybe an announcement of a god contained in the statement of Independence. He meant that he did no longer have faith this is going to be allowed for a individual to hold non secular place of work AND government place of work on the comparable time. that's the grandiose assertion of separation of church and state.

Answer 5

odd isnt it.. im not even saying I agree, im not a church goer myself but I could give you dozens and dozens more

"" I will avow that I believed and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.”"
-John Adams, the day the declaration was approved

""Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams--October 11, 1798

" Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and pure...are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments." - Charles Carroll

"God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it." - Ben Franklin Constitutional Convention of 1787

""“In circumstances as dark as these, it becomes us, as Men and Christians, to reflect that whilst every prudent measure should be taken to ward off the impending judgments, …at the same time all confidence must be withheld from the means we use; and reposed only on that God rules in the armies of Heaven, and without His whole blessing, the best human counsels are but foolishness"" --John Hancock

""“It cannot be emphasized too clearly and too often that this nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ."" - Patrick Henry

"“ Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.” - John Jay ( one of the 3 authors of the Federalist Papers )

"“God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift from God?" - Thomas Jefferson ( this is on the wall at the Jefferson Memorial )

“ We’ve staked our future on our ability to follow the Ten Commandments with all of our heart.” - James Madison

“ It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and Bible.” - George Washington

"Christianity is part of the common law" - James Wilson (Delaration Signer)


== all of the quotes i put up are sourced travolta I just figured i made a big enough answer as it was.

Answer 6

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
- The Declaration of Independence, 04 July 1776.

"Such being the impressions under which I have, in obedience to the public summons, repaired to the present station, it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge."
- George Washington
First Inaugural Address
In the City of New York
Thursday, April 30, 1789

And that is really nice that you are trying to say that 1796 was the founding of this great republic. It was not, 1776 was, and General George Washington was the first President. So perhaps if you read the notes of the original signers of the Declaration, and the notes of those people that worked on the constitution. Or somehow miss the Masonic tradition throughout our government.

Then you are truly blind to the place of G_D, in our country, and lives. I almost feel sorry for you, does evil so have a hold on you as to blind you to the glory.

Seek and ye will find.

So Sayeth the Impaler!

Answer 7

America is founded on a secular pluralistic nation? The most humbug I've ever known. Not only America is founded on Christian principles, but the entire Western freedom are based on the Chrstian religion.

Answer 8

In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwriten, the loyall subjects of our dread soveraigne Lord King James by the grace of God, of Great Britaine, Franc, & Ireland king, defender of the faith, e&
Haveing undertaken, for the glorie of god, and advancemente of the Christian faith and honour of our king & countrie, a voyage to plant the first colonie in the Northerne parts of Virginia, doe by these presents solemnly & mutualy in the presence of God, and one of another, covenant & combine

Answer 9

Wishful thinking, on their part, mostly.

People came here to ESCAPE religious persecution.
This country is supposed to embrace all religions equally, and for the most part it does.

It's just that some ultra-right fundies think that Christianity is the "state designated" religion.

And it's not. I guess they didn't get the memo, eh?

I don't need anybody trying to weasel in legislation that is related to their spiritual views.

I don't care how much they rant about the "In God We Trust" stuff; the fact remains that this is not a religious state, and the "main" religon is not Christianity, much less Protestantism.

Answer 10

I've never maintained that we were founded on any religion, but were in fact founded with the principle dictates of faith in "God" (whatever that means to you). Wherein we adhere to the moral behavior thereof.

Answer 11

One only needs to look at history and what has been done in the name of Christianity: the Crusades, the Inquisition, the spreading of the gospel to Indians or as they said the only good Indian is dead Indian all in the name of God.

In past few years the GOP (God's Only Party) has come under the rule of Jerry, Pat and James.