If the Founding Fathers really wanted a Christian nation, then why (details) -- ?

Question

Agree/disagree: If the Founding Fathers really wanted a Christian nation, then why does their First Amendment conflict with the First, Second, and Third Commandments?

Most of you remember the First, Second, and Third Commandments:

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain."
"Thou shalt not make any graven image."

And almost as many of you remember the First Amendment:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for redress of grievances."

So if the Founders were establishing a "Christian nation," why did they draft this amendment and why did they make it the first and most important one?

Wups -- please ignore the agree/disagree, that's a mistake. Sorry.

Answer 1

I like how some people didn't even read your question correctly. I understand that "if" is a small word to see, but damn people.

Answer 2

Some were, some were not. The first American ceremony was performed by George Washington, in Freemason style. He claimed Xianity but his devoutness was obviously for Freemasonry. Thomas Jefferson definitely was not. He wrote The Jefferson Bible-his version left out a lot of the 'magic' stuff that was unbelievable. Ben Franklin said he was...but he also went to Satanic parties when in London and said such things as 'Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy'. It's accepted by most Historians that America was not based on Christianity, just that some founding fathers were while others were not and there were a few questionable mentions. Edit: Oh, yeah. I can't believe I forgot Thomas Paine and his booklet 'Common Sense'. And Adams, the 2nd president who definitely was not. T. Jefferson claimed deism but was almosr anti-Xian Keep in mind, Englands's 'Protestant Reformation' was not that distant and there obviously were crazed Puritans running around torturing and/or killing people. They were probably a little touchy about mixing any one particular religion with the gov't.

Answer 3

Just to clear up a common misunderstanding, the First Amendment isn't first because it was considered the most important. It was originally the third of 12 proposed amendments, but only amendments 3-12 were ratified. If they had all passed, the First Amendment would have been the Third Amendment.

The Federalist Papers, and reams of private and public correspondence make it abundantly clear that the Founding Fathers never intended to make this a Christian nation. You're right ... if that's what they wanted, they would have said so in the Constitution. They wouldn't have insisted that there be no religious qualifications for holding office, either.

Don't forget about the Treaty of Tripoli from 1797, approved by President John Adams, which explicitly says that the the "Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion."

You have to understand that people from the Founders' generation came from countries that didn't allow free religious expression. To establish a national government here that squelched freedom of religion would have just been reverting to what they had all tried to escape.

One of the most notable expressions of the Founders' religious mindset, I think, comes from Thomas Jefferson. When legislators in Virginia tried to insert a reference to Jesus into the bill establishing religious freedom for Virginians, he refused to comply, because he intended for the law to protect "the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mahometan, the Hindoo, and Infidel of every denomination."

Jefferson, of course, originated the phrase "wall of separation." He understood the importance of keeping the government out of religion, and religion out of government. That's why, even though he probably believed in God himself, he refused to institute a national day of prayer when he was president, and he refused to turn his beliefs into a public spectacle. As he once famously wrote, it did him no injury for his neighbor to say there were twenty gods or no god. And he told his own nephew to "question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear." That's a far cry from the leaders of today, who invoke God at every turn and whose followers insist that this is a "Christian nation."

People don't want to keep the Ten Commandments out of courthouses because they hate religion. They want to do it because they understand what's at stake by making it appear that the government is endorsing a particular religious belief. Keeping church and state separate is the only way to protect free religious expression on the one hand, and to ensure that we don't devolve into a theocracy on the other.

Answer 4

The founding fathers did not want a "Christian Nation". However they did want a country where everyone had the right to worship any religion they chose.

Everyone here has the right to worship any God or Gods that they choose. Whether this be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Wiccian, Satanist or Atheist. They are guaranteed this right under the constitution.

Fundamentalist Christians are wrong if they say that this was a Christian nation. The United States is a nation that guarantees freedom of religion. It just happened to be founded by people of the Christian faith.



Happy 4th of July!

Answer 5

Good question.
I hear the 'christian nation' idea a lot from people wanting to make political decisions based on their religious morals. They want to push a christian agenda while telling you thats what the founding fathers really wanted.
Its bunk.
And freedom of religion DOES include freedom from religion too. I have a right to not have a religion just like anyone has a right to have one or not. Religion shouldn't be a topic of conversation in the political arena. It should be discussed in church and at home. I shouldn't know what religion, if any, my elected leaders are. That should be something private and not used for political gain.

Answer 6

The intent was to establish a nation which could permit an unprecedented amount of liberty, tempered by Judeo/Christian morality. They understood the evil of forcing an official national religion on everyone (the reason many left England). The Declaration of Independence states the basic philosophy of the founders in " All men....endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights."

It was their contention that everyone has a God given right to liberty. A right that comes from the Creator and cannot be taken away by any government. It was never intended to force Christianity or any other religion on anyone but it does require a belief in a Creator. The Creator is the source of Morality. In many of the founders' writings they were quite convinced that only a God fearing, moral people could be trusted to control themselves enough that the government does not have to do it for them.

This system of liberty absolutely will not work with a bunch of moral relativists. Atheism is anathema to liberty. Just as moral absolutism is an anathema to socialism. Socialism can only work if the government is not restricted by traditional beliefs in right and wrong. This moral relativism permits the government to do whatever it wants and there can be no appeal. The government, not God is the almighty power.

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Answer 7

Christianity is not forced on anyone, and Christians are free to choose between following the commandments or to disregard the commandments, therefore becoming a non-Christian. The founding fathers understood that the most important thing about Christianity was choice and the freedom to choose God, so they had to make it a point to allow a Christian nation the freedom of choice and opinion.

Answer 8

Because they DIDN'T want the U.S. to specifically be a Christian nation. Many of our founding fathers were Christians, yes, and the rest at least believed in God even if they weren't a specific religion (theists), but they wanted our nation to give the freedom that they couldn't find in their home countries.

At least, that's what I was always taught, both in the Christian home I was raised in, and at school.

Answer 9

Disagree that the Founding Fathers wanted a Christian nation. They at lest had the presence of mind to understand that a governments job is to ensure the rights of its citizens not be infringed upon. Not to tell them what to believe.

Answer 10

they did not find a christian nation it is just a free nation without rule of a tyrant and the forsaw the troubles of the furture if they add such things that limited those freedoms of the first amendment so in granting the freedoms the founders of our nation prevented attacks on our way olf life

Answer 11

That's a good question.
My thoughts are that maybe they knew that there would be others who wanted to come live in a place where they could worship as they pleased. Maybe they just wanted this nation to be a place like that.

(I'm a Christian, by the way. See......some of us can be open-minded.)