Why do today's Liberals believe that the constitution was not written on Christian values.?

Question

Seriously, I am at a loss. I am not by any means a "church goer", but I do know my history.

How is it possible that all of our framers were Christian, yet they did not put their own personal beliefs in our constitution? I mean really people, you might not like today's Christian right, but that does grant you the ability to change History.

http://www.usconstitution.net/constframedata.html

Bear, here is a great quote for you.
"Here is my Creed. I believe in on God, the Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by His Providence. That He ought to be worshipped.

That the most acceptable service we render to Him is in doing good to His other Children. That the soul of Man is immortal, and will be treated with Justice in another Life respecting its conduct in this. These I take to be the fundamental points in all sound Religion, and I regard them as you do in whatever Sect I meet with them.

As to Jesus of Nazareth, my Opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the System of Morals and his Religion, as he left them to us, is the best the World ever saw, or is likely to see." March 9, 1790 in a letter to Ezra Stiles, President of Yale University

"Heavenly Father, May all revere Thee, And become They dutiful children and faithful subjects. May thy Laws be obeyed on earth as perfectly as they are in Heaven. Provide for us this day as Thou hast hither

Benjamin Franklin

Answer 1

I believe the Constitution WAS written on Christian values, but not as an endorsement of Christianity. These same values also belong to Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Rastafarian's, Scientologists, and every other major religion, as well as a vast majority of Atheists. Therefore, I believe it was written on Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist values, also. It is much more prudent to say it was written with respect toward common values and moral decency.

How is it possible that all of our framers were Christian? They weren't. About half were Unitarian or Deists, not strictly Christian. Thus the wording "Natures God" and "Creator", but no mention of Jesus Christ.

“The government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion” - Article 11 in the Treaty of Tripoli ratified by the United States on June 10, 1797 by a unanimous vote of all 23 Senators, most of whom also signed the Constitution.

A ratified treaty is law. That SHOULD be the end of the discussion, but some choose to perceive the mention of God in the Declaration of Independence as meaning THEIR God, and not possibly the God of another religion. I believe it was meant as a generic term, not a specific one, as most of the framers believed in a higher power but did not subscribe to a specific sect.

Answer 2

Libertarians (aka classical liberals) believe that too. And while most of the men who created our government did generally believe in a higher power, did believe that religious institutions provide some benefits to society, and sometimes made rhetorical references to God or "Providence" in their writings and speeches, anybody who has taken the time to study both the Bible and the Constitution can see that the latter was not derived from the former. And I quote:

"The Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense founded on the Christian religion." -- George Washington

The founding fathers based the U.S. Constitution on rationalist ideas that were born in the Enlightenment era and it more closely resembles the principles of the old Greek and Roman republics than anything taught by the Christian church. The only forms of government the Bible supports are theocracies and monarchies, which the United States thankfully does not have.

And most of the founding fathers were not devout Christians but merely DEISTS, and were only nominally members of some church or other. With the exception of Thomas Paine who was an outright atheist.

Answer 3

The Founder were primarily Deist, not Christian.

The words of the Treaty of Tripoli (1796) directly contradict any such claim. Just a handful of years after the Constitution was written, Congress said that "the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion". (Article 11 of the Treaty).

Right there. The same people who wrote the Constitution said it so plainly that it cannot reasonably be argued.

As if it weren't enough that the word "God" doesn't appear anywhere in the Constitution. And that Article VI specifically prohibits any religious test as a qualification for office.

Answer 4

I'm a liberal. Benjamin Franklin and those fine men where Christian and the constitution was influenced by Christianity and what's your point?

Answer 5

The bible does not tell us Christians to tolerate unbelievers. It instructs us on several occasions to kill them. For instance:

Suppose you hear in one of the towns the LORD your God is giving you that some worthless rabble among you have led their fellow citizens astray by encouraging them to worship foreign gods. In such cases, you must examine the facts carefully. If you find it is true and can prove that such a detestable act has occurred among you, you must attack that town and completely destroy all its inhabitants, as well as all the livestock. Then you must pile all the plunder in the middle of the street and burn it. Put the entire town to the torch as a burnt offering to the LORD your God. That town must remain a ruin forever; it may never be rebuilt. Keep none of the plunder that has been set apart for destruction. Then the LORD will turn from his fierce anger and be merciful to you. He will have compassion on you and make you a great nation, just as he solemnly promised your ancestors. "The LORD your God will be merciful only if you obey him and keep all the commands I am giving you today, doing what is pleasing to him." (Deuteronomy 13:13-19 NLT)

The only reason the Framers did not specifically fill the constitution with christian values is that they assumed everyone would follow them - everyone was christian back then.
This nation is SILL mostly Christian - albiet filled with a diverse mix of different sects - we ought to say so - admit it - and then get rid of everyone else!

Answer 6

It's a result of a misinterpretation of the clause in the first amendment that says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." And wishful thinking of people who oppose Christian values.

Answer 7

Okay, lets settle this right now. Which Christian Value do you think it was written about?

Edit: That doesn't actually answer the question. Which Christian Value do you believe the Constitution was framed upon?

saq428: LMAO!!! So what, pray tell, justifies the Republicans lack of moral fiber then?

Proud Facist: What the hell is wrong with you? You do realize that Deuteronomy wasn't written for Christians, it was written for Jews. Technically, you're the rabble it refers to. If you ever open your mouth again, with Christ on your lips, it had better be to apologize to him.

Answer 8

Most were Christian, but not ardently devout, and many were Deists; nonetheless, Christian values were ingrained in their mindset. I consider myself a Liberal, but I recognize this. What exactly is your point?

Answer 9

There's an old joke from the former Soviet Union "The future is certain, it's the past that keeps changing."
There are a lot of people today who think the way to change the future to the image they would like it to be is to deny the past, to rewrite history. If they would admit that the founding of this country was on religious principles, but they think the future should be atheistic, they should be honest enough to admit it. Instead, they want to deny the truth of history.

Answer 10

I don't deny that the framers of the Constitiution wrote it with "Godly Values" They also didn't want our country to be a theocracy either. That is what many of us fear. I am an avid church-going American and I fear the rise of Evangelical Christianity's influence on American politics.