I'm curious about something...?

Question

Now, I'm not American, I'm Canadian, but for some reason it seems that I know more about the founding of the United States than some Americans do.

Please tell me why an American would not know that the country was founded on freedom for all, not on Christianity, like some would like to believe.

Given what I know about Americans (which is quite alot since my husband is American and hence so are all his friends and family, as well as personal friends of mine that I've met over the last 10 years), it doesn't make sense why Americans would not know about the founding of their own country.

Not knowing about other countries, I can understand. When you're Rome you don't have to because your powerful enough that it isn't that big a deal.

But not knowing about your own country when the people of said country are so fixated on patriotism makes no sense.

So how is it that Americans can get away with thinking the country was founded on Christianity when it wasn't?

Yes, I realize that it isn't all Americans that do this. I also realize that the education system isn't that great in the US.

But yall are so fixated on the founding, and talk about the founding so often, that how is it possible you wouldn't know it?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070907134305AAhMVj5&r=w&pa=FZptHWf.BGRX3OFMiT1UWQDsWaW0aJy1btoQ66tQiFZaGmV76g--&paid=answered#A61qBlvtJ1fzLnNN93IK

La ilaha illa Allah, I'll actually defend that. Americans are not stupid and the Shrub is not representative of them. He's a disappointment to many.

But the Christians vote in whatever Christian they think will be serve their interests and don't pay attention to anything else. Hence why the Shrub is leading.

Though, as I understand it, most Christians (except the fundies) are quite disgusted with the man at the moment.

Yo, Adrian, that thought is rather frightening. Remember, I compared the US to Rome and if it keeps heading in that direction, the exact same thing is going to happen fairly soon that happened to Rome.

budleit2, its very gratifying to hear that.

Memory, I'm curious as to when I mentioned this in relation to Canada other than to say I'm Canadian. Yes, I realize this is not an issue in Canada, but it isn't Canada that I was talking about now is it?

I have a vested interest in what happens to the US and its people, as you can see. What happens to the US, happens to me and mine.

So disappointed? In what? I don't think you read through what I asked completely.

marriedw/children, actually is is NOT a fact because the founding fathers were not Christian. Did you not read where I said they were Deists? Did you somewhere in your mind think that means "Christians" when it doesn't?

Perhaps a little history classes would do you good.

Someone who cares, yes, I know those words too. Whats your point? Does it say "Jehovah" there? No, it says "creator". Last I looked, my parents had sex and created me, your god didn't snap his fingers and "poof" I came into existance.

rrettga, I could just hug you right now. Thats exactly as I always understood it through the years of study I've done on history. I've even taken College courses in American History specifically when I realized that I would be marrying my husband. I thought it was best to know where he was coming from in terms of history and people.

Pity that more don't have your understanding but wonderful to see that YOU do.

Answer 1

A very large majority of xtians sit in church with their bibles and read only the passages that the preacher has selected on that day. If their preachers/ministers/priest tells them that the U.S was founded on Christianity, that evolution says that humans came from monkeys, that all stem cell research is wrong, that the earth is less than 10,000 yrs old etc etc. they don't question it. They are also under the assumption that reading anything that is ''against'' what their religious leaders tell them to read, watch or listen to will give Satan a chance to get into their hearts and minds. They are fools.

Answer 2

I'm Canadian and I notice from various American television shows that there is a lot of things they get wrong. For instance on one of my soaps, the characters were pretending they were from "New Brunswick Nova Scotia". Also, on game shows, when the question is about Canada, contestants often get it wrong. Even a simple question "What country is to the North of the United States?" and the contestant had a hard time coming up with the correct answer.

But to be fair, I think we Canadians watch a lot more American tv than vise versa. In fact I doubt the American's can even get any Canadian shows. I know my brother, who lives in Texas, doesn't get "Corner Gas".

Sorry, that I've deviated from your actual topic regarding the founding and Christianity bit.

Answer 3

To believe this country is a Christian country, one only has to overlook all the vile things that we (U.S.) do to each other, and other nations. This country was established with the fundamental idea that there would be freedom.
Freedom from oppression, dictatorship, freedom from church and state.
Church and state meaning, not having one religion being supreme and forced upon as dictated normally by the King. When Kings changed the state church changed with it.
In Forming a new Nation, (an act of treason), our founding fathers had the idea of Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
They wanted no oppression (unless you were black, or an Indian at that time), no dictatorship, and the freedom to choose your religion, with the idea of it being christianity.
What we have today somewhat resembles what they had in mind, especially in freedom of religion.
People that don't believe in god, act like the persecuted ones in 30-70 a.d.
evoke your right, tell the person to keep it to themselves and go on. your freedom, that people have fought over and died for.

Answer 4

Not all of us believe this. I dont. But I do agree with you. There are some Americans who live here, but have no clue whatsoever. There was this one time when my father asked this man for directions (we were out in the country) and he told us he had been living there for 40 yrs or so and had never heard of the place. So when we found the place, it was around the corner from where the man lived. So as you see, there are some who really just live in their own worlds and pay no attention to the outside life.

Answer 5

I am a History teacher in the United States and I don't teach my students that it was founded on Christianity. Many of the founding fathers believed in a supreme being a God. This is not even brought up in class. You are right the point is freedom and no taxation without representation, let the people decide. we can't deny they felt that there is a God he is mentioned throughout the early writing of many of the founding fathers but that doesn't show they even mentioned Jesus. The wanted freedom of all religions and freedom from religion. It is all about individual choice and freedom.

Answer 6

Interesting, I would suggest that you read something about the religious
believes of the founders. Most did not attend church regularly. Many considered themselves to be what was called Spiritual (at the time & with a different meaning that the word currently is used to mean). There was at lease one Quaker and one Jew who signed the Deceleration of Independence. There are somethings about the people who founded this country that are not taught. But, this country was not founded by a bunch of christian fundamentalists. You might read about the religious backgrounds of the men who founded the US.

Answer 7

When a right wing American is losing an argument, proven wrong in their stance on a subject, or are questioned for proof of their convictions, they can always whip out the Bible and just pick out those passages that remotely support their views. Yes, it is a shame, but they have nothing else to justify their bigotry or hypocrisy.

And the thing that really gets them wound up is to remind them that the Pilgrims followed communism in order to survive those first few winters. I thought one guy was going to have a stroke !

Answer 8

Yours is a classic example of not defining things in the same manner as others you are in debate with.

The founding fathers had a Christian heritage, such as it was. They founded the country on principles that, more or less, had their basis in the Judeo-Christian ethic.

But as far as the claim the U.S. was founded on the basis of freedom for all, this is in error.

Slaves were not free, and even some of the founding fathers owned slaves.

As far as you knowing more than Americans when it comes to some historical items, I'm not surprised, as my Canadian wife informed me that they learn quite a lot of American history in Canada.

Eh?

.

Answer 9

Preachers and political gasbags keep telling them America was founded on Christianity, so for a lot of people, that's good enough. Why bother learning about your country's history when you can have someone else spoon-feed their version of it to you?

If the Founders wanted this to be a Christian nation, you'd think they would have said so in the Constitution. Yet the only things in there about religion are (1) prohibiting a federal establishment of religion and (2) prohibiting religious tests for office.

Oh, and for anyone who wants to quote the Declaration of Independence and its references to a deity ... the Declaration is not a legal document. And it was written by Thomas Jefferson, a man who:

-- said it didn't matter to him whether his neighbor thought there were 20 gods or no god, because it neither picked his pocket nor broke his leg.

-- refused to establish a national day of prayer when he was president.

-- told his nephew to question the existence of God, because if God exists, he must surely approve of reason over blindfolded fear.

-- refused to add a reference to Jesus in Virginia's statute for religious freedom, because he felt the statute had to embrace people of all faiths, and of no faiths at all.

-- popularized the term "separation of church and state."

In other words, even though our Founders may have been religious and/or come from Christian backgrounds, they all believed that their religious views belonged in church, not in legislative chambers.

Knowledge is power ...

Answer 10

Most Christians I know state that our Founding Fathers were Christian~ that's a fact. Not one of them was Muslim, or Jewish, or Buddhist, etc. Yet in their infinite wisdom they new many peoples of all religions would seek refuge in our great country~ the same way the Puritans did coming from England.