Do you think the US Constitution was based on Judeo-Christian principles? Which principles, exactly?

Question

I can't figure out what people mean when they say the US Constitution is based on Judeo-Christian principles. Which principles do you mean? Can you name one such principle and why you think that is from the Judeo-Christian tradition.

Please tell me where you get that Christianity advocates freedom? Can you cite a Bible verse?

Ev, I understand what you are saying. But I don't think the US Constitution actually says anything about murder or stealing.

Mountain Laurel (beautiful id BTW) where does Christianity talk about rights?

Sorry Mountain Laurel, that's the Declaration of Independence, anyway.

But even there, I can't see "creator" in that context as having anything to do with the Abrahamic creator since it refers to that creator endowing people with certain rights. I don't recall the Bible saying anything about God-given rights.

Answer 1

First all campers TJ did not write the Constitution it is mostly the work of TJ's neighbor James Madison. TJ was in Paris at the time. However the America that we live in ,is really Alexander Hamilton's vision
I have no idea what Jewish or Christian [the hyphen is wrong ] principles the Constitution is based upon either.
Hopefully we'll all get a good historically accurate answer to this question .In the meantime you get a star for asking the question.
Edit :
Mountain Laurel should have continued because the next phrase is the revolutionary one; "That among these are Life ,Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness-That to secure these rights goverments are instituted among Men deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed "
In one sentence Thomas Jefferson ended thousands of years of tradition that said that kings ruled by divine right and in the process of doing that he made the idea that this was to be an official Christian Nation invalid. American Presidents would not need the permission of the Church in order to act.

Answer 2

*Chuckle* I love how peoplet hink that just because God is written it makes everything Christianized. Since I scream God during sex does that make it Christian based? My atheist husband might stop sleeping with me. The first amendment goes directly against the first commandment. God is not mentioned a SINGLE time in either the Constitution or the Bill of Rights. While seperation of church and state started off in a letter from Jefferson, it has been qouted in more then four Supreme Court cases, word for word, as the legal interpretation of the First Amendment. There is a REASON for it. If we let the church into government, we might as well go back to the dark ages. If we let government in church, we might as well be communists. People claim they want Christianity in the govt but it's because they assume it will be THEIR brand of Christianity. Note how many Catholic presidents we have had. What if it was THAT church that ran the govt. Look at how they freaked out over Mick Romney. What if THAT brand came to control. I can bet you dolar to donughts they wouldn't want the govt and church mixing up then. The forfathers saw this. Saw what it did to other countries and tried to avoid it.

Answer 3

Okay, I think that the country was KIND OF founded on Christian principles, BUT it was never meant to be a Christian nation and the reason it was founded on those principles was because that was mostly what people knew then. Think about it, even today, it is very difficult for a non-Christian president to get elected.

One example of possible principles: "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 . ." Since the Judeo-Christian religion was the only religion with a voice during that time period, people take that as the Christian God. What most fundamentalists miss, though, is that they DID purposefully word the Constitution so that we would not be a "Christian" nation. So please don't misunderstand me as I do entirely agree with others in noting deist and atheist influence.

Answer 4

Ben Franklin was influenced by the Iroquois a nation of I think eight tribes that got together once a year to solve differences. Thomas Jefferson did a one day draft and it was good, but Thomas Paine had already written his common sense, which was a huge influence on the course of this nation. Say all you want the Puritans and others were a influence. And I've heard many sermons that say and convince their flock of today and yesterday that this country has a Christian foundation. When I hear it I have and will continue to ask the speaker at the end of the service, what he thinks the Native Americans feel about that foundation.

Answer 5

No... the USA is NOT a Christian nation. Our Founding fathers went to great lengths to assure that would NOT be the case. The 'law of the land' was NOT based on any Christian or biblical doctrine or writings... it was rooted in the secular humanist ideals of the 'Enlightenment' and the ensuing 'Age of Reason'... when mankind began to THROW OFF the yoke of biblical theocracy, and develop a reason and consensus-based concept of the 'rights of man', based on MORAL principles... not 'biblical' principles.

The laws were based upon the Code of Hammurabi (which predates the 10 Commandments by at least 1,000 years), English Common Law, and other sources which included Greek and Roman law. The IDEA for having a 'constitution' came from the Constitution of the Iroquois Confederation.

The 'Treaty of Tripoli' (June 7, 1797) specifically states, in Article 11: "As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen (Moslems); and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation (Islam), it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries." This treaty, unanimously approved by the Senate and signed into law by John Adams only a few years after the ratification of the Constitution, is taken by constitutional scholars to be a clear and unambiguous declaration of the intent of the founders.

http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/buckner_tripoli.html

For a HISTORICAL deconstruction of the lie that the laws of our country are based upon Mosaic Law and the 10 Commandments, see this: http://www.rationalrevolution.net/articles/ten_commandments.htm

For a LEGAL deconstruction of the lie that the laws of our country are based upon Mosaic Law and the 10 Commandments, see this (by a Christian): http://writ.news.findlaw.com/hamilton/20030911.html
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Answer 6

The best reason I heard from a history teacher was that most of the founding fathers were Christian, and anyone doing anything will bring their own beliefs and biases. I don't think they intentionally based the constitution on their religious beliefs, but it may have an an unconscious factor.

I think you should read this as well:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judeo-Christian

Answer 7

Really interesting question, one that I've pondered myself recently.

Judaism is based on the precept 'an eye for an eye'. Prisons are full of people who've wronged others. Were the Judicial system based on Christianity, criminals would simply be forgiven and allowed to live freely without any earthly repercussions for their actions.

Answer 8

No Sir. I do not believe that it was. A lot of it came from Greek Philosophy believe it or not. At the time of the writing of the Constitution Europe was just ending its "Enlightenment" which also influenced the writing.

The "In God we trust" and the "Under God" on our Money and in our Pledge were added in the 1950s.

Answer 9

hey remember that guy who wrote the constitution? thomas jefferson? yea he wasnt christian. so nope im affraid it wasnt.

"The Christian god can easily be pictured as virtually the same god as the many ancient gods of past civilizations. The Christian god is a three headed monster; cruel, vengeful and capricious. If one wishes to know more of this raging, three headed beast-like god, one only needs to look at the caliber of people who say they serve him. They are always of two classes; fools and hypocrites. To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical."

- Thomas Jefferson

Answer 10

It was based primarily on enlightenment thought, which was rationalist. Many of the enlightenment philosophers were atheist and Deist.

Obviously, they share laws forbidding theft and murder.

Atheist