the Treaty of Tripoli? I ask because anytime I bring it up to back up my point (along with other sources) THIS source is just sort of "ignored". These are the SAME men who wrote the Constition...
Art. 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; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, 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.
2007-12-04 01:13:15 · 18 answers · asked by ~Heathen Princess~ 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/treaty_tripoli.html
2007-12-04 01:13:28 · update #1
It was voted on by several of the Founding fathers included James Madision who presented it after it was voted on unanimously....how is that not the men who "found" the nation"?
2007-12-04 01:20:48 · update #2
It's not found in the Arabic document but it was put in and signed. Poor translation or not, they signed it.
2007-12-04 01:26:30 · update #3
Behonest: I can agree with the last part of your statement but not the first. Most of the founding fathers where UU and Deist by the time they wrote the Constitution. They were based on humanistic priniciples which was one of the reasons the word God is not metioned a single time in the Constition or the Bill of Rights. But yes, it meant to have Freedom of Religion, which includes the right to have NO religion
2007-12-04 01:28:40 · update #4
This is for Behonest....
How can you possibly claim in the same breath that biblical principles and freedom of religion are the same thing?
1. The bible promotes one religion: Christianity.
2. Freedom of religion means ANY religion.
It's very clear to me what the founders intended. You can argue semantics all you like. America was never intended to be Christian or "biblical."
If anything, the virtues on which this nation is founded (and which we're losing) are clearly love of personal independence, boldness and courage. Like it or not, these are heathen values more than Christian ones.
2007-12-04 01:35:47 · answer #1 · answered by Mike H. 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
America was founded by Christians. Men that believed in God, but they wrote laws to where a person could choose to worship in any religion as they chose. Christianity was developing many denominations after leaving the Catholic Church of England and after being able to read the Bible for ourselves. The Puritans were a strict sect.
I believe the agreement was that America wouldn't push any religion down the throats of Mahometan nations. Evidently, the nations of Islam would not then nor now live peaceably with Christianity.
Even though the founding fathers believed in God they wrote the laws to keep the state out of the churches. They knew they couldn't keep the churches out of the state because a person's religion is very much the person. What they could do and did a very good job of for many years was to keep the state out of the churches.
What we have today is complete chaos. Even though the nation claims 80% Christian, it is Christianity that is being pushed out of everything in America. The 2 pushing parties are ATHEISM and ISLAM. Evolution/Secular Humanism backs most atheists and the nation of Islam in America is pushing hard to win the hearts of the young black people in America. Even to the point of believing that the black people should receive their own land as did the indians receive.
Someone started the Chaos to halt the power of the Christian people so the unChristian could control the nation.
2007-12-04 01:53:01 · answer #2 · answered by Jeancommunicates 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
i'm sure the many generations of indians who lived here prior to the arrival of even leif erikson would be surprised to learn that this continent was found by christians.
i'd also like to see an example of how exactly it is that the constitution is based on biblical principles when the establishment clause is a direct violation of the first commandment.
folks, american democracy is based on british principles, which are based on ancient rome. the united states is a direct descendant of the roman empire and the greek city-states, as is evidenced by the architecture of washington, d.c. where in the bible does it outline the process of voting? this is a roman practice. our courts are a direct imitation of british courts, which were developed from roman courts. one of our legislative bodies is called the senate, which was the governing body of rome up until the first century b.c.e. civilization at the time, especially among liberal christians, was highly focused on recapturing the ideals of classical civilization. it was the enlightenment age, which meant enlightenment from the church-imposed dark ages.
2007-12-04 01:52:23 · answer #3 · answered by bad tim 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
So how is this anti-christian? I've never heard anyone say that the founding fathers were Christian, only that the nation was founded on Chrisitan principles. But for the sake of humor, the reason that those founding daddies wrote this wasprobably because they wanted to appease Tripoli, since they were tired of having Americans being captured and enslaved. The Tripolitans did this beacaues they hated Christians. Get it?
2007-12-04 01:26:34 · answer #4 · answered by Skunk 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
as a Christian, I would be quick to say that this is not a "Christian nation." This country was built on broken treaties with native Americans and slavery. We used the name of God to justify our imperialism. I think Christ would want to be separated from this.
That being said, this nation did embrace truths that Christians also embrace. Christians would argue that these truths are given to us by God. This would include all people being created by the Creator with inalienable rights (and so on). That is, of course, unless they were blacks, women, or Native Americans.
2007-12-04 01:38:28 · answer #5 · answered by James L 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If people are so concerned with the spiritual affiliation of the founders, we should all be freemasons.
If we were supposed to be a christian nation it would have said so explicitly in the Constitution, not veiled in obscurity, like the bible.
2007-12-04 01:31:36 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't know if the founders were in fact Christians but from where I stand, art. 11 does not show how USA is not founded on Christian religion. It shows just a statement declaring it is not.
You have to analyze the foundation and the evidence those Christians you refer to are bringing, in order to observe similitudes between Christian values and the values the country is founded upon.
2007-12-04 01:32:35 · answer #7 · answered by Even Haazer 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I don't know where people get the idea that it was founded as a Christian nation! I went to a Lutheran high school, and even they admitted that the Founding Fathers were Deists, not Christians.
2007-12-04 01:17:27 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 7⤊ 1⤋
It has been said that America was founded by those seeking the freedom of choice .
The freedom to choose religion and not be persecuted for it.
2007-12-04 01:20:36 · answer #9 · answered by traveler 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Some are & some are not. However christian influence are strong at those time. Check out hopefully a non-biase Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founding_Fathers_of_the_United_States
2007-12-04 01:27:00 · answer #10 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋