This country was founded on God.

[Matthewj1985]

While I do believe that this nation was founded BY mostly protestant men I think it was founded FOR everyone. Read over a bit of history in that time, I just got done with it in my history 1301 class. Some of the new comers to America actually wanted to set up a theocracy and for a while Boston looked like Riyadh. The one thing that sticks out in my mind is Jefferson's letter to the barbary pirates.


[T]he 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 tranquility of Musselmen.

I mean Jefferson was actually at these meetings and signings, don't you think he would have known if everyone else in the room was trying to create a theocracy?

 

[PastorJim]

While I do believe that this nation was founded BY mostly protestant men I think it was founded FOR everyone. Read over a bit of history in that time, I just got done with it in my history 1301 class. Some of the new comers to America actually wanted to set up a theocracy and for a while Boston looked like Riyadh. The one thing that sticks out in my mind is Jefferson's letter to the barbary pirates.


[T]he 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 tranquility of Musselmen.

I mean Jefferson was actually at these meetings and signings, don't you think he would have known if everyone else in the room was trying to create a theocracy?

Again, the Treaty of Tripoli only says that the United States is not a theocracy, not that we were not founded on Christian principles.

 

[Matthewj1985]

Again, the Treaty of Tripoli only says that the United States is not a theocracy, not that we were not founded on Christian principles.

Did you not read the quote at all?

[T]he government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion

 

[PastorJim]

Did you not read the quote at all?

[T]he government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion

Yes, not only did I read the quote, I've studied the whole treaty.

When we look at the writings of the Founding Fathers, it is abundantly clear that they believed that our nation must be guided by God's providence and by Godly principles, such as all men being created equal, and with certain inalienable rights.

So, we must come to one of three conclusions:

1. They were lying when they said that the country is founded upon Christian principles

2. The statement in the Treaty of Tripoli is a lie when it says that the country is not founded on Christian principles

3. By taking one line of the treaty out of context and isolating it, you've changed the meaning of the treaty and misunderstood it's purpose.

I'm going with number 3.

Why do you believe this one line from the treaty, taken out of context, is more reliable, when it says that the United States is not a Christian nation, than the SCOTUS decision in the Trinity case, which says that the United States is a Christian nation?

 

[HandmaidenOfGod]

Theres a great deal of issues in politics these days, one example is religion in schools.

I personally believe since we have so many people of all sorts of backgrounds, public schools should not be teaching or influencing students to be a specific religion. I don't mean ban religion out of schools, if a kid wants to wear a cross around their neck let them. Also, there are large amounts of private Christian schools. If you want your kid to have that influence in their life send them there.

When I tell this to people they always get angry at me, ALWAYS using the sentence, "This country was founded on God!"

But heres my point... it's simply not true. The settlers that came to America came from all sorts of backgrounds. Whether they wanted to get rich, wanted an adventure or just simply wanted to start a new life, but for the most part, large amounts of these settlers came because they wanted freedom of religion. The right to worship and believe whatever they want. THAT is what this country was founded on.

Besides, the country has changed a lot since we were founded. This country was also founded on slavery, it's just not an adequate argument. Can anybody tell me WHY people use this sentence so much?

Quite frankly, I agree with you 100%.

While it is true that the words "God" and "Creator" are used in the Declaration of Independance, the First Amendment to the United States also states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."

Also, while many members of the Continental Congress were Church going men, many were not. Thomas Jefferson himself cut out every miracle that occured in the Bible! (Talk about an abridged version! )

As a member of one of the smaller Christian groups in the United States, I do not want religon in politics or schools, because I do not want anyone dictating to me (or my kids when I have them someday, God willing) what to believe. Religion belongs in the house of worship of your choice and at home. If a person wants their children to have a religious education, that is what perochial school is for.

The original Colonists who came to this country were fleeing religious opression. If we as a nation are so interested in the "founding fathers" and their original intent, why opress others today with what the founding colonists were fleeing from so many years ago?

We are no longer a nation made up purely of Protestants or purely of Christians.

We are a multi-Cultural nation that has people of many different ethnic and religious backgrounds, and we must be respectful of that.