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;We are founded upon Christianity Not at all. With thanks to Icelus:;Those who make the assertion that the United States was founded as a Christian nation confuse the founding as a political unit with the settlement of North America. It is true that some came to this continent for religious purposes, and indeed several theocratic colonies were established. But the fact is the very first English settlement on this continent at Jamestown in 1607, a full 13 years before the founding of the Plymouth colony by the Puritans. The settlers at Jamestown were not here for religious purposes, but for economic purposes. At any rate those that came to North America for religious purposes, believed that they were establishing some form of Christian utopia and many supported religious liberty for themselves solely. Much like today with the Religious Right who are attempting to create some kind of Christian utopia, whereas the only religious "freedom" will be theirs and thei! rs alone. At any rate, the early colonies were theocracies where only those who worshipped according to state orthodoxy were welcome. Those that didn't especially outsiders such as the Quakers, were tarred and feathered, imprisoned and even hung. Following the Revolutionary War in America, political leaders began to construct the new US government. Although a minority clung to European notions of church/state union, a general consensus emerged that the new nation should steer clear of officially established religion. Over time, states with government-favored religions gradually began moving toward separation as well. Massachusetts, the last state to maintain an official religion, disestablished its state church in 1833. During the Constitutional Convention, a minority faction favored some recognition of Christianity in the Constitution. In a report to Maryland lawmakers, delegate Luther Martin asserted that "in a Christian country, it would be at least decent to hold out some distinction between the professors of Christianity and downright infidelity or paganism." Sound familiar? It should, because a replay of that time is now occurring. Although the radical religious right rhetoric has gotten nastier. "Downright infidelity" and "paganism" has been replaced with "tools of Satan", and "Godless heathens." At any rate, Martin's views were flatly rejected, and the Constitution was adopted as a secular document. Incidentally, Benjamin Franklin did indeed urge the delegates of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to open their sessions with morning prayers, as many Religious Right activists point out. However, the Convention, which had been meeting for a month without invocation of prayers, did not occur. The Convention's records show that the delegates voted to adjourn rather than debate the issue. The matter was not brought up again when the Convention convened. The Framers wrote the Constitution as a secular document not because they were hostile to Christianity, but because they did not want to imply that the new federal government would have any authority to meddle in religion. Further proof that the founders did not intend the government to be Christian is found in Article 11, of the Treaty of Tripoli, an agreement signed between the United States and the Muslim region of North Africa in 1797 after negotiations concluded by George Washington. The document, which was approved by the Senate in accordance with Constitutional law, and then signed by John Adams, states flatly, "The Government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." Couldn't be any clearer than that! |
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