America, a Christian nation. Or is it? What did the founding fathers say? (atheism, quote)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Who cares what the founding fathers intended, or what religion they practiced? Time moves on, and the people of today are not required to live as their ancestors did 250 years ago.
If we actually tried to be consistent and apply that as a standard, we end up with some absurd results:
America is a slave owning nation;
Ireland is a nation of absentee landlords and Irish tenant farmers;
South Africa is a sometimes English, sometimes Dutch colony with an independent Zulu nation;
The western part of America is a bunch of truly sovereign Indian nations;
Australia is a prison colony;
Germany is a collection of counties and city states ruled by nobility;
France is a nation that beheads its nobility in a reign of terror...
I think you can see the point. The world was very different 250 years ago, and by and large we do not feel obligated to live in that manner now, and would consider it to be a negative in many ways.
Thank you for this post.
In regard to religion in American government (and in fact general matters involving American government) I have often gotten into discussions similar to this with conservatives who are constantly touting the Founding Fathers. And I point out to them that they can't really identify with people who lived in the 1700s. They don't wear powdered wigs, petticoats, or breeches. They do use modern transport and medicine.
"But when it comes in religion, we think the same". "The same as who?", I'll ask them. "Well the same as people like Washington and Jefferson". "Oh, did Washington and Jefferson have the same views about religion?" "Well of course, it's the way real Americans think". Then I bring out a copy of "the bible" and a copy of "The Jefferson Bible". I explain to them what the latter is, let them browse through the few pages, and ask them if they still think that all the Founding Fathers were in the same place in terms of religion.
Deism and the Founding Fathers As 'children of the Enlightenment,' many of America's 'Founding Fathers' were deists. There is much debate among historians over which Founding Fathers were or were not deists. - https://study.com/academy/lesson/dei...iefs-quiz.html
"The 'establishment of religion' clause of the First Amendment means at least this: Neither a state nor the Federal Government can set up a church. Neither can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions or prefer one religion over another. Neither can force nor influence a person to go to or to remain away from church against his will or force him to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion."
That ruling was in 1947. For 150+ years that was not how the US operated.
Most states had their own official religion. No, the union wasn't a big Christian nation, but each state could decide for themselves, without the federal government dictating.
The colonies had their own official religions and i believe it was partly due to the problems that arose from that the US did not want to establish an official religion.
The colonies had their own official religions and i believe it was partly due to the problems that arose from that the US did not want to establish an official religion.
The issue was that the colonies were very distrustful of a powerful centralized government telling them what to do. They had just fought a war with a powerful king across the pond.
They wanted the local governments to control themselves. If Rhode Island decided to establish one, it wouldn't affect Virginia, and vice versa. That also applies to other areas, too.
Just look at history. The fact that 9/13 of the Colonies had official religions. That the only real things the Constitution grants to the federal government is to print money and provide defense. That the Constitution specifically states "CONGRESS shall make no law"...but ignores what the states could or could not do in regards to religion.
Consider why it took 150 years to have a SCOTUS challenge to change it.
The issue was that the colonies were very distrustful of a powerful centralized government telling them what to do. They had just fought a war with a powerful king across the pond.
They wanted the local governments to control themselves. If Rhode Island decided to establish one, it wouldn't affect Virginia, and vice versa. That also applies to other areas, too.
The colonies already had official religions and discriminated against other religions. And Virginia state religion did affect people from other colonies wishing to relocate there if they were from the wrong religiin. Your forefathers saw what had already happen in Europe with all those religious wars and massacres and wished to prevent those from occurring in a new country. If it had been in the Constitution that states could call their own official religion how could a court rule otherwise in 1947?
Just look at history. The fact that 9/13 of the Colonies had official religions. That the only real things the Constitution grants to the federal government is to print money and provide defense. That the Constitution specifically states "CONGRESS shall make no law"...but ignores what the states could or could not do in regards to religion.
Consider why it took 150 years to have a SCOTUS challenge to change it.
Each state had its own currency at one time...
You’re thinking of pre- US constitution during colonial times:
The "Establishment Clause," stating that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion," is generally read to prohibit the Federal government from establishing a national church ("religion") or excessively involving itself in religion, particularly to the benefit of one religion over another. Following the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and through the doctrine of incorporation, this restriction is held to be applicable to state governments as well. - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free..._United_States
Last edited by Richard1965; 10-13-2018 at 01:28 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
