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Do you think this country was founded upon Christianity?

Do you think the U.S. was intended to be a Christian Nation?

  • Yes

    Votes: 28 19.4%

  • No

    Votes: 99 68.8%

  • other

    Votes: 17 11.8%
  • Total voters
    144
Actually, it could be argued that our founding fathers were in rebellion against God. After all, in Romans 13: 1, Paul makes it very clear that " Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God."

Clearly, our leaders weren't really Christians, or they'd have remained loyal subjects to their annointed ruler, King George 3 of England.
 

Did you read the quotes? Comments?
 

Look at her spin! Weeeeee!
 

I couldn't put it much better than that.

I've seen one Jefferson quote. There are many other Founder quotes that indicate a respect for Christianity. Some of them were Christian, some were Deists, some may have been agnostic. I've read many of their writings, journals and letters; clearly they understood that Christianity was an essential part of the social fabric of the nation, even though the government was instituted without an official religion.

Depending on what poll you believe, somewhere between 70 and 80 percent of Americans self-identify as Christian, though perhaps around a third of them are "non practicing" depending on your definitions.

I think it is therefore reasonable to say that our society is majority-Christian by a large margin, even though our government is officially secular. However, to pretend that this does not or should not have any political ramifications is either naive or disingenuous. The beliefs of the majority always play a role in politics.
 


This is an intresting topic which I have thought rather extensively on at times.

Now here is the question.... the same text also teaches that all temporal authority is, in some sense, instituted by God. Does the fact that the Revolution was successful and created a new temporal authority prove, after the fact, that God willed the Colonies to become a seperate nation? That the establishment of same has the Divine stamp of approval, because it was successful and has remained so for centuries?

Perhaps. If that is not so, then rebelling against the current government would be no sin, since they would be illegitimate in the Divine sight. Ooops, now we're getting complicated! :mrgreen:

I find a Shakespere quote apropos about now: "Treason doth never prosper. Why doth it never prosper? For if it prosper, none dare call it treason."

Intrestingly enough, most of the colonial clergy supported the Revolution and many fought in it. :shrug:
 

This nation was founded under the premise of Freedom of Religion, by mostly Christian people. There were those that fought for it's founding that were not Christians, and their efforts are no less important.
 

I don't think it's even questionable.

More than three quarters of the States Constitutions for example have references to "God" or other religious examples.

Was it unanimous or even unchallenged?

Of course not.

But, you can't ignore history. The first pilgrims were fleeing the State run Church of England and were determined to exercise their (mostly Christianity) in the manner of their own chuzing,.... and 'America' was the land of their chuzing to do so.

Mystery solved.
 
it was founded by christians, no-one can argue that, but it was founded as a secular nation, using the logic that 'cause the founders were christian, so it is a christian nation can also be used to draw the conclusions that it is a white, male, wig-and-stocking wearing nation too.
 

Thanks.

That explains the Preambles to the Constitutions all-right.
 
BCR, have you ever read a biography of Thomas Jefferson? Have you read his writings? He was clearly NOT agnostic.
 
BCR said:
I am going to go ahead and say anyone who truly thinks this country was meant to be a Christian nation is a complete moron. The founding fathers were secularist, there is some evidence indicating Thomas Jefferson was at least agnostic.
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Since it was founded with religious freedom as a principle, it stands to reason that since the majority is Christian, many people think it was meant to be Christian. We are all limited by our exposure and experiences, and the majority of people don’t really learn much about the founding of our country anymore (unfortunately). Being ignorant does not equate to being moronic.
 

True- I wasn't even thinking of the Pilgrims, but of the founding fathers. My bad.
 
Chuz Life said:
Whose (if not Gods) acceptance do you think they were striving for?
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the american peoples, they had just come from a rebellion of their own, and being politicians, they wanted their document to be accepted by as many people as possible, and saying the country had divine providence was a good way of assuring that.
 
spud_meister said:
the american peoples, they had just come from a rebellion of their own, and being politicians, they wanted their document to be accepted by as many people as possible, and saying the country had divine providence was a good way of assuring that.
Click to expand...

Our Constitutions were drafted by elected officials and lawmakers,... they represent the people who elected them,... they drafted the Constitutions in a way which reflected their own as well as their constituent's values,.....

In this manner, our government and our 'country' was founded....

But,... you would have us believe that the sentiments and principles on which the founders were selected and elected,... the principles they put into writing, etc... Are not the principles the country was founded upon?

Yeah right.

Wanna buy a bridge?
 
spud, you think the Founders were just pretending to be deeply religious to get the Constitution ratified? LOL! That's a new one.
 
BCR said:
I am going to go ahead and say anyone who truly thinks this country was meant to be a Christian nation is a complete moron.
Click to expand...

Well, that's a Hell of a way to try to start an open and civilized discourse on the issue. Good job.

BCR said:
The founding fathers were secularist, there is some evidence indicating Thomas Jefferson was at least agnostic.
Click to expand...

There were thirteen colonies that originally formed the United States, and each was its own State with its own charter and laws. There were a lot of Founding Fathers, and they didn't all agree on the direction our new nation should take.
 
Catz Part Deux said:
Mellie really needs to stop relying on David Barton to compile her lists of quotes, btw.
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Honestly, did anybody read that long ass crap she posted? LOL!

I think we been here and done this (thread topic) and will keep doing that here at DP. But this country was in no way founded on Christianity. Nope. Nope and Nope.
 

Sounds like Confucius' "Mandate of Heaven". A good ruler has the blessing of the divine and his authority is holy, while a bad leader is an abomination against the natural order.
 
Kali said:
Honestly, did anybody read that long ass crap she posted? LOL!

I think we been here and done this (thread topic) and will keep doing that here at DP. But this country was in no way founded on Christianity. Nope. Nope and Nope.
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I'm sorry you think quotes from our Founders are "crap". Maybe you should read them sometime instead of just basing your opinions on your own feelings.
 
Mellie said:
I'm sorry you think quotes from our Founders are "crap". Maybe you should read them sometime instead of just basing your opinions on your own feelings.
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Why? Are her opinions somehow less valid than theirs because she is alive and they are dead?
 
Korimyr the Rat said:
Why? Are her opinions somehow less valid than theirs because she is alive and they are dead?
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Her opinions aren't based on fact. She refuses to read about the Founders and what they said about God, Christ and religion. It's "crap" to her so she just relies on her own personal opinions instead of reading what they actually said. That's one of the problems in this country.
 
Here is an informative video you should watch about Congress and the Bible:

No, Mr. Beck, Congress Did Not Print a Bible for the Use of Schools on Vimeo
 
The volume is really low on that video. I can't hear what she's saying on my netbook. What does she say is incorrect about that statement?

Aitken's Bible Endorsed by Congress
The war with Britain cut off the supply of Bibles to the United States with the result that on Sept. 11, 1777, Congress instructed its Committee of Commerce to import 20,000 Bibles from "Scotland, Holland or elsewhere." On January 21, 1781, Philadelphia printer Robert Aitken (1734-1802) petitioned Congress to officially sanction a publication of the Old and New Testament which he was preparing at his own expense. Congress "highly approve the pious and laudable undertaking of Mr. Aitken, as subservient to the interest of religion . . . in this country, and . . . they recommend this edition of the bible to the inhabitants of the United States." This resolution was a result of Aitken's successful accomplishment of his project.



Congressional resolution, September 12, 1782, endorsing Robert Aitken's Bible [page 468] -- [page 469]
Philadelphia: David C. Claypoole, 1782 from the Journals of Congress
Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (115)
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/vc006472.jpg

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