Stinger said:
As I said I hear that line all the time, that we were founded on Christian principles or as Orielly likes to say Juedo-Christian philosophy but can't find anyone who can point those out. And in particular if we are a Christian nation and we are founded on the Ten Commandments they how do you reconcile
"Do not have any other gods before Me. Do not represent [such] gods by any carved statue or picture of anything in the heaven above, on the earth below, or in the water below the land. Do not bow down to [such gods] or worship them. I am God your Lord, a God who demands exclusive worship"
with freedom of religion as a founding principle, that we are free to worship whatever god or object we choose to. That it is a basic human right.
So I was not surprised at the non response and lack of responses.
The United States started off as "genuine" Christian Nation in 1789 with a government that was supposed to have no authority over religion. The First Congress assumed a tiny bit of authority over the duty to contribute to the financial support of religion.
At the time of the founding, almost all Americans believed that man had a natural God given right to render homage to his Creator as dictated by his conscience; however, many Americans believed that the financial support of religion was not a matter of conscience. During the founding era and the early years of the republic neither the national legislature or that of the states engaged its legislative authortiy to intermeddle in religous opinions by passing bills to declare the people's trust in God on the nation's coins, to recommend a belief in one nation under God, or requiring the Ten Commandments posted in courts and public schools.
The Chaplains to Congress apparently conducted their half-hour morning prayer services before the time set for Congress to conveine that day. By all accouts, very few Congressmen attended the Chaplain's services. The offical records of Congress do not show that prayers were ever said during an daily offcal session of the First U. S. Congress. Senator McClay in his journal describes a conversation between John Adams and Senator Charles Carroll that occured after moring prayers but before the Senate was called to order.
I suspect it would have been considered a trespass upon God's authority and an impious assumtion of authority over the Congressmen's duty to God for the House or Senate Chaplain to invite the entire Senate or House to pray knowing that there were some Congressmen present whose articles of faith did not permit them to participate in the services performed by the Chaplains.
Congress apparently did not subscribe to the view that it had any authority to pass a bill authoriizing it or the President to issue religious recommendations to the people. It also beleived it had no authority to issue religious recommendations directly to the people.
It did however pass a non-binding resolution requesting that the President recommend to the People of the United States, a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed, by acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a Constitution of Government for their safety and happiness.
It appears that the First Congress did not intend to establish the practice of annual executive relgious recommendations. Roger Sherman sold it to the House as a one-time only act. It would be 22 years until Congress asked the President to issue another religious recommendation.
When Congress started having prayers duriing its daily sessions in the 1850's and then abusing its authority to declare the people's trust in God on the nation's coins in the 1860's, this nation disowned is founders and surrended any claim to being a genuine Christian Nation.
FVF
or a resoution
