Was the U.S. Founded as a "Christian" Nation?

[Monergist]

Did America's founding fathers intend to establish a Christian nation? Please feel free to cite evidence to support your opinion.

 

[Farmer's Wife]

Although our founding fathers may not have all been saved men, America was founded on Biblical principles. The Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights are evidence of this.

I don't see how we can honestly claim that America is a 'christian' nation today, though. We murder over 4,000 innocent babies every day under the 'protection' of the U.S. government! Our government supports things which God calls an abomination. God has been 'kicked' out of the government school system. These are just a few reasons why America, as a whole, can no longer be considered a God-fearing nation!

Even with all this going on in America, I believe America is the best place to live. I'm proud of our heritage..."No King But Jesus! I believe in what America usta be...not what it has become!

 

[Candide]

"They were theistic, but did not necessarily seek to honor and obey the God of the Bible. Any resemblance of our law to Biblical standards is merely coincidental."

That was the closest answer. They were a mixture of Christians and Deists (and the occasional Atheist) who set out to form a nation free from the turmoil of Europe. As a result, most advocated a secular state.

 

[KenH]

Our Founding Fathers based our on laws on Christian principles, but they wanted to avoid the problems in Europe where one Christian denomination would basically run the government of a country.

Ken

[ September 28, 2002, 02:47 PM: Message edited by: Ken Hamilton ]

 

[Vasco]

america being a very important country, history of it is taught inside other countrys, at least it was in brasil, and we were taught how the pilgrims were searching for religous freedom, but the freedom was explain both ways, to be free TO worship and free FROM worship
when it came to constitution we were taught something similar, that they wanted to prevent anyone religion from being more protected than another
God bless

[ September 28, 2002, 05:50 PM: Message edited by: Vasco ]

 

[rsr]

I couldn't vote because none of the positions is my understanding. No. 3 comes closest, but it would be odd to believe that they were not influenced by Christianity. Certainly they were, just as they were influenced by classical authors and John Locke.

[ September 28, 2002, 07:39 PM: Message edited by: rsr ]

 

[fromtheright]

I believe the history is somewhere between # 2 and # 3. I don't see how they modeled our government after Biblical standards, but the resemblance between our law (not our Constitution) and Biblical standards is much more than coincidental.

 

[Mike McK]

Originally posted by Vasco:
america being a very important country, history of it is taught inside other countrys, at least it was in brasil, and we were taught how the pilgrims were searching for religous freedom, but the freedom was explain both ways, to be free TO worship and free FROM worship
when it came to constitution we were taught something similar, that they wanted to prevent anyone religion from being more protected than another
God bless

Vasco,

The Pilgrims are different from who we commonly call the "founding fathers".

I'm not sure I believe that the pilgrims came here for religious freedom, which is what American schoolchidren are taught, too.

Ironically, the same schools that teach this then turn around and try to deny the students their freedon of religion. We Americans mean well but we're a terribly inconsistant lot.

The pilgrims already had religious freedom in Holland.

I think it's much more likely that they came here to proselytize the indians and for the fur trade.

Mike

PS,

A little off the subject, but has anyone seen the PBS documentary, "Robert E. Lee: Beyond the Battle"?

It's an excellent look at one of the most brilliant military minds in history but doesn't say one word about his devout religious beliefs.

 

[rsr]

Smoke_eater, I think the Pilgrims did come here for religious freedom. Yes, they had it in Holland, but they saw their children becoming Dutch, not English, and saw the New World as a place they could practice their religion and be English at the same time.

But they weren't eager for other people to have freedom to practice their religions, which is why they threw Roger Williams out of the colony. Not to mention the witch trials.

[ September 29, 2002, 11:15 PM: Message edited by: rsr ]

 

[Candide]

The Pilgrims are often placed in a quixotic light, undeservably so I think. They persecuted everyone who didn't agree with their way of thinking, and were zealots to the umpteenth degree. Connecticut and Rhode Island were both founded by people escaping Massachusetts. It's amazing that a colony founded in such a way managed to emerge as one of the most Progressive states in the union. Evidence of the transformation can be seen well before the American Revolution, but when it occured exactly I cannot say.

As for evidence regarding the notion that we were founded with the intent of being a secular state, the writings of the founding fathers speak for themselves.

”It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself. Subject opinion to coercion: whom will you make your inquisitors? Fallible men; men governed by bad passions, by private as well as public reasons. And why subject it to coercion? To produce uniformity. But is uniformity of opinion desireable? No more than of face and stature. Introduce the bed of Procrustes then, and as there is danger that the large men may beat the small, make us all of a size, by lopping the former and stretching the latter. Difference of opinion is advantageous in religion. The several sects perform the office of a Censor morum over each other. Is uniformity attainable? Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth. Let us reflect that it is inhabited by a thousand millions of people. That these profess probably a thousand different systems of religion. That ours is but one of that thousand. That if there be but one right, and ours that one, we should wish to see the 999 wandering sects gathered into the fold of truth. But against such a majority we cannot effect this by force. Reason and persuasion are the only practicable instruments. To make way for these, free enquiry must be indulged; and how can we wish others to indulge it while we refuse it ourselves. But every state, says an inquisitor, has established some religion. No two, say I, have established the same. Is this a proof of the infallibility of establishments? Our sister states of Pennsylvania and New York, however, have long subsisted without any establishment at all. The experiment was new and doubtful when they made it. It has answered beyond conception. They flourish infinitely.”
- Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia

 

[Mike McK]

Originally posted by rsr:
Smoke_eater, I think the Pilgrims did come here for religious freedom. Yes, they had it in Holland, but they saw their children becoming Dutch, not English, and saw the New World as a place they could practice their religion and be English at the same time.

I agree but as you've described it, it sounds more like a political reason than a religious one.

Mike

 

[rsr]

But politics and religion were the same thing to them, as it is to the leadership of the SBC.

 

[Rev. G]

Will you CBF types give us no rest?

 

[Revolt]

I saw a program on the history channel this weekend about secret societies. Most of the founding members were freemasons. Even today George Bush senior and George W Bush are members of the skulls and cross bones. Its a pretey demonic orginization.

 

[Mike McK]

Originally posted by Revolt:
Even today George Bush senior and George W Bush are members of the skulls and cross bones. Its a pretey demonic orginization.

Skull & Bones isn't demonic. There's nothing sinister or conspiratorial about it.

It's just an excuse for a bunch of well heeled Greeks to get together and drink beer.

Mike

 

[Johnv]

Skull & Bones isn't demonic. There's nothing sinister or conspiratorial about it.

It's just an excuse for a bunch of well heeled Greeks to get together and drink beer.

Mike

Alas you're correct on this one. Skull & Bones is one of the oldest excuses for kappa your-greek-letter-here immature college boys to get plastered.

I'm generally not in favor of college fraternities. Besides, it was a long time ago, and I needed the company.

 

[Australian Baptist Student]

"Even with all this going on in America, I believe America is the best place to live."

Have you ever visited Australia? We were founded by convicts, and have an innate distrust of authority, arrogance and pomposity (itself a suspiciously pompous word).

 

[Australian Baptist Student]

We also hav a very laid back attitude towards spelling!