Why is it

[mrveggieman]

I think you guys are asking the wrong questions.

1. Were the founding fathers Christian? Sure, many of them were. I don't think that's really even debatable. There were quite a few that were deists, some were "other", but a good number of them considered themselves to be Christian.

2. Is the United States a Christian nation? No. It doesn't matter that many of the founders of the country were Christian. Here is the oft-quoted text from the Treaty of Tripoli (1797):

Art. 11. As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/treaty_tripoli.html


That's really about as cut and dry as it gets. This is NOT to discredit Christian influence on those who founded our nation, because I'm sure there is a lot of it. Just like there was plenty of Deist influence (funny how NO ONE talks about that). But this is a direct text saying that the US is not a Christian nation, which really just re-enforces the 1st amendment which says that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."

So when someone like Sarah Palin says that the US is a Christian nation, she's right, but very wrong at the same time. We were founded by people of mixed religions, including Christianity, all of which played a role in our development. But when those same founders say that the US won't establish a national religion, and that we are not founded on Christianity, then I'm inclined to believe them.

Excellent post. This country was founded as a break away from England so that we may have religious freedom. If the founding fathers wanted this country to be a christian theoracy they simply would have written it in the constitution and not have included freedom of religion in the first amendment. Well written post. I'm going to give you some for it. CHURCH!!!

[Rockman]

Could be wrong but I think it was the Treaty of Tripoli point made in another thread that was the cause of this thread.

[*censored*]

The thread started off saying:
Founding fathers = Christian
Founding fathers = Smart
Christian = Smart

So they've been tied together for the purposes of this thread.

So this whole thread is based on a logical fallacy.

The Empire State Building cannot drive a tractor.
A carrot cannot drive a tractor.
Therefore the Empire State Building is a carrot.

Same logic. Massively false.

[Wickabee]

So this whole thread is based on a logical fallacy.

The Empire State Building cannot drive a tractor.
A carrot cannot drive a tractor.
Therefore the Empire State Building is a carrot.

Same logic. Massively false.

No argument here. Just reminding someone why "smart" plays into "Christian" for the purposes of this flawed thread.