As George Washington stated in the Treaty of Tripoli-
Quote:
"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 Musselmen; and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan 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."
So there is definitely intent to separate church and state.
Bumper sticker- "Freedom is the Distance Between Church and State."
http://www.nobeliefs.com/Tripoli.htmQuote:
Many Religious Right activists have attempted to rewrite history by asserting that the United States government derived from Christian foundations, that our Founding Fathers originally aimed for a Christian nation. This idea simply does not hold to the historical evidence.
Of course many Americans did practice Christianity, but so also did many believe in deistic philosophy. Indeed, most of our influential Founding Fathers, although they respected the rights of other religionists, held to deism and Freemasonry tenets rather than to Christianity.
The U.S. Constitution
The United States Constitution serves as the law of the land for America and indicates the intent of our Founding Fathers. The Constitution forms a secular document, and nowhere does it appeal to God, Christianity, Jesus, or any supreme being. (For those who think the date of the Constitution contradicts the last sentence, see note 1 at the end.) The U.S. government derives from people (not God), as it clearly states in the preamble: "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union...." The omission of God in the Constitution did not come out of forgetfulness, but rather out of the Founding Fathers purposeful intentions to keep government separate from religion.
It goes on to describe what several of the founding fathers stated and why, so it reads like a lesson in history of theocracies and their problems. Good short read and a great response to right wingers trying to rewrite history to suit their impression of the past.
You might want to check out this book on Amazon and read the reviews at least to get some more info on the constitution-
http://www.amazon.com/review/product/08 ... ewpoints=1Why the Religious Right Is Wrong: About Separation of Church & State (Paperback)
by Rob Boston.
One review states-
Quote:
It has a brief history of the rise of the separation of church and state and talks a little about early American history. The initial settlement of America was by religious groups who did not show much tolerance. He refers to the execution of some quakers by one colony. There is a discussion about the reasons for the development of constitutional separation which would seem to be that although America was a Christian country there was enormous division within the various sects and there was not a clear consensus about the real elements of religious belief.
Shows the world wasn't a rosy place at that time doesn't it. Mr. Boston suggests we go to schools and institutions and demand they tell the truth about what life was like and why we have separation of church and state.
Used & New from: $1.20 --
Cheap at twice the price. Buy two and send one up to me OK?
