Rel – America is Not a Christian Nation

Talk of the pledge and Bush’s determination to push it into the Supreme Court for two words to be put back into it got me to remembering a little known fact that I’ve heard before. One thing that irks me is how too many believe the US is supposed to be a Christian nation. Many cite the founding fathers and their theism. Only they weren’t Christians. Not all of them(some might have been).

Many of them were Deists or Unitarians. Not too many people know that. So the religious orientation of this nation is and always has been neutral.

Too many think that, just because the Founding Fathers referred to a creator and because lots of folk in the US are Christian, it has to be a Christian nation. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Everything that has ever been made has a creator, be that creator a God or random chance. That much cannot be denied, but localizing it to a religion is simply a form of ignorance or knowing deception.

Personally, I think the pledge should go back to how it was before Congress added those two words to stir up nationalism against ‘the Reds’. Those two words served their purpose and outlived their usefulness to a nation built upon religious freedom(which is freedom to and from religion, IMHO). Better to shelve them and return a part of this nation’s cultural heritage to the religion neutrality that it is meant for.

Resources

The Founding Fathers Were Not Christians

The Faith of Our Founding Fathers

Benjamin Rush: He was Christian

The Founding Fathers on Religion

Founding Father’s Religion Debate and Poll

The Founding Fathers and Deism

America, A Christian Nation?

Why can’t America be a Christian Nation?

Greyhound

May 2, 2003

Excellent point and very well put. Thanks for the info.

Here! Here! Well said!

Free people shouldn’t have to pledge their allegiance to anyone.

very interesting – thanks for the research – I shall be passing along.

exactly. we were founded on religious freedom..NOT religion. shy

I have no problem pledging allegiance to the flag. Then again I am Christian so saying Under God doesn’t offend me. Everyone should be able to live their lives their way Christians and Non Christians alike.

Hell yeah.

For those that think this country was founded on Christianity and IS a Christian country, truly don’t know this country’s history. My father and I have had this conversation… no wait… he has bitched at me about it because my choice of spirituality is not Christian, and I stand to uphold the truth of this country, against Bush’s push to dictate religous views.

Thank you for sharing the links… excellent entry.

~Wings~

I found this entry on Readers Choice and I can certainly see why it was nominated. Very informed and well written.

Timmy

May 3, 2003

Of course, you realize we need those two words to fight Terrorism now! You’re either under god, OR YOU’RE AN EVIL TERRORIST PLOTTING TO… DO EVIL THINGS!

cyanide

ryns~ i just got back from town with believe by disturbed. excellent stuff. a good reason to carry on with what i jokingly refer to as my ‘life’. thanks for the advice 🙂

Well done, I’ve been through this before with other people. I wish they would take the time to learn, but then bush already admits that he doesn’t wish to bother with such trivial stuff as learning.

Peter_24601

It always makes me laugh when people say that the US was founded on Christianity. People came to North America to escape religious oppression, not create it! Even if that was true, then why did the founding fathers put the ‘Separation of Church & State’ into the constitution? That clause proves that the founders didn’t want the US to be a religious republic… Later,