Members Beer Drinker Posted June 12, 2006 Members Share Posted June 12, 2006 Originally posted by riffy Signed into law in 1797. Our country WAS founded on Christian principles. Our "country" was here long before we declared independance from the British Empire.I hate it when people don't do quite enough research before trying to contradict another person.Gary Sort of like the research that YOU failed to do? Exactly where in the declaration of independance or the Constitution does it mention any specific Christian principal? Thomas Jefferson- 3rd president, Drafted Declaration of Independence, Signer of Constitution, influential on 1st Amendment "I do not find in orthodox Christianity one redeeming feature." "Religions are all alike - founded upon fables and mythologies." "Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burned, tortured, fined, and imprisoned, yet we have not advanced one inch toward uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half of the world fools and the other half hypocrites." [Notes on Virginia] "History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes" [Letter to von Humboldt, 1813]. "The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme Being as His father, in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter." [Letter to John Adams, April 11, 1823] "In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own" [Letter to H. Spafford, 1814]. "...an amendment was proposed by inserting the words, 'Jesus Christ...the holy author of our religion,' which was rejected 'By a great majority in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and the Mohammedan, the Hindoo and the Infidel of every denomination.'" [Jefferson's Biography] James Madison- 4th president, influential in the Constitutional Convention, Proposed the 1st Amendment "During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What has been its fruits? More or less, in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry, and persecution." "In no instance have . . . the churches been guardians of the liberties of the people." "Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise." [April 1, 1774] Benjamin Franklin- signer of Declaration of Independence, signer of Constitution "The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason."[Poor Richard's Almanack, 1758] "Lighthouses are more helpful than churches." "He (the Rev. Mr. Whitefield) used, indeed, sometimes to pray for my conversion, but never had the satisfaction of believing that his prayers were heard." [Franklin's Autobiography] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Beer Drinker Posted June 12, 2006 Members Share Posted June 12, 2006 The original motto "E Pluribus Unum" Latin for "One from many" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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