The truth shall set you free.

He11vis

Shared on Tue, 03/10/2009 - 09:41

One of my favorite rants by the Right Wing is their "this country was founded on Christianity" speech. Often I wonder if they have ever bothered to read a History book or take basic American History courses in college. A good 5 minutes of research will show the exact opposite.

Adams, Jefferson, Washington, Madison, Paine, Lincoln, Franklin, and many others were Deists at best, but not Christian. Most were Freemasons.

No evidence is needed beyond the Treaty of Tripoli submitted in 1797. In Article 11, it begins: "As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion;..." and goes on to talk about peace between America and followers Middle Eastern religions, Muslims and Hindus.

What is even more awesome is that it is one of the few treaties that was approved and signed unanimously, 100% support! Not a peep from Evangelicals! Those are my kind of Christians!

There are many other examples of the secular nature of government. Christmas was not a recognized gov't holiday until 1870. The 7th Amendment to the Constitution talks of Common Law which relied heavily on Saxon Law, not the Bible. Jefferson and Adams both write very critically of Christianity. Jefferson writes in reference to the Virginia Act for Religious Freedom that the 'great majority' removed the name Jesus Christ from the Act to protect the "Jew, Mohammedan, Hindoo, and Infidel."

This was a time for the birth of the Unitarian Church and the Jefferson Bible. Washington admitted that he very rarely ever went to church and has never mentioned the name Jesus in any of his personal writings.

In God We Trust was not added to currency until 1864 and did not become the national motto until 1956. The Pledge of Allegiance did not add 'under god' until 1954 when the Catholic KofC petitioned for it.

I wonder how we went from Deists and Freemasons who appalled the marriage of church and state to the wacky world of Christian extremism we see today. A world where atheists are hated more than terrorists (see recent polling numbers). What happened to the Constitution, what happened to freedom, what happened to a "personal' relationship with God, Zeus, Mithra, Whoever (which means keep it to yourself). Why is my TV. filled with hundreds of religious shows every Sunday? When can we get back to our secular roots?!?!

PS - I like Michael Moore's version of the Pledge. "I pledge allegiance to the people of the United States of America, and to the republic, for which we stand, one nation, part of one world, with liberty and justice for all."

Comments

FadeIntoBlack's picture
Submitted by FadeIntoBlack on Fri, 03/13/2009 - 13:48
@nae I'm a Utahn living in Utah. While non-LDS, it isn't that much different than anywhere else. I've lived in Texas, Georgia, Colorado, West Virginia, Montana, California, both North and South Dakota. Geographical regions are like women. They all have their benefits and their annoyances. It's just a matter of getting used to them.
Deman267's picture
Submitted by Deman267 on Tue, 03/10/2009 - 10:01
Did you see the most recent poll?We're a bigger "minority" than anybody else.Keep it up.
J-Cat's picture
Submitted by J-Cat on Tue, 03/10/2009 - 10:02
our leaders pledge to the Queen. One guy a while back altered his pledge so that it was for the people of Canada. It hink he had to take the other pledge as well. I don't know if your situation is like ours, but as a constitutional Monarchy our pledges are in law... yours are probably enshrined in law too and it's probably more of a pain in the ass to change them than to just keep them.
JeepChick's picture
Submitted by JeepChick on Tue, 03/10/2009 - 10:02
Man, you've got a hardon bad for taking down the uber-Christians. They must have really pissed in your Wheaties at some point. Move here to NC, the Christians around here are very, well... Christian. Turn the other cheek, practice what you preach, be and let be kinda peeps.
MikeTheKnife's picture
Submitted by MikeTheKnife on Tue, 03/10/2009 - 10:12
If you live in a place where you live in the 'wacky world of Christian extremism' then you should probably move. Most of the country is not like that. If I was a vegetarian, I would not choose to live in a butcher shop.
He11vis's picture
Submitted by He11vis on Tue, 03/10/2009 - 10:22
Sounds nice. I travel a lot for my job and my yearly vacations so I know what you mean. Other states are not like it is here. Something about the South I guess. Texas is like a haven for Fundamentalists, they are everywhere and very 'in your face'. If I did not have my son here I would move in a heartbeat! Until then I will continue to entertain you with my non-stop bitch and moan sessions! :)
nae's picture
Submitted by nae on Tue, 03/10/2009 - 10:52
Try being a new yorker living in Utah, all im saying!~
JeepChick's picture
Submitted by JeepChick on Tue, 03/10/2009 - 11:09
@nae... LMAO
TKBosss's picture
Submitted by TKBosss on Tue, 03/10/2009 - 11:13
I thought this was very well written. I was born in NC, went to college in Boston, and now live in Florida. Their are religous zealots throughout this country, Christian or "Other" that want to push their beliefs onto you. Unfortunately, people we elect into office have their belief that they bring with them to that office, and whether they outwardly display those religous beliefs, they sometimes let those beliefs reflect in their work.

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