Should we pretend these don't exist?

Question

The first amendment to the Constitution:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html

Article VI of the Constitution:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.articlevi.html

Thomas Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists:

http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danpre.html

The words of James Madison:

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jamesmadis138276.html

Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli:

http://www.tektonics.org/qt/tripoli.html

Because if there is to be no separation of church and state then we have to pretend that these don't exist! The founding fathers wanted to get away from government-controlled religion like existed in England at the time

Answer 1

Don't forget something Lincoln said near the end of the Civil War. When the South was clearly defeated, the Northern Generals said to Lincoln, "Let's invade, it's God's will!" and Lincoln responded with saying "We don't know what God's will is, we need to use our own judgment."  

Answer 2

This is a question and answer forum. not a soapbox.

Do you have a question?

Answer 3

uh.. no.

Answer 4

i see you quesition..... but what do you really want to know???

really do you expect people to read all of those links? I read the first two, already knowing whta they were. I read the rest, and find no relavence from 3 n 4......i know they are founding fathers, but where are the links to the rest of what the other founding fathers wrote????

but really, what is your point??????

Answer 5

Treaty of Tripoli

Answer 6

While we weren't founded on * Christian * principles, we * were * founded on what were considered God-given rights, no?

Even in Christianity, God gives every person the right to reject Him.  I think that follows the Constitution perfectly when it states people are free to chose a religion or NOT to chose a religion.

And the Declaration of Independence * does * mention that we are "endowed by our Creator" to certain unalienable Rights".   This would seem to show that the framers thought (1) there is a Creator and that (2) this Creator supplied us with these rights or at least the desire to have them.

I'm not saying this specifically supports Christianity, but it certainly seems to support that a Supreme Being put into each person a desire for the things the Declaration of Independence mentions.

Answer 7

The purpose of the first ammendment is to keep the government out of the church, not vice versa.

Christians created this country.

Remember that of the 56 Singers of the Declaration of Independence was signed by 53 Christians and 29 of those were Pastors.

Answer 8

Too often is the 1st amendment ignored these days. No we should never forget or ignore the basic principles of our founding fathers. There is a reason that they did not want a Pope or a Pastor running the country. Just like there was a reason that they wanted to make their own money and not be beholden to Federal Reserve type banking.  

Answer 9

Separation of church and state means that the state can not authorize any church as a national church. It is the religious that seem to think the nation needs to be a Christian government. They are the ones who want our leaders to be religious and they want that religion to be Christianity. It is the same people who protest the conventions, and cause problems. It is Christians that petition congress to set laws which favor the church or fall in line with their beliefs.

Answer 10

No we should not. But likewise, we should not read hostility to religion into it either. The free practice thereof has been curtailed greatly in lots of public arenas and that is not what the amendment said. In a public school recently, at cafeteria, a child's praying hands were forced apart by the "monitor" because she was not allowed a private grace over her lunch, because of separation of church and state says prayer in school was against the law. The pendulum has swung to far.

Answer 11

I think you might want to read over the treaty of Tripoli one more time. I mean, I'm totally happy with separation of church and state but you are aware that the Tripoli bit has something about never letting matters of religious import interfere with peacefull relations with Muslims. This could be interpreted to mean "We won't go to war with Islam just to preserve our right to worship as we choose.". I'm not saying that's what it means but it does seem to leave the door open.

Answer 12

No, we shouldn't pretend that they don't exist. We should burn 'em!

But, no. I'm playing. Those are great documents. We should make citizens of the US be more aware of them. Seems as though they're overlooked quite often.

Answer 13

God would appreciate that, thanks.

Answer 14

Well, McBush and Palin seem to want to do that...