Is the U.S. a Christian Nation?
Dodgerfan
2012/06/14 20:57:22
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33 votes
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14 votes
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So, lets read what the U.S. Congress said about it in the Treaty of peace and Friendship between the United States and the Bey and Subjects of Tripoli of Barbary:
Art. 11. 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 Mussulmen; and, as the
said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan 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.
This treaty was read on the floor of Congress and unanimously approved and recorded as 1/5 of the Senate voted for recording of said treaty.
Art. 11. 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 Mussulmen; and, as the
said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan 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.
This treaty was read on the floor of Congress and unanimously approved and recorded as 1/5 of the Senate voted for recording of said treaty.
Top Opinion
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Give me some time to think about it and I will get back to you.
There are so many different beliefs in the U.S. that it's so important that we maintain a complete separation between the state and religions. No one religion may dominate. That's what makes the Christian right such a problem because of their insistence on shaping and lobbying for laws based on their religious beliefs, beliefs that are not necessarily shared by all Americans.
I think we're living in a very dangerous time for liberty and freedom of religion versus freedom from religion.
America is not Founded on Christianity
Our Founding Fathers were , Athiests , Agnostics , Deists , Freemasons ( Pagans )
Quakers and Annabaptists our system of laws and concept of Freedom and justice and the idea of Freedom comes from Pagan Civilizations not Christian
The formation of the United States began a grand experiment in government. The ratification of the U.S. Constitution marked the first time any nation had dared to put a formal distance between church and state. Our founding fathers carefully studied the ancient governing states and kingdoms from the Greeks and Romans, the Saxons, and the theocracies of the medieval era. They had seen the dangers of church-state unions of both Europe and colonial America. They knew, first-hand, about state-sponsored religious persecution. Our American founders wisely took the best features from various governments and left out the worst features, those that would impinge on personal freedoms. Fortunately they left out the Judeo-Christian theocracies.
Through careful thought, our founding fathers produced a Constitutional Republic, not a democracy as some people falsely believe. In fact, nowhere in the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution does it mention democracy. Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution guarantees "to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government."
So when Christian presidents like George W. Bush describe America as a democracy, they embarass themselves as to what kind of government they wan...
The formation of the United States began a grand experiment in government. The ratification of the U.S. Constitution marked the first time any nation had dared to put a formal distance between church and state. Our founding fathers carefully studied the ancient governing states and kingdoms from the Greeks and Romans, the Saxons, and the theocracies of the medieval era. They had seen the dangers of church-state unions of both Europe and colonial America. They knew, first-hand, about state-sponsored religious persecution. Our American founders wisely took the best features from various governments and left out the worst features, those that would impinge on personal freedoms. Fortunately they left out the Judeo-Christian theocracies.
Through careful thought, our founding fathers produced a Constitutional Republic, not a democracy as some people falsely believe. In fact, nowhere in the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution does it mention democracy. Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution guarantees "to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government."
So when Christian presidents like George W. Bush describe America as a democracy, they embarass themselves as to what kind of government they want to govern.
Although a Republic evolved out of past democratic governments, and our local governments retain some elements of democracy, the U.S. system relies on representatives to establish laws rather than through the voting public or imperial minded presidents. During the Constitutional Convention of 1787 no one supported a direct form of democracy. On the contrary, our founders feared pure democracy because it provides no checks and balances on the people themselves.
Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and conflict; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths.
--James Madison
The ancient Greeks invented democracy. The word comes from the Greek demos meaning "the people," and kratein meaning "to rule." The two words combined literally means "rule by the people." Later, the Romans took some of their governmental ideas from the Greeks and evolved a representative democracy which had representatives from the nobility in the Senate and representatives from the commoners in the Assembly. The Roman government divided between these two branches and they voted on various issues. Even Common Law derives from the Pagan Romans and Saxons.
Our founding fathers based the United States government on the Greek, Roman, and Anglo-Saxon ideas along with freethought ideas from the Enlightenment. Jefferson saw the Anglo-Saxons as originators of the institutions of representative government and trial by jury. The terms, "Life and liberty," "The pursuit of happiness," Self-evident truths," according to Mapp, "were not just glittering ornaments to brighten somber discourse. They were terms specifically defined in the writings of the Scottish Enlightenment to which Jefferson had been introduced by William Small and which he continued to study with great avidity." [Mapp] Of course the Enlightenment went against the grain of Christian, Jewish, and Islamic thought, and by this standard, meets the requirements of Pagan thought.
Of course the ancient Greeks, Romans and Anglo-Saxons practiced Paganism and thus our form of government derives entirely from Pagan ideas.
i know my history some of us like me and you and Skepitkat and others actually paid attention in history Class
As for this case for the reason cited, no.
That is not why this nation was set up and there is no animosity toward any treaty purposes with another nation where religion aught to get into the way unless that religion is a threat to the survival of this nation or it;s constitution.
But as to the influence and thoughts upon which this nation was founded, yes. Chrestianity and the God of the Hebrews figures in quite strongly.
Consider the Supreme court's ruling in 1892 in the case involving the Church of the Holy Trinity, which hired a pastor from England.
Federal immigration officials attempted to block the hiring of the pastor based on a federal statute which prohibited importing foreign laborers.
The U.S. Supreme Court held that this statute could not be applied to pastors because this is a Christian nation.
Context. It is all in the context.
Actually, a·gen·da- The underlying intentions or motives of a particular person or group
For example: in your picture is The Hobbit (the film will have Ian McKellen a homosexual actor playing Gandalf as in McKellen's words, "a homosexual wizard"). The Hobbit book isn't homosexual, but that's because it was written in 1937. Try and name more modern forms of media.
Try and name new Music artists, video games, movies, and books without homosexuality; you'll find that way harder than naming the same media sources that aren't Christian.
I can't think of many modern Christian media forms at all. Guns N Roses and Megadeth are the only Christian bands still active that I can think of. Sylvester Stallone movies are the only Christian movies still being made. No Christian video games. Can you actually think of any more? However homosexual content has flooded every market.
alright, new musicians. I'm not very in touch with the mainstream so i don't know of many people. I mainly listen to metal. video games, yes, because mario, tomb rider, and warcraft are pushing a gay agenda. movies, yeah, some actors are gay, do they all play a gay role? no. thats actually rather rare and relationships even more so. books, once again, very few.
don't forget slayer, lead singer is christian. and there are plenty of christian bands, they just aren't very good but get out there anyways and still have a following. yes, because the expendables is such a christian movie. No Christian video games, because they often suck, massive, and are bible based most of the time.
-When the actor says that their character is a homosexual, then the character is a homosexual.
"I mainly listen to metal."
-Metal is the most Christian music market currently (at least in the Western world), but the rise of "Black Metal" bands is rapidly shifting the market towards actual Satanism (not perceived Satanism, but blatant and public Satanism) and Atheism.
"video games, yes, because mario, tomb rider, and warcraft are pushing a gay agenda."
-Mario, Tomb Raider, and Warcraft games (Blizzard will always stay in check since South Korea is its strongest market and South Korea opposes homosexuality) are in fairness not homosexual at all (for now any way), but games like Bioshock, BlazBlue, Bulletstorm, Duke Nukem, Elder Scrolls: Skyrym, God of War, Fallout 3, Grand Theft Auto, L.A. Noir, Mass Effect 3, Red Dead Redemption, Street Fighter, Tekken X Street Fighter all promote homosexuality (courtesy of ESRB ratings).
" movies, no. thats actually rather rare and relationships even more so."
-They are all over the place: As Good as it Gets, Anger Management, Black Swan, Brokeback Mountain, All Chech & Chong movies, Diamonds are Forever, Dodgeball, Funny Ga...
-When the actor says that their character is a homosexual, then the character is a homosexual.
"I mainly listen to metal."
-Metal is the most Christian music market currently (at least in the Western world), but the rise of "Black Metal" bands is rapidly shifting the market towards actual Satanism (not perceived Satanism, but blatant and public Satanism) and Atheism.
"video games, yes, because mario, tomb rider, and warcraft are pushing a gay agenda."
-Mario, Tomb Raider, and Warcraft games (Blizzard will always stay in check since South Korea is its strongest market and South Korea opposes homosexuality) are in fairness not homosexual at all (for now any way), but games like Bioshock, BlazBlue, Bulletstorm, Duke Nukem, Elder Scrolls: Skyrym, God of War, Fallout 3, Grand Theft Auto, L.A. Noir, Mass Effect 3, Red Dead Redemption, Street Fighter, Tekken X Street Fighter all promote homosexuality (courtesy of ESRB ratings).
" movies, no. thats actually rather rare and relationships even more so."
-They are all over the place: As Good as it Gets, Anger Management, Black Swan, Brokeback Mountain, All Chech & Chong movies, Diamonds are Forever, Dodgeball, Funny Games, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Hangover II, Hanna, Jackass, Last Temptation of Christ, Midnight Cowboy, Milk, The Punisher, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Rock of Ages, All the Scary Movies, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Talladega Nights, Watchmen, and Wayne's World 2 for a quick copy and paste from Google Answers.
"books, once again, very few."
-I challenge you to name any modern fiction books without homosexual characters.
"don't forget slayer, lead singer is christian."
-True but the rest of Slayer strongly identify as Atheists.
"yes, because the expendables is such a christian movie."
-I consider it to be. Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Norris are all strongly defined Christians.