Nobody's Founding Fundamentalists
Contrary to the contentions of the religious right, the founding fathers didn't see America as a Christian country. They were surprisingly modern and rational in their thinking, as this page of quotes from Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and George Washington shows:
Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear. --Thomas JeffersonI do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish Church, by the Roman Church, by the Greek Church, by the Turkish Church, by the Protestant Church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church. --Thomas Paine
Religious controversies are always productive of more acrimony and irreconcilable hatreds than those which spring from any other cause. --George Washington, letter to Sir Edward Newenham, June 22, 1792
Wise guys, those founding fathers.
(via Metafilter)
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The Palm Prince at November 1, 2003 8:28 AM
You're right to say that the Founding Fathers were not Christian. They were Freemasons. As a result, they were open to borrow from any monotheistic text in their quest for a pragmatic solution to their ideological desires. Among these was the Muslim holy book, the Quran. Some evidence:
http://www.submission.org/islam/indep.html
This Guy at November 7, 2003 8:55 AM
"Wise guys, those founding fathers."
** But not all of them.
"You're right to say that the Founding Fathers were not Christian."
** Where do you buy your crack?
Thinking that a good dose of Christianity would solve widespread social problems such as high crime and unemployment after the Revolutionary War, Patrick Henry sponsored "A bill establishing a provision for teachers of the Christian religion." Basically, Henry wanted to fund Christian teaching in the public schools through a property tax. His legislation asserted that "the general diffusion of Christian knowledge hath a natural tendency to correct the morals of men, restrain their vices, and preserve the peace of society."
Fortunately, this pissed off Jefferson enough to write "A bill establishing religious liberty" -- and if historical memory serves me, I believe it drove Madison to pimp-slap Henry like the bitch that he was.
Lena Cuisina at November 12, 2003 11:43 PM