TRUE OR FALSE: "The Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian Nation"

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

As for the separation of Church and State, that isn't in the Constitution. It comes from a letter by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association...

Good post, Scott.

Speaking of Jefferson, I ran into this collection of quotes attributed to him, on the subject of religion:

"Question with boldness even the existence of God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear."

"I do not find in orthodox Christianity one redeeming feature."

"Religions are all alike - founded upon fables and mythologies."

"To talk of immaterial existences is to talk of nothings. To say that the human soul, angels, God, are immaterial, is to say they are nothings, or that there is no God, no angels, no soul. I cannot reason otherwise: but I believe I am supported in my creed of materialism by Locke, Tracy, and Stewart. At what age of the Christian church this heresy of immaterialism, this masked atheism, crept in, I do not know. But a heresy it certainly is. Jesus told us indeed that 'God is a spirit,' but he has not defined what a spirit is, nor said that it is not matter. And the ancient fathers generally, if not universally, held it to be matter: light and thin indeed, an etherial gas; but still matter."

"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."

"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"

"But a short time elapsed after the death of the great reformer of the Jewish religion, before his principles were departed from by those who professed to be his special servants, and perverted into an engine for enslaving mankind, and aggrandizing their oppressors in Church and State."

"...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."

"I never told my religion, nor scrutinized that of another. I never attempted to make a convert, nor wished to change another's creed. I have judged others' religions by their lives, for it is from our lives and not our words that our religions must be read."

"Christianity is the most perverted system that ever shone on man."

"The authors of the gospels were unlettered and ignorant men and the teachings of Jesus have come to us mutilated, misstated and unintelligible."

[jundp 191]

As for the separation of Church and State, that isn't in the Constitution. It comes from a letter by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association that was concerned that the government might restrict religious liberties, since in their state religious liberties were seen as favors granted, not as immutable rights.

http://members.tripod.com/~candst/tnppage/baptist.htm

http://www.usconstitution.net/jeffwall.html

It does not mean that religious views and government/politics are to be kept in separate, hermetically sealed compartments. It means that there cannot be a union between the State as an institution and Church as an institution, and that the State cannot interfere with religious liberties. It does not mean that an individual politician's religious views cannot or should not inform his political views.

[Nasturtium 500]

The Constitution doesn't set up this country as a "Christian Nation," if that means Christianity is the official religion of the country, or that Church and State are interchangeable, as is the case with Islam in Iran, for example. But I'm not sure that's really what McCain means. The rest of what he says emphasizes that the country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, which is very different from saying we have an official state religion.

As for the separation of Church and State, that isn't in the Constitution. It comes from a letter by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association that was concerned that the government might restrict religious liberties, since in their state religious liberties were seen as favors granted, not as immutable rights.

http://members.tripod.com/~candst/tnppage/baptist.htm

http://www.usconstitution.net/jeffwall.html

It does not mean that religious views and government/politics are to be kept in separate, hermetically sealed compartments. It means that there cannot be a union between the State as an institution and Church as an institution, and that the State cannot interfere with religious liberties. It does not mean that an individual politician's religious views cannot or should not inform his political views.

Yes, this was a reaction to the system of a state-mandated church to which the population was required to conform or belong-- such as the Church of England in its past capacities. In the past, it was considered treason to not follow the state religion. Religious allegiance was considered a part of your political allegiance. This idea of seperation allowed for no state-imposed and regulated religion and thus also lifted the notion of religious dissent as being treasonous.

[maore 0]

False ! God bless America

Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified 12/15/1791. Note

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

Who am I supposed to make my USC spouse vote for now?!

just how do you make him vote?

[Niels Bohr 72]

When was Freedom of Religion taken off from the Bill of Rights?

[Nagishkaw 510]

I'm not sure what "a Christian Nation" is supposed to mean...

From that video McCain might want to consider getting himself a toupee tepee or at best a WIGwam.

[almaty 19]

I'm not sure what "a Christian Nation" is supposed to mean...

From that video McCain might want to consider getting himself a toupee tepee or at best a WIGwam.

lol..that was good

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I always thought it would be a funny to have a president with a really obvious toupee that flies off in high wind during press conferences.

[Nagishkaw 510]

I always thought it would be a funny to have a president with a really obvious toupee that flies off in high wind during press conferences.

Six, you crack me up!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I always thought it would be a funny to have a president with a really obvious toupee that flies off in high wind during press conferences.

Six, you crack me up!

It would have to be a ginger toupee - more orange than red.

[Nagishkaw 510]

ginger toupee...... :rofl:

[symbiosis 0]

And what makes you think you know better than he does?

He said earlier "president putin of germany", so we need to be careful with his comments.

I saw this video which up-set me a little about the way they make fun of us...i am just wondering if mccain was among those people :

absolutely false. In addition, most Americans are not aware that few of the founding fathers even considered themselves Christians in the modern sense. Most were deists and a few (notably Thomas Paine) were vehemently ANTI Christian.

[SMOKE 1,426]

all the money in my wallet says "in god we trust"...so yes.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

''I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.''

How does one defend what one doesn't even understand?