No. No it wasn’t.
Pharyngula links to the webpage of the Family Research Council, which currently holds a poll titled, “Do you believe that America, as a nation, was founded upon Christian principles?” Due to the Pharynguloid influence, “No” is currently leading at 91%, but that’s not the point. The point is that this question should not be asked in the first place.
The US is emphatically not founded on Christian principles. This is explicitly stated in the Constitution, both in the First Amendment (“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”) and in Article VI, section 3 (“…no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”) In addition, the Treaty of Tripoli, itself a legally binding document, bears these words: “As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion…”
The United States is a secular nation, not a Christian nation. Any claim to the contrary is founded in ignorance of the Constitution, or in delusion. Check mate, I’m afraid, for the Dominionists.
Tags: bill of rights, christian nation, constitution, dominionism, establishment clause, family research council, no religious test clause, Secularism, treaty of tripoli
Allusions of Grandeur 
July 8, 2008 at 6:55 am |
I think the Dominionists are quite dangerous. Fanatics.
July 28, 2008 at 9:46 am |
It’s remarkable that so many Americans don’t get this — or choose to ignore it — isn’t it? Where the American constitution is concerned, I’m no expert… actually, no, compared to many Americans I probably am! (Present company excepted!) I certainly know that sure statement is factually correct.
Nice blog, by the way. I came over via Lottie’s blog, Rambling On, and have added you to my feed reader.
July 28, 2008 at 10:22 am |
“… that sure statement is factually correct” should read “that your statement is factually correct.”
I use voice recognition software and occasionally the strangest of errors manage to get through! Sorry about that.
August 23, 2008 at 2:15 am |
[…] – bookmarked by 2 members originally found by christenjamie14 on 2008-08-01 Was the US founded on Christian principles? https://allusionsofgrandeur.wordpress.com/2008/07/05/was-the-us-founded-on-christian-principles/ – […]
September 26, 2008 at 6:47 am |
I find it ironic that the United Kingdom, ostensibly a theocracy in which the monarch is the head of the church, is far more secular in some respects than the United States. This is mainly because of the decline of religious belief than any wise act of governance, of course, but it’s still rather amusing.
April 11, 2009 at 4:13 pm |
I would say that the Spanish Inquisition was the last real institution to be wholly “founded on Christian principles.” The US, on the other hand, was founded on the repudiation of the Spanish Inquisition and everything it stood for.