There is a reason that there is no state religion. Henry VIII used the state religion as a weapon to create his own morality and force it on others. At the time this country was founded, there were well over 200 different brands of Christianity in Europe, each one claiming to be the one and only correct one. And if you talk to a Jew or a Muslim or a Hindu or countless others, they'd tell you all 200 brands of Christianity were wrong. The Declaration refers to a "Creator" not to "God" or "a god."
This country was meant to accommodate people living according to their conscience. We called it freedom. Government's role was never meant to include defining a moral absolute. Again, see Henry VIII. Government's role was to create a structure in which people could live together freely.
I will agree that the founders did make some assumptions though, which did include the Christian norm from which they came. They assumed a moral society with general consensus on issues like the value of human life and respect for private property. Marxists throw those assumptions out the window, and that makes the discussion much harder. What if the moral consensus of a free people was to grant government the right to define a moral authority? The Founders never considered the possibility of some of what we've seen in the 20th century. There is no easy affirmative answer, even "the Bible."
That was actually John Adams who wrote that in the Treaty of Tripoli. You might notice he is the same author as the previous quote I cited. They were trying to cut a deal with Muslims whose pirates were raiding our ships. It was an act of geopolitics moreso than an accurate representation of his beliefs as he was trying to reassure their ruler that there would be no enmity between the two nations on account of religion.
Adams was also a Unitarian who was extremely hostile toward Catholicism and thought the idea of Jesus’ divinity was ridiculous.
Interesting. You seem to have a good understanding of the history of all these Christian “sects”. Do you mind explaining some history on some of the bigger denominations and what their differences are? So Unitarians don’t believe Jesus was the son of God? So they don’t believe I. The New Testament?
I always get lost in the weeds with so many denominations. Thanks in advance for any clarification offered. I know it’s probably a lengthy subject.
There is a reason that there is no state religion. Henry VIII used the state religion as a weapon to create his own morality and force it on others. At the time this country was founded, there were well over 200 different brands of Christianity in Europe, each one claiming to be the one and only correct one. And if you talk to a Jew or a Muslim or a Hindu or countless others, they'd tell you all 200 brands of Christianity were wrong. The Declaration refers to a "Creator" not to "God" or "a god."
This country was meant to accommodate people living according to their conscience. We called it freedom. Government's role was never meant to include defining a moral absolute. Again, see Henry VIII. Government's role was to create a structure in which people could live together freely.
I will agree that the founders did make some assumptions though, which did include the Christian norm from which they came. They assumed a moral society with general consensus on issues like the value of human life and respect for private property. Marxists throw those assumptions out the window, and that makes the discussion much harder. What if the moral consensus of a free people was to grant government the right to define a moral authority? The Founders never considered the possibility of some of what we've seen in the 20th century. There is no easy affirmative answer, even "the Bible."
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." -John Adams.
“The government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.” - George Washington
That was actually John Adams who wrote that in the Treaty of Tripoli. You might notice he is the same author as the previous quote I cited. They were trying to cut a deal with Muslims whose pirates were raiding our ships. It was an act of geopolitics moreso than an accurate representation of his beliefs as he was trying to reassure their ruler that there would be no enmity between the two nations on account of religion.
Interesting. You seem to have a good understanding of the history of all these Christian “sects”. Do you mind explaining some history on some of the bigger denominations and what their differences are? So Unitarians don’t believe Jesus was the son of God? So they don’t believe I. The New Testament?
I always get lost in the weeds with so many denominations. Thanks in advance for any clarification offered. I know it’s probably a lengthy subject.