The treaty of Tripoli (http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/treaty_tripoli.html)

Article 11 especially caught my eye: As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion...

http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/summer97/secular.html

Where was this info a couple of months ago when the religion posts were flying?


Call me MISTER Troll.

Just when my karma was going up.

I am no expert in this area, but this (http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/) seems to be a good place to learn more about religion and the founding of America. Its a lot to read though...

One more point, the Treaty refers to Christianity, not precluding a Government formed upon Theism. Christianity is based upon the belief that Jesus is the Son of God, sent to absolve the sins of man. Many religions do not hold this view, obviously. However, almost all believe in a supreme being (God, Allah, Yahweh, etc.). The Declaration refers to God and the Creator; the Constitution does not refer to either, merely religious freedom. In neither is Jesus (hence Christianity) mentioned.

If you really want to find out about the founding of the country from any aspect, check out The Founders' Constitution (http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/). It's an excellent resource, but there's so much information, it takes a while to find what you're looking for.

No one has anything to add? Okay, just one more thing that I found that I'd like to post here, also from the LoC link above.

""Deism" is a loosely used term that describes the views of certain English and continental thinkers. These views attracted a following in Europe toward the latter part of the seventeenth century and gained a small but influential number of adherents in America in the late eighteenth century. Deism stressed morality and rejected the orthodox Christian view of the divinity of Christ, often viewing him as nothing more than a "sublime" teacher of morality. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams are usually considered the leading American deists."

Does that help put the Treaty into perspective?