There is a debate that seems to rage continually about whether the U.S. was founded by Christians or by secularists who used some Christian language. Both sides of this debate have much invested in their view since if their view wins the day, they can appeal to it to set directions and disenfranchise the other side. I've done some reading on this whole issue and have always been leery of the "Christian America" idea. At the same time it is clear that there some type of religious roots in the founding of the U.S. A recent article by Alissa Wilkinson helped me sort through a lot of the fog.
If this is something you've wondered about or fought for one side or the other it is worth the read.
2 comments:
Wow, this caught my attention.
Not only that, but we lazily identify Christianity with a particular political system, rather than carefully examining the Bible to determine how we should understand and participate in various spheres of society—economics, politics, morality, etc.
Talk about "hitting the nail on the head".
Did you see how this article connected with your "Safety" article.
A Phrase: "Men had a free will and the ability to be moral, and God ultimately desired all men to live happily." & "Religion was important to society in that it promoted morality—and thereby happiness—but the particular religion was relatively unimportant. Because the ultimate goal was a moral society, rather than one in which the “correct” religion was promoted, the Founders created an environment that recognized but did not impose or restrict the role of religion in society."
The foundation of the United States was built with principles of safety, prosperity, belief in the good of man, individualism, and happiness all wrapped up in relativism. These are not biblical concepts in the context that our country used/uses them.
Also, Ross is dead on here. The more I engage in political discussions and research I find that I'm on various political sides depending on the issue. I hope we can all return to civility...Who knows, maybe the Coffee Party?
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