Speaking of the rabid anti-Obama bunch, the latest blurb that I came across is the “anger” at Obama’s statement in Cairo that we are not a Christian nations or at least something to that effect.
I had to straighten out those who actually think we ARE a Christian nation; the U.S. was “founded” as a Christian Nation – wrong!
Here again, the ignorance of history is astounding but maybe it’s our school system that just doesn’t teach history correctly; on purpose?
Anyway, there was an international affair involving the Barbary Pirates of Tripoli in the 1700s who robbed American ships passing through their waters (Morocco). The 5th U.S. Congress eventually made a treaty with the pirates on June 7, 1797 where Article XI stated in part that the “government of the United States of America is NOT, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion…”
The purpose of even having that statement in the treaty was to eliminate any reference to a war between a Christian nation and a Muslim nation which could have been used as a justification for war as it is today and that is why Obama said that; for the very same reason as was the case in 1797.
The important thing to remember is that many still living at the time of the treaty, were part of the “founding” generation and had first hand knowledge on what basis the new nation was founded and why as opposed to the know-it-alls today.
It is true that many of the early immigrants came to the Colonies to escape religious prosecution in their original countries. It is also true that many considered themselves Christians but they were escaping the persecution by other Christians. To put it simply, these early settlers established exclusive religious communities; Puritans in Massachusetts, Catholics in Maryland (get it Mary land), Quakers in Pennsylvania, Methodists in New York State, etc. Please notice that they are all considered Christians but ask a Baptist what he thinks of the Catholic Pope and he will reply anti-Christ while today Mormons are not even considered true Christians. So you see that these “sects”, even though nominally Christian, were and are, separate religions unto themselves.
It was for this very reason that the Founding Fathers had to establish a secular government one that would be protected from any influence or association with any established religion – forever. I hope the logic makes sense to one and all; it did to the Founding Fathers but somehow escapes people today and why today, people are still trying to push their religion onto our government is beyond me but I know it must be resisted with all our strength if we don’t want a Taliban USA.
OK let me try another approach. Our Founding fathers were not really “Christians” and by that I mean they did not belong to an “organized religion” and actually mistrusted organized religion, as they should have. They were variously called Deists, Atheists, Secularists, Humanists, etc. Most believed in a higher being but that’s it – no religion. They went out of their way to separate Church from State so the two would never come into conflict as explained above.
So Obama was not making something up when he said we are NOT a Christian nation because WE ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN NATION. We may have a lot of Christians living here so we can say we are a nation of many Christians but that is different from being a Christian nation – kapish?
I know this explanation will not make a difference to the hardened, right-wing twits out there because to them facts don’t matter.
I had to straighten out those who actually think we ARE a Christian nation; the U.S. was “founded” as a Christian Nation – wrong!
Here again, the ignorance of history is astounding but maybe it’s our school system that just doesn’t teach history correctly; on purpose?
Anyway, there was an international affair involving the Barbary Pirates of Tripoli in the 1700s who robbed American ships passing through their waters (Morocco). The 5th U.S. Congress eventually made a treaty with the pirates on June 7, 1797 where Article XI stated in part that the “government of the United States of America is NOT, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion…”
The purpose of even having that statement in the treaty was to eliminate any reference to a war between a Christian nation and a Muslim nation which could have been used as a justification for war as it is today and that is why Obama said that; for the very same reason as was the case in 1797.
The important thing to remember is that many still living at the time of the treaty, were part of the “founding” generation and had first hand knowledge on what basis the new nation was founded and why as opposed to the know-it-alls today.
It is true that many of the early immigrants came to the Colonies to escape religious prosecution in their original countries. It is also true that many considered themselves Christians but they were escaping the persecution by other Christians. To put it simply, these early settlers established exclusive religious communities; Puritans in Massachusetts, Catholics in Maryland (get it Mary land), Quakers in Pennsylvania, Methodists in New York State, etc. Please notice that they are all considered Christians but ask a Baptist what he thinks of the Catholic Pope and he will reply anti-Christ while today Mormons are not even considered true Christians. So you see that these “sects”, even though nominally Christian, were and are, separate religions unto themselves.
It was for this very reason that the Founding Fathers had to establish a secular government one that would be protected from any influence or association with any established religion – forever. I hope the logic makes sense to one and all; it did to the Founding Fathers but somehow escapes people today and why today, people are still trying to push their religion onto our government is beyond me but I know it must be resisted with all our strength if we don’t want a Taliban USA.
OK let me try another approach. Our Founding fathers were not really “Christians” and by that I mean they did not belong to an “organized religion” and actually mistrusted organized religion, as they should have. They were variously called Deists, Atheists, Secularists, Humanists, etc. Most believed in a higher being but that’s it – no religion. They went out of their way to separate Church from State so the two would never come into conflict as explained above.
So Obama was not making something up when he said we are NOT a Christian nation because WE ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN NATION. We may have a lot of Christians living here so we can say we are a nation of many Christians but that is different from being a Christian nation – kapish?
I know this explanation will not make a difference to the hardened, right-wing twits out there because to them facts don’t matter.
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