Talk:The United States as a Christian nation/Archive1

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I don't really get the point of this "Christian Nation" idea. Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that "The US" was founded by a group of fanatical religious Christians.

If true - so what?--Bob^{Spring is sprung!} 18:05, 4 November 2010 (UTC)

Then secularists could not invoke tradition in their support of separation of church and state, and the religionists' arguments about "judicial activism" would actually have a mote of validity to them. ListenerX^TalkerX 18:09, 4 November 2010 (UTC)

Good point. But hey! Who cares about the US anyway?--Bob^{Spring is sprung!} 19:12, 4 November 2010 (UTC)

Who cares about the US? EH, PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE, LIKE ME, DUH! I don't want to live under a Christian fascist state run by people like Rushdoony and his spiritual descendents! 64.80.130.25 (talk) 23:47, 2 March 2011 (UTC)

Essay

Do we really want to link to a poorly written, poorly argued, factually inaccurate essay that isn't really something RW would back?--En attendant Godot 02:20, 19 August 2011 (UTC)

Probably not. Тy^talk 02:21, 19 August 2011 (UTC)

Factually Innacurate

This article is factually inaccurate.

Take Jamestown. The guides there report that residents were HUNG if they missed three church services! (And there were 15 services per week; 2 daily and 3 on Sunday)

The only Deists to sign the Declaration of Independence were Jefferson and Franklin. And they were inconsistent. Deists believe that God doesn't interfere with the world He created. Yet Franklin believed that God helped out the U.S. on a number of crucial occasions during the Revolutionary War. Furthermore, BOTH Franklin & Jefferson wanted the Official Seal for the new nation to feature the Israelites escaping from Egypt along with the caption "Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God."

Most Signers of the Declaration were NOT secularists, but rather pretty devout Christians (though some were undoubtedly just going through the motions). I've researched and written 43 of their biographies and challenge anybody to demonstrate the "secularism" of a Roger Sherman, a John Witherspoon, a William Williams, or a Sam Adams.

Finally, the Treaty of Tripoli was signed by the same John Adams who also signed a national Proclamation of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer just nine months later.

I actually agree that the U.S. was not intended to be a Christian Nation, but it wasn't intended to be a Secular Nation either. We're some sort of hybrid that eschewed a national church, but expected the Christian religion to play an important role in social affairs and public policy.

Chip Chipcombs (talk) 20:37, 11 December 2011 (UTC)

(1) Most of the claims you attribute to this article are not actually found in it; (2) there is no conflict between being a devout Christian and a secularist as secularists were in the American founding period. ListenerX^TalkerX 20:46, 11 December 2011 (UTC)