"But even many non-evangelical Christians (47 percent) and liberals (33 percent) appear to believe the fiction of a constitutionally mandated Christian America is historical fact. Forgive me for being snippy, but read the Constitution. Nowhere will you find mention of God, Christ or any intention to found a Christian nation. On the contrary, the only reference to religion in the Constitution – before the addition of the Bill of Rights – comes in Article VI: “No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” This means that political power in the United States may never be limited to people of one faith – a necessary condition for a “Christian nation” – but must be open to people of all faiths or none. Barring a religious test for office sparked widespread outrage in 1787, especially in states with religious tests designed to make sure that only Protestants or Christians would ever be allowed to hold elected office. But in their wisdom, the Framers in Philadelphia knew that the time had come to break from the precedents of history and bar any religious group from ever imposing itself on the nation using the engine of government. Even this wasn’t good enough for Thomas Jefferson and other founders who wanted to prohibit any and all entanglement of government and religion in the new nation." read more: washingtonpost/blogs/on-faith/wp/2013/08/07/dispelling-the-myth-of-a-christian-nation/
Posted on: Sat, 10 Aug 2013 14:45:43 +0000
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