Was America founded as a Christian Nation?

There is a common misconception that the US was founded as a Christian Nation. For a clear and well-documented history of the truth, check out this article.

Highlights include:

• Many of the founding fathers, including Jefferson, Madison, Washington, Adams and Franklin were either deists or atheists.
• The US Constitution makes no reference whatsoever to Christianity.
• The Treaty of Tripoli, which was passed unanimously by Congress in 1796, includes the phrase "As the Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion..."

So I assume it's primarily for political purposes that John McCain believes otherwise:

Comments

[Stephen Downes]

Yes. Right. Exactly.

[DeanG]

What does Ron Paul believe?

[dbt]

Well, he could also just be an ignoramus. the old saw about incompetence vs. malice comes to mind.

[Paul Ambrose]

"Secularists are wrong when they ask believers to leave their religion at the door before entering into the public square. Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, William Jennings Bryan, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King – indeed, the majority of great reformers in American history – were not only motivated by faith but repeatedly used religious language to argue for their cause. To say that men and women should not inject their 'personal morality' into public policy debates is a practical absurdity. Our law is by definition a codification of morality, much of it grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition."

Author? That would be Barack Milhous Obama at a Sojourners/Call to Renewal conference.

[Graham Glass]

Hi Paul,

That's a good quote. Do you think it has any bearing on the point of my post though?

Cheers,
Graham

[Paul Ambrose]

Hi Graham,

I guess it depends on what one thinks was your point.

Cheers,
Paul

[Graham Glass]

Hi Paul,

The point of my post was that many people mistakenly think that the US was founded as a Christian nation.

In addition, it seems like some politicians promote this fallacy for political gain.

Cheers,
Graham