Religion in Government

Wow! I really do need to read more! I was always under the impression that the First Amendment was intended to protect the rights of the different Christian denominations.Thanks, DBlevins.

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And as to the Mayflower, the Pilgrims were some of the most intolerant, untrustworthy, bigotted people ever to hit our shores.

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It is a common myth here in the U.S. that the Pilgrims (those Puritans who settled in New England, starting with the Mayflower) came to this continent for practice relgious freedom. Actually, they left England because they wanted the right to practice religious intolerance. It is interesting that early Massachusetts had very strict laws against what it considered deviant sects. One Quaker, Mary Dyer, was even hanged because she refused to be banished.

riVeRraT, do you even read the other posts on this thread? Both of your last two posts have already been refuted. Rrhain has already explained the history of the phrase "In God We Trust", and DBlevins has already quoted Jefferson's own words how this country was definately not founded to be Christian nation!Did you know that Jefferson wrote a version of the Gospels that make no mention of miracles or the supernatural, or even the resurrection? Jefferson believed these to be tawdry superstitions that detracted from the true message of the Bible.

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I only place Christianity in its own separte category from all of the other religions because it is entirely different from all of the other religions.

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Is this an example of the fallacy of Special Pleading?But more to the point:

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...Even the ones who were not strictly Christian ascribed to the principles of Chrisitan morality as it pervaded English society.

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What morality did the founders have that were unique to Christianity? At any rate, I think what is argued is not that the morality and ethics of the founders happened to coincide with the ethics of 18th century Christians (a notion that can be disputed, anyway), but that the founders were Christians and intended the U.S. to be a Christian-based nation. To argue that the secular founders had a Christian-inspired ethic is beside the point.

Unfortunately, it usually takes a number of additional lawsuits before the state governments get the message.