Argument For Secularism

An amazing thing happened on the way to developing an advanced Secular nation called the United States of America, we lost our way and forgot our most profound principals. To believe that this country was founded as a Christian nation is to ignore the very words of the founding fathers. For us to believe that this country was founded as a Christian nation we must suspend logic and ignore our most cherished documents the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. To understand the true intent of the founding fathers we have only to examine their words, such as the following examples:

The clergy converted the simple teachings of Jesus into an engine for enslaving mankind ... to filch wealth and power to themselves. [They], in fact, constitute the real Anti-Christ. -Thomas Jefferson

Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we called it the word of a demon than the Word of God. It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind. -Thomas Paine

Of all the animosities, which have existed among mankind, those which are caused by difference of sentiments in religion appear to be the most inveterate and distressing, and ought most to be deprecated. I was in hopes that the enlightened and liberal policy, which has marked the present age, would at least have reconciled Christians of every denomination so far that we should never again see the religious disputes carried to such a pitch as to endanger the peace of society. - George Washington, letter to Edward Newenham, October 20, 1792

When a Religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself, and God does not take care to support it so that its Professors are obliged to call for help of he Civil Power, it is a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one. - Benjamin Franklin from a letter to Richard Price, October 9, 1780

During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the Clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution. - James Madison (Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments, 1785.)

While all of the above are interesting side notes to the thinking of the founding fathers and should help to understand the nature and framework of the United States there is more. The most telling is the Treaty of Tripoli, signed by President John Adams it is a clear statement of not just intent but of true nature of the United States as a secular government. As the Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Musselmen; and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries. - (Treaty of Tripoli, 1797 - signed by President John Adams.)

The United States was intended to be a secular nation, never a Christian nation, and certainly not a Theocracy. A nation that respected individual rights above all others. Never a nation that demanded only a single value system through legal sanctions. The evangelical right would have us believe that proof of the founding fathers intent can be found in the words "In God we Trust" on our currency. This, however, is a falsehood these words begin being added to coins in 1864 and were not added to paper money until 1957; eventually superseding the original motto of "E Pluribus Unum" (From Many, One) adopted in 1792 by the founding fathers. So as we see the first of the arguments regarding the "intent" of the founding fathers is eliminated by a simple assessment of the timeline.

So let us look at another word game that our evangelical friends like to roll out to "prove" their point. This one is even more interesting, it is the wording of the Pledge of Allegiance. Everyone knows where the offending words are in the Pledge; "One Nation under God, indivisible". Nevertheless, were these the original words of the Pledge and if not when did they change? The original pledge was written by Francis Bellamy (1855-1931) a Christian Socialist, in August 1892, it was published in the Youth's Companion September 8 issue and read as follows; "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and (to*) the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." (Note: to was added in October 1892). In 1954, Congress after a campaign by the Knights of Columbus, added the words, 'under God,' to the Pledge. The Pledge was now both a patriotic oath and a public prayer. So again, with a quick analysis of the timeline it is easy to see that the founding fathers had nothing to do with the God and public prayer in our Pledge. In fact, the Pledge was written in-line with the original intent of a secular government but was changed in the middle of the last century to represent a different agenda and one clearly not in line with either the intent of the founding fathers or the ideals of a secular government.

References: The Pledge of Allegiance A Short History, by Dr. John W. Baer, Copyright 1992