No, I attach to certain people a nobility of purpose, whether or not they are religious.
They all held between them that the principles found in Christianity were important and good enough to found the nation on, whether one himself accepted Christ as saviour or not.
Fair enough, except that the principles of Christianity relating to freedom were already old when Christianity was founded. Some aspects of Christianity may be a popular example of these principles that are good to be followed, but Christianity is and was not required.
As you've seen from my quotes, these people were wary of other principles and aspects of Christianity becoming too prominent in the country they wanted to establish for fear of a loss of freedom.
Which principles of Christianity is so hateful to the atheist?
"Do as we believe or we'll get the police to enforce it." "No matter what you believe, our god is in charge of you." "Because you don't hold our god as true, you are not a good person." And my interpretation of a favorite: "Because you don't waste your life believing in fairy tales, you are wasting your life."
Well you may not think it is required, but that is the contract we operate on as a nation. If they had based the nation on the principles of Islam then we would be operating under those principles. And athesits would not dare utter a peep about their feeling sad about themselves. Your pain would be relieved by removing the pressure of your head upon your neck. You must be very fond of straw dogs, do you decorate your yard with them? "If you don't believe as we do you are not a good person, we will call the police on you", how utterly rediculous. It is because of Christian principles of the rights of the individual that this could never happen.