All 50 states acknowledge God in state constitutions: No "separation" intended by founders

Email | MAY 29, 2005 | Unknown

[CHARLITE]

I believe that liberals know this also. So, what "wall" are they talking about? Someone should PING George Soros. . . let him in on the history of our 50 states.

[stainlessbanner]

bttt

[Strategerist]

And yet the writers of the Consitution of the United States seem to have gone out of their way to avoid mentioning God at all in the Preamble or the body of the entire thing.

[lafroste]

I have a copy of the text of Professor Ingelhart's "The Literature and Languages of Liberty". In it, Professor Ingelhart argues that the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights are so beautifully written as to elevate them to the status of poetry. He demonstrates as much.

In that spirit, I would like to offer France a piece of their (if their wise enough) new constitution to replace that mess they grapple with now:

Le Congres ne pourra faire aucune loi concernant l'etablissement d'une religion ou interdisant son libre exercice, restreignant la liberte de la parole ou de la presse, ou touchant au droit des citoyens de s'assembler paisiblement et d'adresser des petitions au Gouvernement pour le redressement de leurs griefs.

Come on Europe. You can do it.

[lafroste]

And for Denmark:

Forste tilfojelse til forfatningen for Amerikas forenede Stater Kongressen ma ikke lovgive om kirkelige institutioner eller fremsaette love, der begraenser religionsfriheden, ytringsfriheden, pressefriheden, eller folkets ret til at modes i fredelige forsamlinger og til at fremfore protester overfer regeringen.

[stylin19a]

I'm surprised the ACLU hasn't yet sued all 50 states to change their constitutions.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

Sorry but that is not correct:

Article. VII.

The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the Same. done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven and of the Independence of the United States of America the Twelfth In witness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our Names,

[arasina]

Good catch, HC.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

Good catch, HC.

Thanks.

I've been telling people this for years ..... people who don't read the Constitution, but will tell you what's in it.

[austinmark]

"No Separation" is right.

In the colonial charters, (the rough drafts of their state constitutions) ALL expressed a dependence on God for the maintenance of a moral civil order. Now, these were "independent" state governments with elected representative's, doing the will of the people. And they wrote their state constitutions with GOD in mind.

Thankfully, the Founding Fathers & Framers were WISE enough to LIMIT THE POWERS of the newly formed Federal Government by insisting that the STATES retain a major part of their sovereignty. Powers NOT assigned to the Federal Govt. remained with the states !!!

THIS INCLUDED RELIGION, specifically Christianity !!!

[Strategerist]

That's at the very end and is essentially a boilerplate "In the year of Our Lord."...that's why I said "not in the Preamble or the Body."

Face it, it jumps out of you that the Preamble doesn't mention God or religion in the slightest, considering the time it was written.

It clearly was a very deliberate decision to omit it.

[CHARLITE]

Good idea, but their problem is that perhaps 20% are now Muslim, and they aren't going to spring for such a text! Islam and the Koran would dictate quite a different one...............something out of Alice in Wonderland..........."Off with their HEADS", if they stray from Islam.

Char

[Nam Vet]

First time I've seen this. Thanks Char. Bookmarked and bumped.

Nam Vet

[chaosagent]

bookmark

[WhiteKnight]

Not to mention the fact that the words "separation of church and state" do not exist anywhere in the US Constitution or Declaration of Independence.

WhiteKnight

[billbears]

Actually there is a specific reason for that. The Framers did not mention God as prevalent in the nation's Constitution because they were concerned about the dangers of a national religion and they felt that the states, sovereign at the time, would only elect good Christian men to office. The states were free to establish state denominations, which some did, but there was not to be a national denomination. They assumed, wrongly, that this nation by default would be a Christian nation because the separate and sovereign states would do their duty.

Of course this relies on federalism to some extent and we know full well what the Republican party did to that concept

[henderson field]

The only reason for a reference to religion is to assure you that you would be free to practice your own religion. In Europe the Catholic church commanded obedience. That gave birth to the colonial expression "a country without a king, a church without a pope." Nevertheless, they wanted to be cleaner than their European counterparts, which is why the Founders put that phrase in so people would not go around arresting Catholics as Protestants had been arrested over there.

[gdc61]

nice find! bookmarked

[Strategerist]

They assumed, wrongly, that this nation by default would be a Christian nation because the separate and sovereign states would do their duty.

OK, so since they didn't mention God or religion, you're saying they didn't bother because it was so obvious it wasn't necessary?
I have a feeling that no matter what the Federal Constitution said, with the possible exception of "All must worship Satan" you'd be able to spin it into them really meaning to establish the US as a Christian nation even though they didn't actually say it.