Posted on 09/14/2007 2:48:36 PM PDT by wagglebee
A majority of Americans believe the nation's founders intended the United States to be a Christian nation, a new national survey revealed.
In the First Amendment Center’s annual survey measuring attitudes toward freedom of religion, speech and press, 55 percent of Americans said they believe that the Constitution establishes a Christian nation. Furthermore, three out of four people who identify themselves as evangelical or Republican agree while about half of Democrats and independents do.
Compared to previous years, more Americans were found to support Christian activities in public schools. Most respondents (58 percent) say teachers in public schools should be allowed to lead prayers, up from 52 percent in 2005. Moreover, 43 percent say public schools should be allowed to put on Nativity re-enactments with Christian music while only 36 percent said so in 2005, according to the survey released Wednesday and titled "State of the First Amendment 2007."
Only 50 percent, however, said they would allow schools to teach the Bible as a factual text in history class, down from 56 percent in 2000.
"While the survey shows Americans highly value religious freedom, a significant number support privileging the religion of the majority, especially in public schools," said First Amendment Center senior scholar Charles Haynes.
Amid concerns from conservative Christians about the secularism of public schools, bestselling author Stephen Prothero, who wrote Religious Literacy, has expressed support for teaching the Bible in schools, saying that it plays a major part in the nation's culture and politics.
"The strong support for official recognition of the majority faith appears to be grounded in a belief that the United States was founded as a Christian nation, in spite of the fact that the Constitution nowhere mentions God or Christianity," Haynes argued in the survey report. "Of course, people define 'Christian nation' in various ways – ranging from a nation that reflects Christian values to a nation where the government favors the Christian faith."
In April, some 4,000 Christians, ranging from evangelicals to Pentecostals and mainline groups, assembled in Virginia Beach, Va., on the 400th anniversary of the first landing of English settlers in America to rededicate the nation to Christ. Christians nationwide believe the nation was founded on Christian roots and pray to revive the land from what they see as moral decay.
Nevertheless, the latest poll doesn't mean a majority favors a "theocracy," said Rick Green of WallBuilders, an advocacy group that believes the nation was built on Christian principles, according to USA Today. Rather, the poll shows that most believe the Constitution reflects Christian values, including religious freedom.
"I would call it a Christian document, just like the Declaration of Independence," he says.
Nearly all Americans (97 percent) say the right to practice one's own religion is "essential" or "important." The right to "speak freely about whatever you want" and the right to "assemble, march, protest or petition the government" are also highly valued by 98 percent and 94 percent of Americans, respectively.
In other findings, 56 percent believe that the freedom to worship as one chooses extends to all religious groups, regardless of how extreme, down from 72 percent in 2000. Twenty-five percent say "the First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees," a rebound from the 49 percent recorded the year after 9/11, but up from 18 percent in 2006.
Also, 74 percent would prevent public school students from wearing a T-shirt with a slogan that might offend others; 34 percent think the press "has too much freedom" – the lowest since the survey was first conducted in 1997; and 64 percent could name freedom of speech as one of the five freedoms included in the First Amendment while only 19 percent was able to name religion.
The 2007 survey of 1,003 respondents was conducted by telephone between Aug. 16 and Aug. 26 by New England Survey Research Associates.
This is interesting, and I am both pleased and shocked by the results. While this country was founded on freedom of religion, it was founded on Judeo-Christian morality. Sadly, the social liberals are trying to pull us away from those roots.
I ask all on this thread to look at their own state’s Constitution. Answer here what it may say to back up this survey.
Here is what Maryland’s Constitution says in the Preamble to the “DECLARATION OF RIGHTS”
“We, the People of the State of Maryland, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty, and taking into our serious consideration the best means of establishing a good Constitution in this State for the sure foundation and more permanent security thereof, declare:”
“Art. 36. That as it is the duty of every man to worship God in such manner as he thinks most acceptable to Him, all persons are equally entitled to protection in their religious liberty; wherefore, no person ought by any law to be molested in his person or estate, on account of his religious persuasion, or profession, or for his religious practice, unless, under the color of religion, he shall disturb the good order, peace or safety of the State, or shall infringe the laws of morality, or injure others in their natural, civil or religious rights; nor ought any person to be compelled to frequent, or maintain, or contribute, unless on contract, to maintain, any place of worship, or any ministry; nor shall any person, otherwise competent, be deemed incompetent as a witness, or juror, on account of his religious belief; provided, he believes in the existence of God, and that under His dispensation such person will be held morally accountable for his acts, and be rewarded or punished therefor either in this world or in the world to come.
Nothing shall prohibit or require the making reference to belief in, reliance upon, or invoking the aid of God or a Supreme Being in any governmental or public document, proceeding, activity, ceremony, school, institution, or place.
“Nothing in this article shall constitute an establishment of religion (amended by Chapter 558, Acts of 1970, ratified Nov. 3, 1970). “
“Art. 37. That no religious test ought ever to be required as a qualification for any office of profit or trust in this State, other than a declaration of belief in the existence of God; nor shall the Legislature prescribe any other oath of office than the oath prescribed by this Constitution.
Art. 38. Vacant (amended by Chapter 623, Acts of 1947, ratified Nov. 2, 1948. Repealed by Chapter 681, Acts of 1977, ratified Nov. 7, 1978).
Art. 39. That the manner of administering an oath or affirmation to any person, ought to be such as those of the religious persuasion, profession, or denomination, of which he is a member, generally esteem the most effectual confirmation by the attestation of the Divine Being. “
“Where does the Constitution refer to the Christian God?”
See post #22.
Check out these quotes of the founders:
http://www.eadshome.com/QuotesoftheFounders.htm
See here quotes from the legislative, executive, and judicial branches:
http://www.eadshome.com/congress.htm
http://www.eadshome.com/ChiefExecutive.htm
http://www.eadshome.com/supremecourt.htm
But I agree, it's not an explicitly Christian document. It is, however, one sprung from a Christian culture, crafted, debated, and passed by men who were mostly Christian, with a minority of influential deists of the kind who possessed a slient belief in God as the Author of rights and the Bestower of divine providence.
It could never pass, in my opinion, as a Muslim, Jewish, Pagan, or Secularist document. Is it grounded in Natural, not Positive law; and the Declaration roots itself firmly in "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God."
So how come so many of these poll respondents vote for the democrats
Every AntiChristian group supports the democrats
You may change 'they' to 'it' (the Declaration of Independence), if you want. Though, to be completely fair, to whom do you believe is being made reference with: "Done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of [their] Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven and of the Independence of the United States of America the Twelfth". |
Who do you think "Our Lord" refers to in the Constitution?
Who was born 1787 years before the Constitution was adopted?
There's a reason why the "Year of Our Lord" was standard and normal for the times. Everyone knew who our Lord was back then.
Bump. (Christian principles should cover all non-ritual Jewish ones, so Christian and Judeo-Christian often can be used interchangeably).
It absolutely is. Our Founders were afraid for this nation if it did not keep it’s Christian beliefs...proclaiming throughout the government...the belief in Jesus Christ publicly. Even here at FR when I’ve spoken of this I was called a racist [I was called a bigit because of this term: Judeo-Christian which is a modern term and was NOT part of the Christian belief system at the Founding of this country]...I explained that men when they took the oath of office they had to declare that Jesus Christ was their Lord and if they did not...they were NOT allowed in office. They knew without this belief system...those men were a grave danger to this country.
It doesn't. Neither does the Declaration.
Patrick Henry
March 23, 1775
“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased a the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”
“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.”
“The Bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed.”
“Bad men cannot make good citizens. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience are incompatible with freedom.”
“It is when people forget God that tyrants forge their chains.”
“The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone who is able may have a gun.”
And interestingly that illustrates a dichotomy seen among the American nation today, with many Americans worshiping the Christian God, but also many Americans (including many professed Christians) worshiping--worshiping--some overly idealized notion of a perfect United States.
It also is almost European-esque in its length....
Not really. You haven’t spoken with many observant Jews have you? In fact definitely NOT.
The Declaration of Independence clearly refers to God, and considering most Americans and most of the signers of writers of the Declaration of Independence were either Christian (most) or Deist (fewer), the God referred to is obviously the Christian God.
| Judeo-Christian and Christian principles can be used interchangeably. Just as Christianity has groups that try to add more to Christianity than what is in the Bible, Judaism has groups that try to add more to Judaism than what is in the Tanakh. Short of God, Christians should look to the Bible as the ultimate authority, and Jews look to the Tanakh. Considering the Tanakh is the Old Testament, and the God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament, the two terms of Judeo-Christian and Christian could be used interchangeably. If you insist that they must not be, then the United States--and much of the West--was founded on Christian principles; Jews made up a tiny minority of the population, were often the targets of racists and bigotry, and generally did not hold positions of leadership, and thus did not make a huge impact on the cultural development of the American culture. |
Out of curiosity, what do you believe are some Jewish principles (non-ritual/ceremonial) that are not Christian principles, or vice versa?
FreeRepublic was created to fight exactly what is happening and all I see is in-fighting among brothers.
Let's allow ALL religions, as the Constitution says, and let God sort them out when the time is right.
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