[dware]

It will never be pretended that any persons employed in that service had interviews with the gods, or were in any degree under the influence of Heaven, more than those at work upon ships or houses, or laboring in merchandise or agriculture; it will forever be acknowledged that these governments were contrived merely by the use of reason and the senses.... --John Adams, "A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America" 1787

This is a beautiful quote by Adams! Moreover, I think it really illustrates the fact that we allknow God works in mysterious ways.

The substance of many of your quotes is that the Founding Father's believed they had done a very good job at creating a government that would not, and could not interfere with religious establishments. And in the quote above, Adams takes it a step further to say that the government was the result of reson and the senses.

However, are you aware that, aside from being a student of law, Adams was also a student of religious studies? During the founding of the Nation, a great many individuals were strongly grounded in the Christian faith, and it was never a big deal to them. You cannot tell me, after looking at Adam's background, that faith in no way played into or had influence upon, his 'reasoning and senses' when it came right down to it!

As to religion, I hold it to be the indispensable duty of government to protect all conscientious protesters thereof, and I know of no other business government has to do therewith. --Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776.

I think it is quite obvious what Paine is saying here. It is the duty of the government to protect EVERYONE, regardless of their religious beliefs or lack thereof, and that the government should have no other say in religious matters.

That still does not disprove my thesis that the foundations of America are deeply rooted in Biblical principles, of which many of the Founding Fathers were well schooled in.

You see, my argument here is simply that the foundations of American government can be found in the Bible. The similarities are too striking to overlook when one gets deep into it. I am not trying to say that the Founding Father's wanted this to be a Christian Nation, which I think is what you are arguing against. If you reread my article, you will find that I stated that right out - Contrary to what some might argue, America was not actually founded as a Christian Nation. It is, however, deeply rooted in Biblical and Christian principles.

[OWK]

You see, my argument here is simply that the foundations of American government can be found in the Bible.

It would seem that Adams would disagree. He (even as a Christian) recognized the American government as a product of reason and the senses, and not heavenly or biblical infulences.

[jlogajan]

the foundations of American government can be found in the Bible.

To a hammer, everything looks like a nail. However, there did preceed the Bible and Christianity various philosophies and philosophers. These ideas influenced the bible writers and also continued on in parallel.

If the proposition is that Christianity influenced western civilization, the answer is probably yes. If the proposition is that a US like government could not exist without Christianity, not only is the case not proven, but there are many historical examples of democracies (as opposed to tyrannies) that pre-date Christianity.