[qam1]

Because I guess unlike Christians Athesist can only type in one response at a time, Sorry.

George Washington signed off on the treaty didn't he?

By accusing me of being a liar (Well a partial liar - Thanks) on this is equvielent to saying any quote by any President is nullified because it was written by a speech writer.

Even so, The Treaty with that quote was also signed off by the next President John Adams (because it took that long to get back) and was approved unanimously by the Senate. If was so unagreeable why didn't they take it out?

Now I am waiting for a response on Moses' atrosities and the part in the bible about a Republic/Democratic form of Government.

[reasonseeker]

The neglected question is, if the Ten Commandments should be enshrined on public property, which Ten Commandments should it be?

http://www.positiveatheism.org/crt/whichcom.htm

[bluecollarman]

It was not written by George Washington or anybody else in the United States.

It was written in Algiers by Hassan Bashaw and Joel Barlow, U.S. Consul to Algiers. The original written in Arabic, had no such statement. It was added in Barlow's translation to make nice with the Moslems and that was the sole purpose for it. Moslems were forbidden to make treaties with Christians.

The entire article XI is as follows:

"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 tranquillity of Musselmen(Moslems),--and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mohammedan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever interrupt the harmony existing between the two countries."

It was a diplomatic ploy to appease the moslems that caused Adams (not Washington) push through ratification. As I pointed out the original was in Arabic and had no Article XI. Joel Barlow was a Deist by the way. It is a good example of a poorly worded treaty. Adams even thought Barlow's translation left much to be desired.

I just do not think it is fair to attribute a remark to one of the founding fathers as if he made it when he did not.

I will let someone else defend Moses. I am off to bed.