PFC: "If believing that helps you love your neighbor, I would not want to change your beliefs."
Your uninformed personal opinion is at odds with Scripture, the Framers of our Constitution, and the Rule of Law that undergirds it. The Founders of this country did NOT view man as being "basically good" - quite the opposite. Here - this ought to get you up to speed (Second "up-to-speed post coming up):
The Framers of our Constitution --- who also believed what Jesus said about man:
"Jesus did not commit himself to them because he knew all ALL men ... he knew what was in man..."John 2:24
A HREF="http://www.emory.edu/EMORY_REPORT/erarchive/1999/November/ernovember.29/11_29_99hamilton.html">Emory Report November 29, 1999 Volume 52, No. 13
"...Marci Hamilton ... [is] a nationally recognized expert on constitutional and copyright law. ....
Her forthcoming book, Copyright and the Constitution, examines the historical and philosophical underpinnings of copyright law and asserts that the American "copyright regime" is grounded in Calvinism, resulting in a philosophy that favors the product over the producer.
Calvinism? Hamilton's interest in the intersection of Calvinist theology and political philosophy emerged early in her career when she began reading the work of leading constitutional law scholars. She was puzzled by their "theme of a system of self-rule." "They talked about it as if it were in existence," she said. "My gut reaction was that direct democracy and self-rule are a myth that doesn't really exist."
What Hamilton found was that a "deep and abiding distrust of human motives that permeates Calvinist theology also permeates the Constitution." Her investigation of that issue has led to another forthcoming book, tentatively titled The Reformed Constitution: What the Framers Meant by Representation.
That our country's form of government is a republic instead of a pure democracy is no accident, according to Hamilton. The constitutional framers "expressly rejected direct democracy. Instead, the Constitution constructs a representative system of government that places all ruling power in the hands of elected officials."
And the people? Their power is limited to the voting booth and communication with their elected representatives, she said.
"The Constitution is not built on faith in the people, but rather on distrust of all social entities, including the people." ...
..Two of the most important framers, James Wilson and James Madison, were steeped in Presbyterian precepts.
It is Calvinism, Hamilton argued, that "more than any other Protestant theology, brings together the seeming paradox that man's will is corrupt by nature but also capable of doing good." In other words, Calvinism holds that "we can hope for the best but expect the worst from each other and from the social institutions humans devise."
"Neither Calvin nor the framers stop at distrust, however," Hamilton said. "They also embrace an extraordinary theology of hope. The framers, like Calvin, were reformers." -Elaine Justice
"If you then, being EVIL, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" Luke 11:13
Our Lord Jesus never called us anything other than "evil". We need a new spirit. We have a corrupt nature which is evil-not good.
BTW-This doesn't sound like "effective witnessing" ("Hey, you're evil.") but one has to conclude it was.
I did not commit to anything. Then you brought forth examples of why the framers set up their government the way they did to offer proof that they thought man was basically bad. (Never saying once how you thought this would prove that they believed only God could redeem them btw). I would say that they weren't making a judgement on the basic evil nature of man but the ability of some to be evil and others to be fooled.
The full answer to your question is that I have met many people who were good people in that they acted selflessly and had real caring for their fellow man, acted in a moral manner who were atheists. So it is hard for me to square that with someone who is "basically evil". And even they sometimes mentionned a belief in somethin. And I have known hedonistic bastards who have been transformed by the belief and prayer to a Higher Power - but not always the God of the Bible. I have friends of faith including Orthodox Jews, Southern Baptist, Catholic, Mormon, Anglican, etc. And also a couple of Buddhists and Hindus. And with all of them, their faith in whatever they believe pushes them to be better people. So I am not anti-religion by any means. I believe the teachings of Christ offer some of the best morals. My wife is Catholic and our children are being raised in that faith. That doesn't mean that I agree with all of the Church's positions but I don't bash it.
What I can't believe is that simply because someone does not practice the same faith or is not Christian is basically evil. That is why I evaded your question.