Anti-Theism in America

[Gipper]

America would not exist if not for Christianity. A majority of the Founders were believers and their faith guided them in everything they did including the writing of our founding documents. Many including myself, believe God's hand was involved in the founding and development of our great nation.

Had the Founders been atheists, it is very unlikely America would have ever existed or ever achieved greatness.

Thanks be to God.

 

[Apathy]

America would not exist if not for Christianity. A majority of the Founders were believers and their faith guided them in everything they did including the writing of our founding documents. Many including myself, believe God's hand was involved in the founding and development of our great nation.

Had the Founders been atheists, it is very unlikely America would have ever existed or ever achieved greatness.

Thanks be to God.

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 tranquility, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.
-John Adams

 

[Dr.Who]

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 tranquility, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.
-John Adams

Adams and Gipper are both right.

The Federal government is not founded on the Christian religion - though it is strongly influenced by it.

But the nation was founded on Christianity as were almost all of the 13 states if not all of them.

But this discussion belongs on a different thread.

 

[Apathy]

Adams and Gipper are both right.

The Federal government is not founded on the Christian religion - though it is strongly influenced by it.

But the nation was founded on Christianity as were almost all of the 13 states if not all of them.

Then to hell with the logical law of noncontradiction.

We are both a Christian and a non-Christian nation.

"Many including myself, believe God's hand was involved in the founding and development of our great nation."

-Gipper

"Had the Founders been atheists, it is very unlikely America would have ever existed or ever achieved greatness.

Thanks be to God."

-Gipper

Vs.

"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion..."

-John Adams

Two contradictory attitudes one of them must be wrong.

 

[Gipper]

Then to hell with the logical law of noncontradiction.

We are both a Christian and a non-Christian nation.

"Many including myself, believe God's hand was involved in the founding and development of our great nation."

-Gipper

"Had the Founders been atheists, it is very unlikely America would have ever existed or ever achieved greatness.

Thanks be to God."

-Gipper

Vs.

"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion..."

-John Adams

Two contradictory attitudes one of them must be wrong.

You fail to comprehend.

Nothing in my post stated America was "founded on the Christian religion." So, there is no contradiction. Yes, Christianity played a big part. Do you deny this?

And, it is very likely we would have incurred a very bloody revolution resulting in a dictatorship, much like the French, Russian, Spanish, Cuban, German, etc revolutions. And, nearly all other major revolutions throughout history. This did not happen in America. It did not happen because of CHRISTIANITY!

 

[Apathy]

You fail to comprehend.

Nothing in my post stated America was "founded on the Christian religion." So, there is no contradiction. Yes, Christianity played a big part. Do you deny this?

And, it is very likely we would have incurred a very bloody revolution resulting in a dictatorship, much like the French, Russian, Spanish, Cuban, German, etc revolutions. And, nearly all other major revolutions throughout history. This did not happen in America. It did not happen because of CHRISTIANITY!

The influence is there but by far John Locke and other intellectuals deserve far more credit than religion. The Christian puritans came over and made a absolute theocracy of MA so clearly Christianity in and of itself did not create this nation.


Because if you do not believe in a God you are a blood thirsty killer hell bent on control.

 

[Dr.Who]

Then to hell with the logical law of noncontradiction.

We are both a Christian and a non-Christian nation.

"Many including myself, believe God's hand was involved in the founding and development of our great nation."

-Gipper

"Had the Founders been atheists, it is very unlikely America would have ever existed or ever achieved greatness.

Thanks be to God."

-Gipper

Vs.

"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion..."

-John Adams

Two contradictory attitudes one of them must be wrong.

There is no contradiction. Both of Gippers quotes refer to the nation we live in and Adam's quote refers to the federal government.

Nation refers to the character of the people even while they establish a secular government.

You can see how Adams differentiated the people from the government in these quotes:

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." --October 11, 1798

And

"The right of a nation to kill a tyrant in case of necessity can no more be doubted than to hang a robber, or kill a flea."

Notice that it is the people who are killing the tyrant and not the government -as surely the government would be controlled by said tyrant and would not kill him.

So, did Adams think the NATION was founded on Christian principles?

“ The general principles upon which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principals of Christianity… I will avow that I believed and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.” Adams

And did he think that it would be like it is if it were not for Christianity?

"Without Religion this World would be Something not fit to be mentioned in polite Company, I mean Hell." Adams

 

[Starcastle1958]

Atheist, agnostic or anti theist it does not matter to me. All reject religious beliefs. I'm fine with calling myself an anti-theist in the mode of Christopher Hitchens and Stephen Fry.

No I do not think every believer is a walking ***** and I respect those who believe differently. I do have issues with some beliefs more than others.

All religions will oppress civil liberties if they had the power to do so and any religion that believes literally in a book is the most dangerous of all.

 

[Boris Norris]

But Seneca is saying that there is nothing "active" about atheism - that true atheism is simply the lack of faith in deities, not the active denial of the existence of deities.

From my point of view, there is no evidence on earth or elsewhere that a god ever existed. Religion can bang on about miracles, immaculate conceptions and virgin births but it doesn't cut it. None of that silly rubbish is worth considering.

We were all born atheists. After science and physics, everything else is ignorant opinion.