Quote of the Night
“While it is true that the United States of America was founded on the sacred principle of religious freedom for all, that liberty was never intended to exalt other religions to the level that Christianity holds in our country’s heritage. Our Founders expected that Christianity — and no other religion — would receive support from the government as long as that support did not violate peoples’ consciences and their right to worship. They would have found utterly incredible the idea that all religions, including paganism, be treated with equal deference.” – Family Research Council (the political arm of Focus on the Family) in reference to a 2000 invocation before Congress by a Hindu priest. Quote taken from Salon’s review of “Divided by God: America’s Church-State Problem — and What We Should Do about It”, By Noah Feldman
3 responses so far
I doubt the founding fathers thought women would ever have the vote or even be allowed to show their ankles in public, or that gentlemen would ever completely stop wearing lace. The founding fathers may even have thought slavery would still be legal today in the United States.
But low and behold all these things have changed over time.
These people who say “but they expected that Christianity would receive support of the government,” and not those “other” religions, are living in the dark ages, attempting to use the founding fathers as an excuse for bigotry. The founding fathers have an excuse. They lived and founded this nation during the 18th century. I find such views, held by any thinking American in the 21st century, “utterly incredible”.
Our Founders expected that Christianity — and no other religion — would receive support from the government as long as that support did not violate peoples’ consciences and their right to worship.
Says who?
I don’t think the Founders expected any such thing. They were morbidly afraid of the effects of religion on freedom and democracy.
or that gentlemen would ever completely stop wearing lace.
Hee hee, J. Edgar Hoover wore lace I hear…