When they said the church should be seperated from the state they didn't mean no religion in the government. OUR COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED ON THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST and (at the time) we were folowing the Ten Commandments which formed our laws. The creator of this phrase ment for it to mean that the state shouldn't pay taxes for the church! OUR COUNTRY WAS MEANT TO BE A CHRISTIAN-FOUNDED COUNTRY!!! We are on the verge of becoming an ANARCHY (absence of law and order)!!!

Our country today is chaos. Our founding fathers would flip out. They wouldn't know how to handle this country. In their day in time, the church was at the center of every town, and everyone went to church on Sunday. They led simple lives. They wouldn't know how to deal with gay marriage, drugs, abortion, etc. because in their day, it was not an issue. I do not think that the ways of today's government are what they planned it to be. We learn in school that this country was once a Christian country. Children used to learn about the Bible in school. Everyone went to church on Sunday all day. Our country has changed so much over time. Now, the Bible is not an accepted teaching in public schools. If you say a prayer and someone sees you, they may be offended by it. It is just chaos, but what can we do about it?

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The creator of this phrase ment for it to mean that the state shouldn't pay taxes for the church!

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No, not really. I quote the first ammendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free excercise thereof.

Where, blackhooves, does your "theory" come into place here?

MTLBYAKY

Woah, someone else has their entire name capitalized.



To answer your question........................no. Why make it an entirely Christian country? Isn't a Christian majority enough? If YOU want to be Christian and dedicate yourself to Christianity, go right ahead, plenty of ways for you to do so, and to recruit other Christians and spread Gods word, etcetera. But cool it, having a theocratic state (religiously based state) is NEVER good. Just look at what happened in Afghanistan, with the Taliban.

Also, have you thought about what making Christianity into the official U.S. religion would do to the religion itself? You would now have priests competing politically. It would completely destroy the sanctity of your religion.

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That ends in bad. With that said, church and state cannot be one in the same.. but there has to be overlap for the sake of any sense of morality.

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Morality does not come from religion; they coexist together. Morality existed before religion, because it is a secular idealism. People knew not to murder their parents before religion was established, etc.

Morality exists without the intervention of any religion.

Korith reminds us that there is no Gospel according to Jesus. Thank you for that Korith. I believe that the Gospels were written after Jesus' death and ressurection. So with that.. don't speak anymore. Back on topic, our founding fathers wrote the Constitution with a little doodler about Freedom of Religion. It does NOT say Freedom from Religion. People of almost every religion can agree on basic things. Which is why the government was set up in such a manner. While I am Christian and see having a government based around religion as a potentially beneficial thing, even if it were Islam, or Judaism.. or anything. The same idea is conveyed throught all religions. On to the actual topic, the separation of church and state was established to make sure that the church was not able to take over the government, and so that there would be less prejudice in the country. But it does not say take all sense of morality out of the government. That ends in bad. With that said, church and state cannot be one in the same.. but there has to be overlap for the sake of any sense of morality.

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It means, oh ignorant one, that all of the Bible should be obeyed the same, no matter if it is in Mark, Genisis, or Revalation.

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Hush, child, your insults are neither witty nor harmful, so why bother with them at all?

So you made your point, yet, it happens to be irrelevant, because I, or anyone else on the boards for that matter, was not disputing how the Bible should be obeyed.

The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.

Thomas Jefferson, 1782

Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because if there be one he must approve of the homage of reason more than that of blindfolded fear.

Thomas Jefferson, 1787

Because religious belief, or non-belief, is such an important part of every person's life, freedom of religion affects every individual. State churches that use government power to support themselves and force their views on persons of other faiths undermine all our civil rights Erecting the "wall of separation between church and state," therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society.

Thomas Jefferson, 1808


The whole history of [the Gospels] is so defective and doubtful that it seems vain to attempt minute enquiry into it: and such tricks have been played with their text, and with the texts of other books relating to them, that we have a right, from that cause, to entertain much doubt what parts of them are genuine. In the New Testament there is internal evidence that parts of it have proceeded from an extraordinary man [Jesus]; and that other parts are of the fabric of very inferior minds. It is as easy to separate those parts, as to pick out diamonds from dunghills.

Thomas Jefferson (to John Adams, 1814)


I think that can clear up all the bull**** about the founding fathers wanting the country to be based on the Ten Commandments, etc?

Librarian, if you consider yourself a Christian, I demand you begin offering God animal sacrifices.

But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they are holy: thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shalt burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savour unto the LORD. Number 18:17

And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine. Number 18:18

All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee. Numbers 18:19

FOREVER.

Hon, you've been sleeping for way too long. The "Not Giving A Sh!t About Your Religion" law has been gone for a long time.

It means, oh ignorant one, that all of the Bible should be obeyed the same, no matter if it is in Mark, Genisis, or Revalation.

Mmmk, and your point is what?

Luke may have written his book of the Bible, but that does not mean Jesus had nothing to do with it. All of the writers of the Bible were filled with the spirit of the Lord when they told the teachings of God.

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Gospel according to Matthew, Mark Luke and John. The Gospels themselves are about Jesus. Gospel= Good news, so they all are Gospels OF Jesus.

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Perhaps you're right, though, I think I remember hearing both "Gospel according to Luke" and "according to the Gospel of Luke" but I could be wrong, which is why I asked. But on a semantic level I see it this way
Gospel of Luke means Luke's Gospel, therefore it's his, and not Jesus'. After all, Luke wrote it.
~~~

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The United States was formed by good Christian men, whom God had his hand on.

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Actually, many of the founding fathers were Deists, not specifically Christians. Here's a bit I've found:
Non-Christian Founding Fathers

"Say nothing of my religion. It is known to God and myself alone. Its evidence before the world is to be sought in my life: if it has been honest and dutiful to society the religion which has regulated it cannot be a bad one."

-Thomas Jefferson

Yeah, just stop trying to use Jefferson to prove ANYTHING. He was a walking contradiction. Cool guy at many times, but not the most concrete in ideology.

SO JUST STOP.

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The first statement is speculation, you have no proof, I don't think you talked to the one who coined it, and unless you're the reincarnation...oh wait, Christians don't believe in reincarnation, do they?

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Thomas Jefferson was the man who "coined" the phrase.
It was in a letter to some Baptist, who where concerned there might be an Official denomination. Thomas Jefferson said that the first amendment would protect against this.

Just a note, Thomas Jefferson, when secretary of education, made the Bible an official text book. Does that sound like the Separation of Church and State we think of today?

“I have always said and always will say that the studious perusal of the Sacred Volume will make better citizens, better fathers, better husbands... the Bible makes the best people in the world." --President Thomas Jefferson

The United States was formed by good Christian men, whom God had his hand on. I think there should me no seperation between Government and Religion. The United States should be a Christian country, it would solve a lot of problems. This country of formed based on the laws of the Holy Bible, it was formed by Christians. I believe in Manifest Destiny, and I think the United States is going to cause itself to collapse if it strays from God.

Books for Reference:
Providential History
The Light and the Glory

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There isn't a GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, is there? I know there's Mark, Luke, John but no Jesus

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Gospel according to Matthew, Mark Luke and John. The Gospels themselves are about Jesus. Gospel= Good news, so they all are Gospels OF Jesus.

I will now pick apart your post, while I laugh.

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When they said the church should be seperated from the state they didn't mean no religion in the government.

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Right, remind me what the other meaning of separation of church and state is?

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OUR COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED ON THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST and (at the time) we were folowing the Ten Commandments which formed our laws.

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Or, our country was founded on democratic priciples, such as freedom of all religions. If it was founded on THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST (There isn't a GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, is there? I know there's Mark, Luke, John but no Jesus), then this would be a theocracy. Some people still follow the Ten Commandments here in the US, and some of us follow basic ethics similar to the Ten Commandments.

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The creator of this phrase ment for it to mean that the state shouldn't pay taxes for the church! OUR COUNTRY WAS MEANT TO BE A CHRISTIAN-FOUNDED COUNTRY!!!

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The first statement is speculation, you have no proof, I don't think you talked to the one who coined it, and unless you're the reincarnation...oh wait, Christians don't believe in reincarnation, do they? The second statement is merely opinion, and I disagree with it.

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We are on the verge of becoming an ANARCHY (absence of law and order)!!!

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Yeah right, you honestly think Dubya's going to let that happen? I can't wait.

You do well to wish to learn our arts and our ways of life and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are. Congress will do everything they can to assist you in this wise intention.
--George Washington's Speech to Delaware Indian Chiefs on May 12, 1779


"The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were.... the general principles of Christianity." -- John Adams in letter to Thomas Jefferson, June 28, 1813

“I have always said and always will say that the studious perusal of the Sacred Volume will make better citizens, better fathers, better husbands... the Bible makes the best people in the world." --President Thomas Jefferson

The Bible is the Rock on which this Republic rests." --President Andrew Jackson

"America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scriptures. Ladies and gentlemen, I have a very simple thing to ask of you. I as of every man and woman in this audience that from this night on they will realize that part of the destiny of America lies in their daily perusal of this great book of revelations. That if they would see America free and pure they will make their own spirits free and pure by this baptism of the Holy Scripture." --Woodrow Wilson, 1911, pre-Presidential campaign speech.

"The fundamental basis of this nation's law was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teaching we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from Isaiah and St. Paul. I don't think we emphasize that enough these days. If we don't have the proper fundamental moral background, we will finally end up with a totalitarian government which does not believe in the right for anybody except the state. --President Harry S. Truman