UNCHRISTIAN NATION

Folks who want to claim we are a Christian nation
usually base that claim on a false reading of the Foun-
ding Fathers' (FF) intentions. When Alexander Hamil-
ton was asked why there was no mention of God in the
Constitution, he jokingly said, "we forgot." But they
didn't of course: there was a heated debate over the
issue, and a strong consensus emerged that this would
be a thoroughly secular government, totally neutral on
religion.

The F. F.'s intentions become clear if one reads the 1797
Treaty of Tripoli (a Muslim state):

"As the Government of the United States . . . is not in any sense
founded on the Christian religion (emphasis mine) -- as
it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, re-
ligion or tranquility of Musselmen -- and as the said States
never had entered into any war or act of hostility against
any Mehomitan 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."

This document was endorsed by President John Adams
and Secretary of State Timothy Pickering. It was then
sent to the Senate for ratification; the vote was unanimous.
This was only the third unanimous vote in the Senate's
history, according to Brooke Allen (Moral Minority) to
whom I am indebted for most of this information on the FF.

So there you have it in black and white! The framers of
our government did not consider, nor did they intend that
this should be a Christian nation. John Adams "viewed with
dismay," according to Allen, the rise of religious fundamen-
talism. Adams was raised a Congregationalist, but in later
life worshipped with the Unitarians. The latter do not ac-
cept the divinity of Jesus, and therefor differ little in be-
lief from Judaism. Said Adams of the fundamentalists:
"Instead of the most enlightened people, I fear we Ameri-
cans shall soon have the characteristics of the silliest people
under heaven." What would he think if he were around
today and viewed the mischief wrought by the Rel. Right?

As for other FF, Franklin rejected the idea of a personal
God. He believed in an unknown and unknowable Almighty.
Like Jefferson, Madison and Adams, he believed Jesus was
a great moral teacher, but not divine. Washington was the
most tight-mouthed on religion of any of the FF. He re-
peatedly refused to declare himself, or affirm faith in Jesus
Christ. He attended church, as an example, but always left
before communion was celebrated. His speech writers al-
ways included religious pronouncements in his speeches,
and he always omitted them when he gave the speech. He
refused on his death bed to allow his pastor to pray with
him. Jefferson wrote of Washington: "He never, on any
occasion in his public life said a word that showed a belief
in the Christian religion." In several thousand letters W.
wrote, there is not one single mention of Jesus Christ, not
even as a great moral teacher. So Washington is a mystery
as to his religious beliefs. At the very least, we know for
sure that he was resolute in keeping religion out of govern-
ment.

Granted, our early colonies were very religious. Masse-
chusets and Virginia had state churches, making a church-
state union. They also were very intolerant. As Artemus
Ward observed: "The Puritans nobly fled from a land of
despotism to a land of freedom, where they could not only
enjoy their own freedom, but could prevent everybody
else from enjoying theirs." They ran Roger Williams out
of Mass. for preaching freedom of religion, and they hanged
three Quakers on Boston Commons for refusing to stop
preaching there.

No, sports fans, this has never been a Christian nation.
God was added to our money after the civil war, and to our
Pledge after WW II. War seem to make us feel guilty, so
we toss God a bone. And politicians, going all the way back
to Alexander Hamilton, love to use religious talk to awe,
mislead and manipulate the masses. 'Twas ever thus:
Seneca observed: "Religion is regarded by the common
people as true, by the wise as foolish, and by the rulers as
useful." Hamilton would have endorsed that wholeheartedly.