The U.S. NOT founded upon Christianity

[Agit8r]

Yes and no. It was founded on Lockean philosophy, which references the Bible, but doesn't follow the status quo of Christian thought of that day (or this for that matter)

The Bill of Rights of VA explains the delineation well:

"That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity toward each other."

 

[8atman]

The founders "supported" a Lockean ideal only in the sense that we are free to choose our religion for ourselves. However, this is incidental to the question of where our founders looked to regarding the founding of our nation, its Constitution, and laws -- which was the point I addressed above.

 

[Political Junky]

de·ism   
[dee-iz-uhm] Show IPA
–noun
1.
belief in the existence of a god on the evidence of reason and nature only, with rejection of supernatural revelation ( distinguished from theism).
2.
belief in a God who created the world but has since remained indifferent to it.

 

[Agit8r]

The founders "supported" a Lockean ideal only in the sense that we are free to choose our religion for ourselves. However, this is incidental to the question of where our founders looked to regarding the founding of our nation, its Constitution, and laws -- which was the point I addressed above.

Re: "constitutional era" lol, Benjamin Rush was an animal rights activist, and who are those other guys?


"But besides the danger of a direct mixture of Religion & civil Government, there is an evil which ought to be guarded agst in the indefinite accumulation of property from the capacity of holding it in perpetuity by ecclesiastical corporations. The power of all corporations, ought to be limited in this respect. The growing wealth acquired by them never fails to be a source of abuses."

-- James Madison; from 'Detached Memoranda'


"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and State."

-- Thomas Jefferson; letter to Danbury Baptist Association, CT., Jan. 1, 1802


"I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved -- the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced!"

-- John Adams; from letter to Thomas Jefferson


"if objects for gratitude and admiration are our desire, do they not present themselves every hour to our eyes? Do we not see a fair creation prepared to receive us the instant we are born --a world furnished to our hands, that cost us nothing? Is it we that light up the sun; that pour down the rain; and fill the earth with abundance? Whether we sleep or wake, the vast machinery of the universe still goes on. Are these things, and the blessings they indicate in future, nothing to, us? Can our gross feelings be excited by no other subjects than tragedy and suicide? Or is the gloomy pride of man become so intolerable, that nothing can flatter it but a sacrifice of the Creator?"

-- Thomas Paine, from 'Age of Reason'


"The establishment of the Chaplainship to Cong[res]s is a palpable violation of equal rights, as well as of Constitutional principles"

-- James Madison; Detached Memoranda (1819)


"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 Musselmen"

-- from Treaty of Tripoli, Article 11 (1797)

 

[JoReba]

The Constitution is a secular document. NO god anywhere in it. You can stick your head in the sand all you wish but you won't find Christ or Jesus in the documents which founded our land.

Right on the Constitution, wrong on the rest.

Go ahead ans show us where Jesus is found in America's Founding Documents. Speak the truth instead of how you "feel" about it.

Lol.

 

[Lonestar_logic]

The Constitution is a secular document. NO god anywhere in it. You can stick your head in the sand all you wish but you won't find Christ or Jesus in the documents which founded our land.

Right on the Constitution, wrong on the rest.

Go ahead ans show us where Jesus is found in America's Founding Documents. Speak the truth instead of how you "feel" about it.

Lol.

Strawman alert!

 

[JoReba]

The John Adams and John Hancock:
We Recognize No Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus! [April 18, 1775]

John Adams:
“ 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.”
• “[July 4th] ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.”
–John Adams in a letter written to Abigail on the day the Declaration was approved by Congress

"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

"I have examined all religions, as well as my narrow sphere, my straightened means, and my busy life, would allow; and the result is that the Bible is the best Book in the world. It contains more philosophy than all the libraries I have seen." December 25, 1813 letter to Thomas Jefferson

"Without Religion this World would be Something not fit to be mentioned in polite Company, I mean Hell." [John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, April 19, 1817] |
.......click here to see this quote in its context and to see John Adams' quotes taken OUT of context!


Samuel Adams: | Portrait of Sam Adams | Powerpoint presentation on John, John Quincy, and Sam Adams
“ He who made all men hath made the truths necessary to human happiness obvious to all… Our forefathers opened the Bible to all.” [ "American Independence," August 1, 1776. Speech delivered at the State House in Philadelphia]

“ Let divines and philosophers, statesmen and patriots, unite their endeavors to renovate the age by impressing the minds of men with the importance of educating their little boys and girls, inculcating in the minds of youth the fear and love of the Deity… and leading them in the study and practice of the exalted virtues of the Christian system.” [October 4, 1790]

John Quincy Adams:
• “Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day [the Fourth of July]?" “Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity"?
--1837, at the age of 69, when he delivered a Fourth of July speech at Newburyport, Massachusetts.

“The Law given from Sinai [The Ten Commandments] was a civil and municipal as well as a moral and religious code.”
John Quincy Adams. Letters to his son. p. 61

Elias Boudinot: | Portrait of Elias Boudinot
“ Be religiously careful in our choice of all public officers . . . and judge of the tree by its fruits.”

Charles Carroll - signer of the Declaration of Independence | Portrait of Charles Carroll
" Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and pure...are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments." [Source: To James McHenry on November 4, 1800.]

Quotes of the Founders : Founding Fathers quotes on religion, faith, Christianity

If you agree with John Adams that America was founded upon the "General Principles of Christianity," then go ahead and list those "Principles." If you cannot list those "Principles," then stop lying.

Lol.

 

[Gadawg73]

Every European government of the day in the 18th century was founded on Christian principles. Their governments were heavily influenced by Christianity.
The Founders RAN LIKE HELL from that. Anyone that does not know that is quite ignorant. That was the whole idea of our revolution. The Founders were radicals of their time. They wanted NO PART of any religous influence in government.
For the seriously uninformed here, and there are many, the Anglican church SUPPORTED THE DAMN TORRIES, the folks that SUPPORTED THE CROWN.
Damn, why is it so hard for you people to acknwledge the obvious?
Another elementary history lesson for the masses: The European governments were set up and run with the founding of divine right. God chooses who rules and the monarchy was founded on divine right.
We are a nation of primarily Christians. We were not founded on Christianity or any religion. Most of the Founders owned slaves, FUCKED THEIR OWN SLAVES, supported the selling of the offspring of pl,antation owners, owned breweries, conducted smuggling operations, gambled a pant load and didn't live veryChristian lives at all.
And that is why they won. We kicked the ass of the religous folks of the day, The Torries that had the support of the Anglican church and the red coats, THE DOMINANT CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN THE COLONIES.
People, the religous folks of that era WERE THE ENEMY.

 

[JoReba]

our laws are NOT based on the bible

I would like to invite everyone to contrast that idea with this:

Pre-Constitution Era:

Constitution of Connecticut, 1639, 1st written in America and a model for the US Constitution:
The framing committee was charged to make the laws as near to the Law of God as possible.

New Haven Colony Charter, 1644:
What was to be the rule in all the courts? The Law of God as given to Moses, the Old Testament.

Rhode Island Charter, 1663:
The civil state would stand on what principles? Those of the Gospel.


Constitution Era:

Benjamin Rush, 1798
“The only foundation for...a republic is to be laid in religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republic governments.”

John Witherspoon, 1776
“God grant that in America true religion and civil liberty may be inseparable and that the unjust attempts to destroy the one, may in the issue tend to support the establishment of both.”

Abraham Baldwin, signer of Constitution, 1783
“It should, therefore, be among the first objects of those who wish well to the national prosperity to encourage and support the principles of religion and morality...”

Also note that the founding fathers (including Jefferson and Franklin, who both struggled with the deity of Christ but still promoted Biblical morality and law) quoted from the Bible 34% of the time. The philosophers and commentators of their day (Montesquieu, Blackstone, Locke, etc.) who influenced the founders quoted the Bible 60% of the time.


Presidents:

George Washington
“It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible...Religion is as necessary to reason, as reason is to religion. The one cannot exist without the other. A reasoning being would lose his reason, in attempting to account for the great phenomena of nature, had he not a Supreme Being to refer to.”

Harry S. Truman
“The fundamental basis of this nation’s laws was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from Isaiah and St. Paul.”

Andrew Jackson, 1845
“That book [the Bible], Sir, is the Rock upon which our republic rests.”

laws should be based on logic, reason, common sense, neccessity and NOT religious mumbo jumbo

Contrast that idea with this - No. 2:

John Adams
“Statesman, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the principles upon which freedom can surely stand. The only foundation of a free Constitution is pure Virtue...”

As found on the Jefferson Memorial, in Jefferson’s own words
“[Religion is] Deemed in other countries incompatible with good government and yet proved by our experience to be its best support.”

Baron Charles Louis de Secondat Montesquieu is the single most quoted individual by, and biggest influence upon, the founding fathers. He promoted the idea that you need three branches of government to oppose the tyranny of selfish men. He also promoted the idea that you must go to the best book and the best lawgiver. Specifically who and what did he mean by that? God and the Bible.

even though MOST of our forefathers may have been christian...

Okay, okay, lemme take a wild stab in the dark here. You believe that Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, **fill-in random founder here**, were Deists, right?

In any case, the fact of the matter is, people didn't try to start separating God and religion from government until the mid to late 1950s. By contrast, the founders viewed the Old and New Testaments as being absolutely integral to writing the country's laws, and for establishing government's role and responsibility to its citizenry -- a free citizenry in particular. We have voluminous material of the founders’ writings, both private and public, (not to mention the writings of their contemporaries that inspired them) to know exactly how they felt about the role of religion in government. Pre-Constitution, during the drafting of the Constitution, and post-Constitution, from the documents’ writers to the presidents themselves, the pattern is consistent and flies in the face of what our culture today tells us to believe.

Answer this question before you waste any more chit-chat words.

"How did the Founding Fathers make any of the contents of the Founding Documents 'near to the Law of God' as envisioned by the 1636 Connecticut Colony?"

Do you comprehend what I just asked? Answer? In orther words, what exactly are the "Founding Godly Principles of America" as they appear in:

1.) The Bible?
2.) America's Founding Documents?

If they exist as you claim they do, then they should be very easy to identify.

 

[8atman]

If [biblical principals] exist as you claim they do, then they should be very easy to identify.

If they exist as *I* claim they do?? I'm merely posting what the founders "claim" they used as a model. You can disagree with their intent as they stated and implemented it, but that is a topic for another thread. If the colonialists, the political philosophers, the founders, and the presidents claim that the founding of the United States of America was based on Old and New Testament precepts, I believe them. Why don't you?

"How did the Founding Fathers make any of the contents of the Founding Documents 'near to the Law of God' as envisioned by the 1636 Connecticut Colony?"

Do you comprehend what I just asked? Answer? In orther words, what exactly are the "Founding Godly Principles of America" as they appear in:

1.) The Bible?
2.) America's Founding Documents?

Harry, would you care to field this?

Harry S. Truman
“The fundamental basis of this nation’s laws was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from Isaiah and St. Paul.”

 

[8atman]

"But besides the danger of a direct mixture of Religion & civil Government, there is an evil which ought to be guarded agst in the indefinite accumulation of property from the capacity of holding it in perpetuity by ecclesiastical corporations..."

-- James Madison; from 'Detached Memoranda'

While Memoranda tackles a number of topics, including religious liberty and state regulation (ecclesiastical monopolies, the incorporation of churches, tax exemption of religious institutions, etc.), the quote you cited deals with grants of public land to churches, not the role that religion played in the founding documents, nor the role of religion in government in general.

In fact, Madison understood very well the necessity of religion to the particular type of government the founders wanted:

James Madison, 1778
“We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of man-kind for self-government; upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”

"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God...their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and State."

-- Thomas Jefferson; letter to Danbury Baptist Association, CT., Jan. 1, 1802

Jefferson is explaining that there will be no State Church, and that the state will not interfere in church affairs; he is not commenting on morality in law being based on morality in the Bible.

Most people don’t realize that Jefferson is most deliberately borrowing the verbiage of the famous Baptist Preacher:

Roger Williams
“...the hedge or wall of separation between the garden of the church and the wilderness of the world, God hath ever broken down the wall...”

More to the point, if this letter means what we are told it does, reconcile that with Jefferson’s words as found on the Jefferson Memorial.

"I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved -- the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced!"

-- John Adams; from letter to Thomas Jefferson

Most people probably don’t know you left out the second half of the quote that explains the part that you did post. I’m not saying you yourself did that on purpose, but there are those that do. Why?

Adams is speaking to the abuses of the theocracy in Europe and its leaders, not religion in general, not the Bible, not Christianity itself, and, yet again, not the role that Christian virtue should play in government law. Now, let’s look at a more complete version to corroborate what I just said:

John Adams
“I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved — the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced! With the rational respect that is due to it, knavish priests have added prostitutions of it, that fill or might fill the blackest and bloodiest pages of human history.”

So, while those words of Adams may not be relevant to our discussion, these are:

John Adams, October 11, 1798
“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion.”

"...is the gloomy pride of man become so intolerable, that nothing can flatter it but a sacrifice of the Creator?"

-- Thomas Paine, from 'Age of Reason'

No. Paine’s contributions to the American Revolution and political thought of his day (The Rights of Man and Common Sense) were all but completely wiped away because of his religious views. He was nothing short of despised for The Age of Reason. That book is probably the perfect antithesis of what just about every other founding father’s religious beliefs were.

"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 Musselmen"

-- from Treaty of Tripoli, Article 11 (1797)

Very good. Now, let’s look at a few things your source apparently did not mention:

1. There is no original Treaty of Tripoli in existence in any language and there has not been for well over 200 years. The English version ratified by Congress was a copy of an Arabic version, which in itself was a copy of the Arabic original (which we do not have).

2. There is no Article 11 in the Arabic copy. While it is not known where Article 11 comes from, it is believed John Barlow himself inserted it into the treaty himself on his own accord. (Barlow was anti-Christian.)

3. At that point in time, George Washington, John Adams, and the Senate probably would have signed a document saying the moon was made of Swiss cheese if it meant saving the lives of American hostages at the hands of the Barbary Coast pirates. They weren’t going to take the time to re-draft the treaty and send it through all the diplomatic channels again.

4. The Spanish version of the treaty actually refers to Christian nations (meaning the United States in this case).

5. Even Barlow’s English version states several times, “Praise be to God.”

6. When the treaty was re-negotiated in 1805 and 1806, the non-Christian phrase had been conspicuously removed.

7. The Treaty of Tripoli is not a founding document for the United States of America. By contrast, The Treaty of Paris, by which the government of Britain formally recognized the US as an independent nation and predates the Treaty of Tripoli, very much is a founding document.

The Treaty of Paris, 1783, opens with these words:
“In the name of the most holy and undivided Trinity.

It having pleased the Divine Providence to dispose the hearts of the most serene and most potent Prince George the Third, by the grace of God...”

Re: "constitutional era" lol, Benjamin Rush was an animal rights activist

An animal rights activist?? Are you referring to his humanitarian work?

Rush was a colonial physician and is considered to be the Father of American Medicine. He founded the Philadelphia Bible Society. He was also a writer and political commentator. His work had profound influence on the development of American government. He was a member of the Continental Congress and signed a little document called the Declaration of Independence. He is a founding father.

In addition to the quote I already gave you, Rush felt that the formation of our country was “the work of a Divine Providence as any of the miracles recorded in the Old and New Testament.”

and who are those other guys?

Abraham Baldwin graduated from Yale in 1772. Like many other founding fathers, he was a minister (and also a lawyer). He represented Georgia in the Continental Congress where he worked on large state/small state rights. Baldwin never married. He is a founding father.

In addition to the quote I already gave you, Baldwin also said, “When the minds of the people in general are viciously disposed and unprincipled, and their conduct disorderly, a free government, will be attended with greater confusions and evils more horrid than the wild, uncultivated state of nature ... This is an influence beyond the reach of laws and punishments and can be claimed only by religion and education.”

John Witherspoon was a minister and served as president of what is now Princeton. It was during this period he wrote articles criticizing British rule. The British burned his library to the ground in 1776. Like Benjamin Rush, Witherspoon was a member of the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. He is a founding father.

In addition to the quote I already gave you, Witherspoon also said, “Those who are vested with civil authority ought ... to promote religion and good morals among all their government.”

Now, there is a specific reason our founding fathers felt we must be based on Biblical principals and virtue. They wrote that reason down for us. We have record of it. It is there for those who wish to know. Do you know what that reason is?

 

[8atman]

de·ism   
[dee-iz-uhm] Show IPA
–noun
1.
belief in the existence of a god on the evidence of reason and nature only, with rejection of supernatural revelation ( distinguished from theism).
2.
belief in a God who created the world but has since remained indifferent to it.

Are you citing that in reference to one of the founders? If so, which?

 

[Newby]

"But besides the danger of a direct mixture of Religion & civil Government, there is an evil which ought to be guarded agst in the indefinite accumulation of property from the capacity of holding it in perpetuity by ecclesiastical corporations..."

-- James Madison; from 'Detached Memoranda'

While Memoranda tackles a number of topics, including religious liberty and state regulation (ecclesiastical monopolies, the incorporation of churches, tax exemption of religious institutions, etc.), the quote you cited deals with grants of public land to churches, not the role that religion played in the founding documents, nor the role of religion in government in general.

In fact, Madison understood very well the necessity of religion to the particular type of government the founders wanted:

James Madison, 1778
“We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of man-kind for self-government; upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”

"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God...their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and State."

-- Thomas Jefferson; letter to Danbury Baptist Association, CT., Jan. 1, 1802

Jefferson is explaining that there will be no State Church, and that the state will not interfere in church affairs; he is not commenting on morality in law being based on morality in the Bible.

Most people don’t realize that Jefferson is most deliberately borrowing the verbiage of the famous Baptist Preacher:

Roger Williams
“...the hedge or wall of separation between the garden of the church and the wilderness of the world, God hath ever broken down the wall...”

More to the point, if this letter means what we are told it does, reconcile that with Jefferson’s words as found on the Jefferson Memorial.



Most people probably don’t know you left out the second half of the quote that explains the part that you did post. I’m not saying you yourself did that on purpose, but there are those that do. Why?

Adams is speaking to the abuses of the theocracy in Europe and its leaders, not religion in general, not the Bible, not Christianity itself, and, yet again, not the role that Christian virtue should play in government law. Now, let’s look at a more complete version to corroborate what I just said:

John Adams
“I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved — the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced! With the rational respect that is due to it, knavish priests have added prostitutions of it, that fill or might fill the blackest and bloodiest pages of human history.”

So, while those words of Adams may not be relevant to our discussion, these are:

John Adams, October 11, 1798
“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion.”



No. Paine’s contributions to the American Revolution and political thought of his day (The Rights of Man and Common Sense) were all but completely wiped away because of his religious views. He was nothing short of despised for The Age of Reason. That book is probably the perfect antithesis of what just about every other founding father’s religious beliefs were.



Very good. Now, let’s look at a few things your source apparently did not mention:

1. There is no original Treaty of Tripoli in existence in any language and there has not been for well over 200 years. The English version ratified by Congress was a copy of an Arabic version, which in itself was a copy of the Arabic original (which we do not have).

2. There is no Article 11 in the Arabic copy. While it is not known where Article 11 comes from, it is believed John Barlow himself inserted it into the treaty himself on his own accord. (Barlow was anti-Christian.)

3. At that point in time, George Washington, John Adams, and the Senate probably would have signed a document saying the moon was made of Swiss cheese if it meant saving the lives of American hostages at the hands of the Barbary Coast pirates. They weren’t going to take the time to re-draft the treaty and send it through all the diplomatic channels again.

4. The Spanish version of the treaty actually refers to Christian nations (meaning the United States in this case).

5. Even Barlow’s English version states several times, “Praise be to God.”

6. When the treaty was re-negotiated in 1805 and 1806, the non-Christian phrase had been conspicuously removed.

7. The Treaty of Tripoli is not a founding document for the United States of America. By contrast, The Treaty of Paris, by which the government of Britain formally recognized the US as an independent nation and predates the Treaty of Tripoli, very much is a founding document.

The Treaty of Paris, 1783, opens with these words:
“In the name of the most holy and undivided Trinity.

It having pleased the Divine Providence to dispose the hearts of the most serene and most potent Prince George the Third, by the grace of God...”

Re: "constitutional era" lol, Benjamin Rush was an animal rights activist

An animal rights activist?? Are you referring to his humanitarian work?

Rush was a colonial physician and is considered to be the Father of American Medicine. He founded the Philadelphia Bible Society. He was also a writer and political commentator. His work had profound influence on the development of American government. He was a member of the Continental Congress and signed a little document called the Declaration of Independence. He is a founding father.

In addition to the quote I already gave you, Rush felt that the formation of our country was “the work of a Divine Providence as any of the miracles recorded in the Old and New Testament.”

and who are those other guys?

Abraham Baldwin graduated from Yale in 1772. Like many other founding fathers, he was a minister (and also a lawyer). He represented Georgia in the Continental Congress where he worked on large state/small state rights. Baldwin never married. He is a founding father.

In addition to the quote I already gave you, Baldwin also said, “When the minds of the people in general are viciously disposed and unprincipled, and their conduct disorderly, a free government, will be attended with greater confusions and evils more horrid than the wild, uncultivated state of nature ... This is an influence beyond the reach of laws and punishments and can be claimed only by religion and education.”

John Witherspoon was a minister and served as president of what is now Princeton. It was during this period he wrote articles criticizing British rule. The British burned his library to the ground in 1776. Like Benjamin Rush, Witherspoon was a member of the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. He is a founding father.

In addition to the quote I already gave you, Witherspoon also said, “Those who are vested with civil authority ought ... to promote religion and good morals among all their government.”

Now, there is a specific reason our founding fathers felt we must be based on Biblical principals and virtue. They wrote that reason down for us. We have record of it. It is there for those who wish to know. Do you know what that reason is?

Bravo!

 

[Gadawg73]

You folks post a bunch of quotes from political men.
That means nothing.
We are a nation of LAWS, NOT men and their various religous beliefs.
Show me where God or religion is ANY law or the Constitution.
No where.

 

[Lonestar_logic]

You folks post a bunch of quotes from political men.
That means nothing.
We are a nation of LAWS, NOT men and their various religous beliefs.
Show me where God or religion is ANY law or the Constitution.
No where.

The US Constitution is a secular document. But if you look at the State Constitutions of each of the 50 states, you will find references to God in almost every single one.

Alabama

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of Alabama, in order to establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution and form of government for the State of Alabama:

Section 1:
That all men are equally free and independent; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Section 186, witness oath:
"... so help me God."

Section 279, oath of office:
"So help me God."

Alaska

Preamble:
We the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land, in order to secure and transmit to succeeding generations our heritage of political, civil, and religious liberty within the Union of States, do ordain and establish this constitution for the State of Alaska.


Arizona

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of Arizona, grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution.


Arkansas

Preamble:
We, the People of the State of Arkansas, grateful to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own form of government; for our civil and religious liberty; and desiring to perpetuate its blessings, and secure the same to our selves and posterity; do ordain and establish this Constitution.

Article 2, Section 24:
All men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences;

Article 19:
No person who denies the being of a God shall hold any office in the civil departments of this State, nor be competent to testify as a witness in any Court.

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy four ...


California

Preamble:
We, the People of the State of California, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure and perpetuate its blessings, do establish this Constitution.


Colorado

Preamble:
We, the people of Colorado, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, in order to form a more independent and perfect government; establish justice; insure tranquillity; provide for the common defense; promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the "State of Colorado".

Article 5, Section 45:
... in the year of our Lord 1885 ...

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy-six ...


Connecticut

Preamble:
The People of Connecticut acknowledging with gratitude, the good providence of God, in having permitted them to enjoy a free government; do, in order more effectually to define, secure, and perpetuate the liberties, rights and privileges which they have derived from their ancestors; hereby, after a careful consideration and revision, ordain and establish the following constitution and form of civil government.

Article 11, Section 1, oath of office:
... So help you God.


Delaware

Preamble:
Through Divine goodness, all men have by nature the rights of worshiping and serving their Creator according to the dictates of their consciences, of enjoying and defending life and liberty, of acquiring and protecting reputation and property, and in general of obtaining objects suitable to their condition, without injury by one to another; and as these rights are essential to their welfare, for due exercise thereof, power is inherent in them; and therefore all just authority in the institutions of political society is derived from the people, and established with their consent, to advance their happiness; and they may for this end, as circumstances require, from time to time, alter their Constitution of government.

Article 1, Section 1:
Although it is the duty of all men frequently to assemble together for the public worship of Almighty God; and piety and morality, on which the prosperity of communities depends, are hereby promoted; yet no man shall or ought to be compelled to attend any religious worship, to contribute to the erection or support of any place of worship, or to the maintenance of any ministry, against his own free will and consent;

Article 5, Section 2:
... in the year of our Lord, Nineteen Hundred ...

Article 14, Section 1, oath of office:
"... so help me God."

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ninety-Seven ...


Florida

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of Florida, being grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, in order to secure its benefits, perfect our government, insure domestic tranquility, maintain public order, and guarantee equal civil and political rights to all, do ordain and establish this constitution.

Article 2, Section 5, oath of office:
"So help me God."


Georgia

Preamble:
To perpetuate the principles of free government, insure justice to all, preserve peace, promote the interest and happiness of the citizen and of the family, and transmit to posterity the enjoyment of liberty, we the people of Georgia, relying upon the protection and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

Hawaii

Preamble:
We, the people of Hawaii, grateful for Divine Guidance, and mindful of our Hawaiian heritage and uniqueness as an island State, dedicate our efforts to fulfill the philosophy decreed by the Hawaii State motto, "Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono."

Article 7, Section 13:
Bonds issued by or on behalf of the State or by any political subdivision to meet appropriations for any fiscal period in anticipation of the collection of revenues for such period or to meet casual deficits or failures of revenue, if required to be paid within one year, and bonds issued by or on behalf of the State to suppress insurrection, to repel invasion, to defend the State in war or to meet emergencies caused by disaster or act of God.


Idaho

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of Idaho, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and promote our common welfare do establish this Constitution.


Illinois

Preamble:
We, the People of the State of Illinois — grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberty which He has permitted us to enjoy and seeking His blessing upon our endeavors — in order to provide for the health, safety and welfare of the people; maintain a representative and orderly government; eliminate poverty and inequality; assure legal, social and economic justice; provide opportunity for the fullest development of the individual; insure domestic tranquility; provide for the common defense; and secure the blessings of freedom and liberty to ourselves and our posterity — do ordain and establish this Constitution for the State of Illinois.


Indiana

Preamble:
TO THE END, that justice be established, public order maintained, and liberty perpetuated; WE, the People of the State of Indiana, grateful to ALMIGHTY GOD for the free exercise of the right to choose our own form of government, do ordain this Constitution.

Article 1, Section 1:
WE DECLARE, That all people are created equal; that they are endowed by their CREATOR with certain inalienable rights;

Article 1, Section 2:
All people shall be secured in the natural right to worship ALMIGHTY GOD, according to the dictates of their own consciences.


Iowa

Preamble:
WE THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF IOWA, grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuation of those blessings, do ordain and establish a free and independent government, by the name of the State of Iowa, the boundaries whereof shall be as follows:

Article 9, Part 2, Section 3:t 2, Section 3:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-one ...

Kansas

Preamble:
We, the people of Kansas, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious privileges, in order to insure the full enjoyment of our rights as American citizens, do ordain and establish this constitution of the state of Kansas, with the following boundaries, to wit:

Bill of Rights, Section 7:
The right to worship God according to the dictates of conscience shall never be infringed;

Kentucky

Preamble:
We, the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy, and invoking the continuance of these blessings, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

Section 1, Clause 2:
The right of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of their consciences.

Section 228, oath of office:
... so help me God.

Section 232:
The manner of administering an oath or affirmation shall be such as is most consistent with the conscience of the deponent, and shall be esteemed by the General Assembly the most solemn appeal to God.

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-one ...

Louisiana

Preamble:
We, the people of Louisiana, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political, economic, and religious liberties we enjoy, and desiring to protect individual rights to life, liberty, and property; afford opportunity for the fullest development of the individual; assure equality of rights; promote the health, safety, education, and welfare of the people; maintain a representative and orderly government; ensure domestic tranquility; provide for the common defense; and secure the blessings of freedom and justice to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution.

Article 10, Section 30, oath of office:
"... so help me God."

Maine

Preamble:
We the people of Maine, in order to establish justice, insure tranquility, provide for our mutual defense, promote our common welfare, and secure to ourselves and our posterity the blessings of liberty, acknowledging with grateful hearts the goodness of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in affording us an opportunity, so favorable to the design; and, imploring God's aid and direction in its accomplishment, do agree to form ourselves into a free and independent State, by the style and title of the State of Maine and do ordain and establish the following Constitution for the government of the same.

Article 1, Section 3:
All individuals have a natural and unalienable right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences, and no person shall be hurt, molested or restrained in that person's liberty or estate for worshipping God in the manner and season most agreeable to the dictates of that person's own conscience, nor for that person's religious professions or sentiments, provided that that person does not disturb the public peace, nor obstruct others in their religious worship;

Article 9, Section 1, oath of office
"So help me God."

Article 9, Section 1, alternative oath of office
"So help me God."

Maryland

Preamble:
We, the People of the State of Maryland, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty, and taking into our serious consideration the best means of establishing a good Constitution in this State for the sure foundation and more permanent security thereof, declare:

Declaration of Rights, Article 36:
That as it is the duty of every man to worship God in such manner as he thinks most acceptable to Him, all persons are equally entitled to protection in their religious liberty; ... nor shall any person, otherwise competent, be deemed incompetent as a witness, or juror, on account of his religious belief; provided, he believes in the existence of God, and that under His dispensation such person will be held morally accountable for his acts, and be rewarded or punished therefor either in this world or in the world to come.

Nothing shall prohibit or require the making reference to belief in, reliance upon, or invoking the aid of God or a Supreme Being in any governmental or public document, proceeding, activity, ceremony, school, institution, or place.

Declaration of Rights, Article 37:
That no religious test ought ever to be required as a qualification for any office of profit or trust in this State, other than a declaration of belief in the existence of God; nor shall the Legislature prescribe any other oath of office than the oath prescribed by this Constitution.

Declaration of Rights, Article 39:
That the manner of administering an oath or affirmation to any person, ought to be such as those of the religious persuasion, profession, or denomination, of which he is a member, generally esteem the most effectual confirmation by the attestation of the Divine Being.

Massachusetts

Preamble:
We, therefore, the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the goodness of the great Legislator of the universe, in affording us, in the course of His providence, an opportunity, deliberately and peaceably, without fraud, violence or surprise, of entering into an original, explicit, and solemn compact with each other; and of forming a new constitution of civil government, for ourselves and posterity; and devoutly imploring His direction in so interesting a design, do agree upon, ordain and establish the following Declaration of Rights, and Frame of Government, as the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Part 1, Article 2:
It is the right as well as the duty of all men in society, publicly, and at stated seasons to worship the Supreme Being, the great Creator and Preserver of the universe. And no subject shall be hurt, molested, or restrained, in his person, liberty, or estate, for worshipping God in the manner and season most agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience;

Chapter 5, Section 1, Article 1:
Whereas our wise and pious ancestors, so early as the year one thousand six hundred and thirty-six, laid the foundation of Harvard College, in which university many persons of great eminence have, by the blessing of God, been initiated in those arts and sciences, which qualified them for public employments, both in church and state: and whereas the encouragement of arts and sciences, and all good literature, tends to the honor of God, the advantage of the Christian religion, and the great benefit of this and the other United States of America ...

Chapter 6, Article 1:
"So help me, God."

Chapter 6, Article 10:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-five ...

Chapter 6, Article 12:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven ...

... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven ...

Amendments, Article 6, oath of office:
"So help me God."

Amendments, Article 11:
As the public worship of God and instructions in piety, religion and morality, promote the happiness and prosperity of a people and the security of a republican government;

Michigan

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of Michigan, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom, and earnestly desiring to secure these blessings undiminished to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution.

Article 1, Section 4:
Every person shall be at liberty to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience.

Minnesota

Preamble:
We, the people of the state of Minnesota, grateful to God for our civil and religious liberty, and desiring to perpetuate its blessings and secure the same to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

Article 1, Section 16:
The right of every man to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience shall never be infringed;

Mississippi

Preamble:
We, the people of Mississippi in convention assembled, grateful to Almighty God, and invoking his blessing on our work, do ordain and establish this constitution.

Article 4, Section 40, oath of office:
"So help me God."

Article 6, Section 155, oath of office:
"So help me God."

Article 14, Section 268, oath of office:
"So help me God."

Missouri

Preamble:
We the people of Missouri, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and grateful for His goodness, do establish this constitution for the better government of the state.

Article 1, Section 5:
That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences;

Montana

Preamble:
We the people of Montana grateful to God for the quiet beauty of our state, the grandeur of our mountains, the vastness of our rolling plains, and desiring to improve the quality of life, equality of opportunity and to secure the blessings of liberty for this and future generations do ordain and establish this constitution.

Article 3, Section 3, oath of office:
"... (so help me God)."

Nebraska

Preamble:
We, the people, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, do ordain and establish the following declaration of rights and frame of government, as the Constitution of the State of Nebraska.

Article 1, Section 4:
All persons have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences.

Nevada

Preamble:
We the people of the State of Nevada Grateful to Almighty God for our freedom in order to secure its blessings, insure domestic tranquility, and form a more perfect Government, do establish this Constitution.

Article 15, Section 2, oath of office:
... so help me God.

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Sixty Four ...

New Hampshire

Part 1, Article 5:
Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, and reason; and no subject shall be hurt, molested, or restrained, in his person, liberty, or estate, for worshipping God in the manner and season most agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience;

Part 2, Article 84, oath of office:
So help me God.

New Jersey

Preface:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and forty-seven.

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing upon our endeavors to secure and transmit the same unimpaired to succeeding generations, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

Article 1, Section 3:
No person shall be deprived of the inestimable privilege of worshipping Almighty God in a manner agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience;

Article 8, Section 2:
Nor shall anything in this paragraph contained apply to the creation of any debts or liabilities for purposes of war, or to repel invasion, or to suppress insurrection or to meet an emergency caused by disaster or act of God.

Article 10, Clause 5:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and forty-eight.


New Mexico

Preamble:
We, the people of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty, in order to secure the advantages of a state government, do ordain and establish this constitution.

Article 2, Section 11:
Every man shall be free to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, and no person shall ever be molested or denied any civil or political right or privilege on account of his religious opinion or mode of religious worship.

New York

Preamble:
We The People of the State of New York, grateful to Almighty God for our Freedom, in order to secure its blessings, DO ESTABLISH THIS CONSTITUTION.

North Carolina

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of North Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for the preservation of the American Union and the existence of our civil, political and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those blessings to us and our posterity, do, for the more certain security thereof and for the better government of this State, ordain and establish this Constitution.

Article 1, Section 1:
We hold it to be self-evident that all persons are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, the enjoyment of the fruits of their own labor, and the pursuit of happiness.

Article 1, Section 13:
All persons have a natural and inalienable right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences, and no human authority shall, in any case whatever, control or interfere with the rights of conscience.

Article 6, Section 7, oath of office:
"... so help me God."

Article 6, Section 8:
The following persons shall be disqualified for office:

First, any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God.

North Dakota

Preamble:
We, the people of North Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, do ordain and establish this constitution.

Article 11, Section 4, oath of office:
"... so help me God."

Ohio

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of Ohio, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and promote our common welfare, do establish this Constitution.

Article 1, Section 7:
All men have a natural and indefensible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience.

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-one ...

Oklahoma

Preamble:
Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessing of liberty; to secure just and rightful government; to promote our mutual welfare and happiness, we, the people of the State of Oklahoma, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and seven ...

Oregon

Article 1, Section 2:
All men shall be secure in the Natural right, to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences.

Pennsylvania

Preamble:
WE, the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

Article 1, Section 3:
All men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences;

Article 1, Section 4:
No person who acknowledges the being of a God and a future state of rewards and punishments shall, on account of his religious sentiments, be disqualified to hold any office or place of trust or profit under this Commonwealth.

Rhode Island

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing upon our endeavors to secure and to transmit the same, unimpaired, to succeeding generations, do ordain and establish this Constitution of government.

Article 1, Section 3:
Whereas Almighty God hath created the mind free; ... and that every person shall be free to worship God according to the dictates of such person's conscience, and to profess and by argument to maintain such person's opinion in matters of religion;

Article 3, Section 3, oath of office:
So help you God.

South Carolina

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of South Carolina, in Convention assembled, grateful to God for our liberties, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the preservation and perpetuation of the same.

Article 3, Section 26, oath of office:
"So help me God."

Article 6, Section 5, oath of office:
"So help me God."

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord, one thousand Eight hundred and Ninety-five.

South Dakota

Preamble:
We, the people of South Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties, in order to form a more perfect and independent government, establish justice, insure tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and preserve to ourselves and to our posterity the blessings of liberty, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the state of South Dakota.

Article 3:
The right to worship God according to the dictates of conscience shall never be infringed.

Article 21, Section 1:
Properly divided between the upper and lower edges of the circle shall appear the legend, "Under God the People Rule" which shall be the motto of the state of South Dakota.

Tennessee

Preamble:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-six ...

... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-three ...

... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-four ...

... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-five ...

... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine ...

... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy ...

Article 1, Section 2:
That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience;

Article 9, Section 1:
Whereas ministers of the Gospel are by their profession, dedicated to God and the care of souls, and ought not to be diverted from the great duties of their functions; therefore, no minister of the Gospel, or priest of any denomination whatever, shall be eligible to a seat in either House of the Legislature.

Article 9, Section 2:
No person who denies the being of God, or a future state of rewards and punishments, shall hold any office in the civil department of this state.

Texas

Preamble:
Humbly invoking the blessings of Almighty God, the people of the State of Texas, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

Article 1, Section 6:
All men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences.

Article 16, Section 1, oath of office:
"... so help me God."


Utah

Preamble:
Grateful to Almighty God for life and liberty, we, the people of Utah, in order to secure and perpetuate the principles of free government, do ordain and establish this CONSTITUTION.

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-five ...

Vermont

Chapter 1, Article 3:
That all persons have a natural and unalienable right, to worship Almighty God, according to the dictates of their own consciences and understandings, as in their opinion shall be regulated by the word of God; ... Nevertheless, every sect or denomination of Christians ought to observe the sabbath or Lord's day, and keep up some sort of religious worship, which to them shall seem most agreeable to the revealed will of God.

Article 2, Section 16, oath of office:
So help you God.

Article 2, Section 17, oath of office:
So help you God.

Article 2, Section 56, oath of office:
So help you God.

Virginia

Article 1, Section 17:
That religion or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence;

Article 2, Section 7, oath of office:
"... (so help me God)."

Washington

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of Washington, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties, do ordain this constitution.

West Virginia

Preamble:


Since through Divine Providence we enjoy the blessings of civil, political and religious liberty, we, the people of West Virginia, in and through the provisions of this Constitution, reaffirm our faith in and constant reliance upon God and seek diligently to promote, preserve and perpetuate good government in the state of West Virginia for the common welfare, freedom and security of ourselves and our posterity.

Wisconsin

Preamble:
We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings, form a more perfect government, insure domestic tranquility and promote the general welfare, do establish this constitution.

Article 1, Section 18:
The right of every person to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of conscience shall never be infringed;

Wyoming

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of Wyoming, grateful to God for our civil, political and religious liberties, and desiring to secure them to ourselves and perpetuate them to our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty-nine.


American Samoa

Article 5, Section 6, oath of office:
So help me God.



Guam - Organic Act

Subchapter 3, Section 1423d, oath of office:
I solemnly swear (or affirm) in the presence of Almighty God that I will well and faithfully support the Constitution of the United States...

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred seventy-five ...


Puerto Rico

Preamble:
We, the people of Puerto Rico, in order to organize ourselves politically on a fully democratic basis, to promote the general welfare, and to secure for ourselves and our posterity the complete enjoyment of human rights, placing our trust in Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the commonwealth which, in the exercise of our natural rights, we now create within our union with the United States of America.

Terminus:
... in the year of Our Lord one thousand nine hundred and fifty-two.


Arkansas

Article 19, Section 1 (Denial of Office, Denial as Witness):
No person who denies the being of a God shall hold any office in the civil departments of this State, nor be competent to testify as a witness in any Court.

Maryland

Article 36 (Denial as Witness):
...nor shall any person, otherwise competent, be deemed incompetent as a witness, or juror, on account of his religious belief; provided, he believes in the existence of God, and that under His dispensation such person will be held morally accountable for his acts, and be rewarded or punished therefor either in this world or in the world to come.

Article 37 (Denial of Office):
That no religious test ought ever to be required as a qualification for any office of profit or trust in this State, other than a declaration of belief in the existence of God; nor shall the Legislature prescribe any other oath of office than the oath prescribed by this Constitution.


Mississippi

Article 14, Section 265 (Denial of Office):
No person who denies the existence of a Supreme Being shall hold any office in this state.

North Carolina

Article 6, Section 8 (Denial of Office):
The following persons shall be disqualified for office:
First, any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God.

Pennsylvania

Article 1, Section 4 (Denial of Office):
No person who acknowledges the being of a God and a future state of rewards and punishments shall, on account of his religious sentiments, be disqualified to hold any office or place of trust or profit under this Commonwealth.

(This section specifies that someone who acknowledges God cannot be denied office; conversely, anyone who does deny God can be, rather than shall be, denied office. The restriction is not as concrete as other denials of office.)

South Carolina

Article 6, Section 2 (Denial of Office):
No person who denies the existence of the Supreme Being shall hold any office under this Constitution.

Tennessee

Article 9, Section 2 (Denial of Office):
No person who denies the being of God, or a future state of rewards and punishments, shall hold any office in the civil department of this state.

(Note that Article 9, Section 1 denies office to any "minister of the Gospel, or priest of any denomination.")

Texas

Article 1, Section 4 (Denial of Office):
No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall any one be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being.

 

[Gadawg73]

You folks post a bunch of quotes from political men.
That means nothing.
We are a nation of LAWS, NOT men and their various religous beliefs.
Show me where God or religion is ANY law or the Constitution.
No where.

The US Constitution is a secular document. But if you look at the State Constitutions of each of the 50 states, you will find references to God in almost every single one.

Alabama

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of Alabama, in order to establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution and form of government for the State of Alabama:

Section 1:
That all men are equally free and independent; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Section 186, witness oath:
"... so help me God."

Section 279, oath of office:
"So help me God."

Alaska

Preamble:
We the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land, in order to secure and transmit to succeeding generations our heritage of political, civil, and religious liberty within the Union of States, do ordain and establish this constitution for the State of Alaska.


Arizona

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of Arizona, grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution.


Arkansas

Preamble:
We, the People of the State of Arkansas, grateful to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own form of government; for our civil and religious liberty; and desiring to perpetuate its blessings, and secure the same to our selves and posterity; do ordain and establish this Constitution.

Article 2, Section 24:
All men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences;

Article 19:
No person who denies the being of a God shall hold any office in the civil departments of this State, nor be competent to testify as a witness in any Court.

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy four ...


California

Preamble:
We, the People of the State of California, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure and perpetuate its blessings, do establish this Constitution.


Colorado

Preamble:
We, the people of Colorado, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, in order to form a more independent and perfect government; establish justice; insure tranquillity; provide for the common defense; promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the "State of Colorado".

Article 5, Section 45:
... in the year of our Lord 1885 ...

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy-six ...


Connecticut

Preamble:
The People of Connecticut acknowledging with gratitude, the good providence of God, in having permitted them to enjoy a free government; do, in order more effectually to define, secure, and perpetuate the liberties, rights and privileges which they have derived from their ancestors; hereby, after a careful consideration and revision, ordain and establish the following constitution and form of civil government.

Article 11, Section 1, oath of office:
... So help you God.


Delaware

Preamble:
Through Divine goodness, all men have by nature the rights of worshiping and serving their Creator according to the dictates of their consciences, of enjoying and defending life and liberty, of acquiring and protecting reputation and property, and in general of obtaining objects suitable to their condition, without injury by one to another; and as these rights are essential to their welfare, for due exercise thereof, power is inherent in them; and therefore all just authority in the institutions of political society is derived from the people, and established with their consent, to advance their happiness; and they may for this end, as circumstances require, from time to time, alter their Constitution of government.

Article 1, Section 1:
Although it is the duty of all men frequently to assemble together for the public worship of Almighty God; and piety and morality, on which the prosperity of communities depends, are hereby promoted; yet no man shall or ought to be compelled to attend any religious worship, to contribute to the erection or support of any place of worship, or to the maintenance of any ministry, against his own free will and consent;

Article 5, Section 2:
... in the year of our Lord, Nineteen Hundred ...

Article 14, Section 1, oath of office:
"... so help me God."

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ninety-Seven ...


Florida

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of Florida, being grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, in order to secure its benefits, perfect our government, insure domestic tranquility, maintain public order, and guarantee equal civil and political rights to all, do ordain and establish this constitution.

Article 2, Section 5, oath of office:
"So help me God."


Georgia

Preamble:
To perpetuate the principles of free government, insure justice to all, preserve peace, promote the interest and happiness of the citizen and of the family, and transmit to posterity the enjoyment of liberty, we the people of Georgia, relying upon the protection and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

Hawaii

Preamble:
We, the people of Hawaii, grateful for Divine Guidance, and mindful of our Hawaiian heritage and uniqueness as an island State, dedicate our efforts to fulfill the philosophy decreed by the Hawaii State motto, "Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono."

Article 7, Section 13:
Bonds issued by or on behalf of the State or by any political subdivision to meet appropriations for any fiscal period in anticipation of the collection of revenues for such period or to meet casual deficits or failures of revenue, if required to be paid within one year, and bonds issued by or on behalf of the State to suppress insurrection, to repel invasion, to defend the State in war or to meet emergencies caused by disaster or act of God.


Idaho

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of Idaho, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and promote our common welfare do establish this Constitution.


Illinois

Preamble:
We, the People of the State of Illinois — grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberty which He has permitted us to enjoy and seeking His blessing upon our endeavors — in order to provide for the health, safety and welfare of the people; maintain a representative and orderly government; eliminate poverty and inequality; assure legal, social and economic justice; provide opportunity for the fullest development of the individual; insure domestic tranquility; provide for the common defense; and secure the blessings of freedom and liberty to ourselves and our posterity — do ordain and establish this Constitution for the State of Illinois.


Indiana

Preamble:
TO THE END, that justice be established, public order maintained, and liberty perpetuated; WE, the People of the State of Indiana, grateful to ALMIGHTY GOD for the free exercise of the right to choose our own form of government, do ordain this Constitution.

Article 1, Section 1:
WE DECLARE, That all people are created equal; that they are endowed by their CREATOR with certain inalienable rights;

Article 1, Section 2:
All people shall be secured in the natural right to worship ALMIGHTY GOD, according to the dictates of their own consciences.


Iowa

Preamble:
WE THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF IOWA, grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuation of those blessings, do ordain and establish a free and independent government, by the name of the State of Iowa, the boundaries whereof shall be as follows:

Article 9, Part 2, Section 3:t 2, Section 3:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-one ...

Kansas

Preamble:
We, the people of Kansas, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious privileges, in order to insure the full enjoyment of our rights as American citizens, do ordain and establish this constitution of the state of Kansas, with the following boundaries, to wit:

Bill of Rights, Section 7:
The right to worship God according to the dictates of conscience shall never be infringed;

Kentucky

Preamble:
We, the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy, and invoking the continuance of these blessings, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

Section 1, Clause 2:
The right of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of their consciences.

Section 228, oath of office:
... so help me God.

Section 232:
The manner of administering an oath or affirmation shall be such as is most consistent with the conscience of the deponent, and shall be esteemed by the General Assembly the most solemn appeal to God.

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-one ...

Louisiana

Preamble:
We, the people of Louisiana, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political, economic, and religious liberties we enjoy, and desiring to protect individual rights to life, liberty, and property; afford opportunity for the fullest development of the individual; assure equality of rights; promote the health, safety, education, and welfare of the people; maintain a representative and orderly government; ensure domestic tranquility; provide for the common defense; and secure the blessings of freedom and justice to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution.

Article 10, Section 30, oath of office:
"... so help me God."

Maine

Preamble:
We the people of Maine, in order to establish justice, insure tranquility, provide for our mutual defense, promote our common welfare, and secure to ourselves and our posterity the blessings of liberty, acknowledging with grateful hearts the goodness of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in affording us an opportunity, so favorable to the design; and, imploring God's aid and direction in its accomplishment, do agree to form ourselves into a free and independent State, by the style and title of the State of Maine and do ordain and establish the following Constitution for the government of the same.

Article 1, Section 3:
All individuals have a natural and unalienable right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences, and no person shall be hurt, molested or restrained in that person's liberty or estate for worshipping God in the manner and season most agreeable to the dictates of that person's own conscience, nor for that person's religious professions or sentiments, provided that that person does not disturb the public peace, nor obstruct others in their religious worship;

Article 9, Section 1, oath of office
"So help me God."

Article 9, Section 1, alternative oath of office
"So help me God."

Maryland

Preamble:
We, the People of the State of Maryland, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty, and taking into our serious consideration the best means of establishing a good Constitution in this State for the sure foundation and more permanent security thereof, declare:

Declaration of Rights, Article 36:
That as it is the duty of every man to worship God in such manner as he thinks most acceptable to Him, all persons are equally entitled to protection in their religious liberty; ... nor shall any person, otherwise competent, be deemed incompetent as a witness, or juror, on account of his religious belief; provided, he believes in the existence of God, and that under His dispensation such person will be held morally accountable for his acts, and be rewarded or punished therefor either in this world or in the world to come.

Nothing shall prohibit or require the making reference to belief in, reliance upon, or invoking the aid of God or a Supreme Being in any governmental or public document, proceeding, activity, ceremony, school, institution, or place.

Declaration of Rights, Article 37:
That no religious test ought ever to be required as a qualification for any office of profit or trust in this State, other than a declaration of belief in the existence of God; nor shall the Legislature prescribe any other oath of office than the oath prescribed by this Constitution.

Declaration of Rights, Article 39:
That the manner of administering an oath or affirmation to any person, ought to be such as those of the religious persuasion, profession, or denomination, of which he is a member, generally esteem the most effectual confirmation by the attestation of the Divine Being.

Massachusetts

Preamble:
We, therefore, the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the goodness of the great Legislator of the universe, in affording us, in the course of His providence, an opportunity, deliberately and peaceably, without fraud, violence or surprise, of entering into an original, explicit, and solemn compact with each other; and of forming a new constitution of civil government, for ourselves and posterity; and devoutly imploring His direction in so interesting a design, do agree upon, ordain and establish the following Declaration of Rights, and Frame of Government, as the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Part 1, Article 2:
It is the right as well as the duty of all men in society, publicly, and at stated seasons to worship the Supreme Being, the great Creator and Preserver of the universe. And no subject shall be hurt, molested, or restrained, in his person, liberty, or estate, for worshipping God in the manner and season most agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience;

Chapter 5, Section 1, Article 1:
Whereas our wise and pious ancestors, so early as the year one thousand six hundred and thirty-six, laid the foundation of Harvard College, in which university many persons of great eminence have, by the blessing of God, been initiated in those arts and sciences, which qualified them for public employments, both in church and state: and whereas the encouragement of arts and sciences, and all good literature, tends to the honor of God, the advantage of the Christian religion, and the great benefit of this and the other United States of America ...

Chapter 6, Article 1:
"So help me, God."

Chapter 6, Article 10:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-five ...

Chapter 6, Article 12:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven ...

... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven ...

Amendments, Article 6, oath of office:
"So help me God."

Amendments, Article 11:
As the public worship of God and instructions in piety, religion and morality, promote the happiness and prosperity of a people and the security of a republican government;

Michigan

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of Michigan, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom, and earnestly desiring to secure these blessings undiminished to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution.

Article 1, Section 4:
Every person shall be at liberty to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience.

Minnesota

Preamble:
We, the people of the state of Minnesota, grateful to God for our civil and religious liberty, and desiring to perpetuate its blessings and secure the same to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

Article 1, Section 16:
The right of every man to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience shall never be infringed;

Mississippi

Preamble:
We, the people of Mississippi in convention assembled, grateful to Almighty God, and invoking his blessing on our work, do ordain and establish this constitution.

Article 4, Section 40, oath of office:
"So help me God."

Article 6, Section 155, oath of office:
"So help me God."

Article 14, Section 268, oath of office:
"So help me God."

Missouri

Preamble:
We the people of Missouri, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and grateful for His goodness, do establish this constitution for the better government of the state.

Article 1, Section 5:
That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences;

Montana

Preamble:
We the people of Montana grateful to God for the quiet beauty of our state, the grandeur of our mountains, the vastness of our rolling plains, and desiring to improve the quality of life, equality of opportunity and to secure the blessings of liberty for this and future generations do ordain and establish this constitution.

Article 3, Section 3, oath of office:
"... (so help me God)."

Nebraska

Preamble:
We, the people, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, do ordain and establish the following declaration of rights and frame of government, as the Constitution of the State of Nebraska.

Article 1, Section 4:
All persons have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences.

Nevada

Preamble:
We the people of the State of Nevada Grateful to Almighty God for our freedom in order to secure its blessings, insure domestic tranquility, and form a more perfect Government, do establish this Constitution.

Article 15, Section 2, oath of office:
... so help me God.

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Sixty Four ...

New Hampshire

Part 1, Article 5:
Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, and reason; and no subject shall be hurt, molested, or restrained, in his person, liberty, or estate, for worshipping God in the manner and season most agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience;

Part 2, Article 84, oath of office:
So help me God.

New Jersey

Preface:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and forty-seven.

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing upon our endeavors to secure and transmit the same unimpaired to succeeding generations, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

Article 1, Section 3:
No person shall be deprived of the inestimable privilege of worshipping Almighty God in a manner agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience;

Article 8, Section 2:
Nor shall anything in this paragraph contained apply to the creation of any debts or liabilities for purposes of war, or to repel invasion, or to suppress insurrection or to meet an emergency caused by disaster or act of God.

Article 10, Clause 5:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and forty-eight.


New Mexico

Preamble:
We, the people of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty, in order to secure the advantages of a state government, do ordain and establish this constitution.

Article 2, Section 11:
Every man shall be free to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, and no person shall ever be molested or denied any civil or political right or privilege on account of his religious opinion or mode of religious worship.

New York

Preamble:
We The People of the State of New York, grateful to Almighty God for our Freedom, in order to secure its blessings, DO ESTABLISH THIS CONSTITUTION.

North Carolina

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of North Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for the preservation of the American Union and the existence of our civil, political and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those blessings to us and our posterity, do, for the more certain security thereof and for the better government of this State, ordain and establish this Constitution.

Article 1, Section 1:
We hold it to be self-evident that all persons are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, the enjoyment of the fruits of their own labor, and the pursuit of happiness.

Article 1, Section 13:
All persons have a natural and inalienable right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences, and no human authority shall, in any case whatever, control or interfere with the rights of conscience.

Article 6, Section 7, oath of office:
"... so help me God."

Article 6, Section 8:
The following persons shall be disqualified for office:

First, any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God.

North Dakota

Preamble:
We, the people of North Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, do ordain and establish this constitution.

Article 11, Section 4, oath of office:
"... so help me God."

Ohio

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of Ohio, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and promote our common welfare, do establish this Constitution.

Article 1, Section 7:
All men have a natural and indefensible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience.

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-one ...

Oklahoma

Preamble:
Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessing of liberty; to secure just and rightful government; to promote our mutual welfare and happiness, we, the people of the State of Oklahoma, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and seven ...

Oregon

Article 1, Section 2:
All men shall be secure in the Natural right, to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences.

Pennsylvania

Preamble:
WE, the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

Article 1, Section 3:
All men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences;

Article 1, Section 4:
No person who acknowledges the being of a God and a future state of rewards and punishments shall, on account of his religious sentiments, be disqualified to hold any office or place of trust or profit under this Commonwealth.

Rhode Island

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing upon our endeavors to secure and to transmit the same, unimpaired, to succeeding generations, do ordain and establish this Constitution of government.

Article 1, Section 3:
Whereas Almighty God hath created the mind free; ... and that every person shall be free to worship God according to the dictates of such person's conscience, and to profess and by argument to maintain such person's opinion in matters of religion;

Article 3, Section 3, oath of office:
So help you God.

South Carolina

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of South Carolina, in Convention assembled, grateful to God for our liberties, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the preservation and perpetuation of the same.

Article 3, Section 26, oath of office:
"So help me God."

Article 6, Section 5, oath of office:
"So help me God."

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord, one thousand Eight hundred and Ninety-five.

South Dakota

Preamble:
We, the people of South Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties, in order to form a more perfect and independent government, establish justice, insure tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and preserve to ourselves and to our posterity the blessings of liberty, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the state of South Dakota.

Article 3:
The right to worship God according to the dictates of conscience shall never be infringed.

Article 21, Section 1:
Properly divided between the upper and lower edges of the circle shall appear the legend, "Under God the People Rule" which shall be the motto of the state of South Dakota.

Tennessee

Preamble:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-six ...

... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-three ...

... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-four ...

... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-five ...

... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine ...

... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy ...

Article 1, Section 2:
That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience;

Article 9, Section 1:
Whereas ministers of the Gospel are by their profession, dedicated to God and the care of souls, and ought not to be diverted from the great duties of their functions; therefore, no minister of the Gospel, or priest of any denomination whatever, shall be eligible to a seat in either House of the Legislature.

Article 9, Section 2:
No person who denies the being of God, or a future state of rewards and punishments, shall hold any office in the civil department of this state.

Texas

Preamble:
Humbly invoking the blessings of Almighty God, the people of the State of Texas, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

Article 1, Section 6:
All men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences.

Article 16, Section 1, oath of office:
"... so help me God."


Utah

Preamble:
Grateful to Almighty God for life and liberty, we, the people of Utah, in order to secure and perpetuate the principles of free government, do ordain and establish this CONSTITUTION.

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-five ...

Vermont

Chapter 1, Article 3:
That all persons have a natural and unalienable right, to worship Almighty God, according to the dictates of their own consciences and understandings, as in their opinion shall be regulated by the word of God; ... Nevertheless, every sect or denomination of Christians ought to observe the sabbath or Lord's day, and keep up some sort of religious worship, which to them shall seem most agreeable to the revealed will of God.

Article 2, Section 16, oath of office:
So help you God.

Article 2, Section 17, oath of office:
So help you God.

Article 2, Section 56, oath of office:
So help you God.

Virginia

Article 1, Section 17:
That religion or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence;

Article 2, Section 7, oath of office:
"... (so help me God)."

Washington

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of Washington, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties, do ordain this constitution.

West Virginia

Preamble:


Since through Divine Providence we enjoy the blessings of civil, political and religious liberty, we, the people of West Virginia, in and through the provisions of this Constitution, reaffirm our faith in and constant reliance upon God and seek diligently to promote, preserve and perpetuate good government in the state of West Virginia for the common welfare, freedom and security of ourselves and our posterity.

Wisconsin

Preamble:
We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings, form a more perfect government, insure domestic tranquility and promote the general welfare, do establish this constitution.

Article 1, Section 18:
The right of every person to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of conscience shall never be infringed;

Wyoming

Preamble:
We, the people of the State of Wyoming, grateful to God for our civil, political and religious liberties, and desiring to secure them to ourselves and perpetuate them to our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty-nine.


American Samoa

Article 5, Section 6, oath of office:
So help me God.



Guam - Organic Act

Subchapter 3, Section 1423d, oath of office:
I solemnly swear (or affirm) in the presence of Almighty God that I will well and faithfully support the Constitution of the United States...

Terminus:
... in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred seventy-five ...


Puerto Rico

Preamble:
We, the people of Puerto Rico, in order to organize ourselves politically on a fully democratic basis, to promote the general welfare, and to secure for ourselves and our posterity the complete enjoyment of human rights, placing our trust in Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the commonwealth which, in the exercise of our natural rights, we now create within our union with the United States of America.

Terminus:
... in the year of Our Lord one thousand nine hundred and fifty-two.


Arkansas

Article 19, Section 1 (Denial of Office, Denial as Witness):
No person who denies the being of a God shall hold any office in the civil departments of this State, nor be competent to testify as a witness in any Court.

Maryland

Article 36 (Denial as Witness):
...nor shall any person, otherwise competent, be deemed incompetent as a witness, or juror, on account of his religious belief; provided, he believes in the existence of God, and that under His dispensation such person will be held morally accountable for his acts, and be rewarded or punished therefor either in this world or in the world to come.

Article 37 (Denial of Office):
That no religious test ought ever to be required as a qualification for any office of profit or trust in this State, other than a declaration of belief in the existence of God; nor shall the Legislature prescribe any other oath of office than the oath prescribed by this Constitution.


Mississippi

Article 14, Section 265 (Denial of Office):
No person who denies the existence of a Supreme Being shall hold any office in this state.

North Carolina

Article 6, Section 8 (Denial of Office):
The following persons shall be disqualified for office:
First, any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God.

Pennsylvania

Article 1, Section 4 (Denial of Office):
No person who acknowledges the being of a God and a future state of rewards and punishments shall, on account of his religious sentiments, be disqualified to hold any office or place of trust or profit under this Commonwealth.

(This section specifies that someone who acknowledges God cannot be denied office; conversely, anyone who does deny God can be, rather than shall be, denied office. The restriction is not as concrete as other denials of office.)

South Carolina

Article 6, Section 2 (Denial of Office):
No person who denies the existence of the Supreme Being shall hold any office under this Constitution.

Tennessee

Article 9, Section 2 (Denial of Office):
No person who denies the being of God, or a future state of rewards and punishments, shall hold any office in the civil department of this state.

(Note that Article 9, Section 1 denies office to any "minister of the Gospel, or priest of any denomination.")

Texas

Article 1, Section 4 (Denial of Office):
No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall any one be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being.

Fine with me but your state requires that all running for public office "acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being". Lonestar.
I can be a resident of your state Lonestar, run for public office and declare that I acknowledge the existence of Mickey Mouse as Supreme Being.
And that qualifies me to run.
See how silly those laws are? Political men will do anything to pacify anyone, especially men and their various religions.
And the Founders opposed that.

 

[Lonestar_logic]

Fine with me but your state requires that all running for public office "acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being". Lonestar.
I can be a resident of your state Lonestar, run for public office and declare that I acknowledge the existence of Mickey Mouse as Supreme Being.
And that qualifies me to run.
See how silly those laws are? Political men will do anything to pacify anyone, especially men and their various religions.
And the Founders opposed that.

I doubt you'd win any public office stating Mickey Mouse is a Supreme Being. As a matter of fact, I think they'd commit you to the nearest mental ward.

With that said, this is the best counter you have to the fact that damn near every State Constitution acknowledges a Supreme Being? Not to mention the Declaration of Independence and our national motto, "In God We Trust" which replaced "E Pluribus Unum". The national motto and "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance was passed with a 99% vote in the House, and unanimously in the Senate.

 

[Gadawg73]

Fine with me but your state requires that all running for public office "acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being". Lonestar.
I can be a resident of your state Lonestar, run for public office and declare that I acknowledge the existence of Mickey Mouse as Supreme Being.
And that qualifies me to run.
See how silly those laws are? Political men will do anything to pacify anyone, especially men and their various religions.
And the Founders opposed that.

I doubt you'd win any public office stating Mickey Mouse is a Supreme Being. As a matter of fact, I think they'd commit you to the nearest mental ward.

With that said, this is the best counter you have to the fact that damn near every State Constitution acknowledges a Supreme Being? Not to mention the Declaration of Independence and our national motto, "In God We Trust" which replaced "E Pluribus Unum". The national motto and "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance was passed with a 99% vote in the House, and unanimously in the Senate.

Thanks for proving my point Lonestar. I doubt you even have a clue that you did.
The entire idea of your state having that law is POLITICS.
Has nothing whatsoever to do with anyone of those politicians being religous.
It is to get votes only.
Furthermore you continuously prove my point. Politicians, to get votes added "Under God" when Lonestar? You need to do some serious research there fellow because your argument is getting weaker by the second. The writer of The Pledge of Allegiance wrote it in 1891 and it was pressure to change it in 1954 during the Red Scare because the writer of The Pledge of Allegiance was A SOCIALIST! Well Duh. Ya think politics played a part in that Lonestar? A little history lesson is certainly in order next time you start spouting facts your way. Under your logic The United States of America was not a Christian nation when it was written in 1891 through 1954.
And how does trusting God make us a nation based on Christian principles.
Again, we are a nation of primarily Christians. A GOOD THING.
The Founders were Christian predominantly. A GOOD THING.
The majority of Americans ARE CHRISTIAN. A GOOD THING.
THE LAW has nothing to do with religion and we are a nation founded ON THE LAW, not men and their various religions.
THE LAW sees no religion and DOES NOT RELY on the beliefs of one religion, specifically the majority Christian religion, over another.
EVER.

 

[JoReba]

"But besides the danger of a direct mixture of Religion & civil Government, there is an evil which ought to be guarded agst in the indefinite accumulation of property from the capacity of holding it in perpetuity by ecclesiastical corporations..."

-- James Madison; from 'Detached Memoranda'

While Memoranda tackles a number of topics, including religious liberty and state regulation (ecclesiastical monopolies, the incorporation of churches, tax exemption of religious institutions, etc.), the quote you cited deals with grants of public land to churches, not the role that religion played in the founding documents, nor the role of religion in government in general.

In fact, Madison understood very well the necessity of religion to the particular type of government the founders wanted:

James Madison, 1778
“We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of man-kind for self-government; upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”

"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God...their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and State."

-- Thomas Jefferson; letter to Danbury Baptist Association, CT., Jan. 1, 1802

Jefferson is explaining that there will be no State Church, and that the state will not interfere in church affairs; he is not commenting on morality in law being based on morality in the Bible.

Most people don’t realize that Jefferson is most deliberately borrowing the verbiage of the famous Baptist Preacher:

Roger Williams
“...the hedge or wall of separation between the garden of the church and the wilderness of the world, God hath ever broken down the wall...”

More to the point, if this letter means what we are told it does, reconcile that with Jefferson’s words as found on the Jefferson Memorial.



Most people probably don’t know you left out the second half of the quote that explains the part that you did post. I’m not saying you yourself did that on purpose, but there are those that do. Why?

Adams is speaking to the abuses of the theocracy in Europe and its leaders, not religion in general, not the Bible, not Christianity itself, and, yet again, not the role that Christian virtue should play in government law. Now, let’s look at a more complete version to corroborate what I just said:

John Adams
“I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved — the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced! With the rational respect that is due to it, knavish priests have added prostitutions of it, that fill or might fill the blackest and bloodiest pages of human history.”

So, while those words of Adams may not be relevant to our discussion, these are:

John Adams, October 11, 1798
“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion.”



No. Paine’s contributions to the American Revolution and political thought of his day (The Rights of Man and Common Sense) were all but completely wiped away because of his religious views. He was nothing short of despised for The Age of Reason. That book is probably the perfect antithesis of what just about every other founding father’s religious beliefs were.



Very good. Now, let’s look at a few things your source apparently did not mention:

1. There is no original Treaty of Tripoli in existence in any language and there has not been for well over 200 years. The English version ratified by Congress was a copy of an Arabic version, which in itself was a copy of the Arabic original (which we do not have).

2. There is no Article 11 in the Arabic copy. While it is not known where Article 11 comes from, it is believed John Barlow himself inserted it into the treaty himself on his own accord. (Barlow was anti-Christian.)

3. At that point in time, George Washington, John Adams, and the Senate probably would have signed a document saying the moon was made of Swiss cheese if it meant saving the lives of American hostages at the hands of the Barbary Coast pirates. They weren’t going to take the time to re-draft the treaty and send it through all the diplomatic channels again.

4. The Spanish version of the treaty actually refers to Christian nations (meaning the United States in this case).

5. Even Barlow’s English version states several times, “Praise be to God.”

6. When the treaty was re-negotiated in 1805 and 1806, the non-Christian phrase had been conspicuously removed.

7. The Treaty of Tripoli is not a founding document for the United States of America. By contrast, The Treaty of Paris, by which the government of Britain formally recognized the US as an independent nation and predates the Treaty of Tripoli, very much is a founding document.

The Treaty of Paris, 1783, opens with these words:
“In the name of the most holy and undivided Trinity.

It having pleased the Divine Providence to dispose the hearts of the most serene and most potent Prince George the Third, by the grace of God...”

Re: "constitutional era" lol, Benjamin Rush was an animal rights activist

An animal rights activist?? Are you referring to his humanitarian work?

Rush was a colonial physician and is considered to be the Father of American Medicine. He founded the Philadelphia Bible Society. He was also a writer and political commentator. His work had profound influence on the development of American government. He was a member of the Continental Congress and signed a little document called the Declaration of Independence. He is a founding father.

In addition to the quote I already gave you, Rush felt that the formation of our country was “the work of a Divine Providence as any of the miracles recorded in the Old and New Testament.”

and who are those other guys?

Abraham Baldwin graduated from Yale in 1772. Like many other founding fathers, he was a minister (and also a lawyer). He represented Georgia in the Continental Congress where he worked on large state/small state rights. Baldwin never married. He is a founding father.

In addition to the quote I already gave you, Baldwin also said, “When the minds of the people in general are viciously disposed and unprincipled, and their conduct disorderly, a free government, will be attended with greater confusions and evils more horrid than the wild, uncultivated state of nature ... This is an influence beyond the reach of laws and punishments and can be claimed only by religion and education.”

John Witherspoon was a minister and served as president of what is now Princeton. It was during this period he wrote articles criticizing British rule. The British burned his library to the ground in 1776. Like Benjamin Rush, Witherspoon was a member of the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. He is a founding father.

In addition to the quote I already gave you, Witherspoon also said, “Those who are vested with civil authority ought ... to promote religion and good morals among all their government.”

Now, there is a specific reason our founding fathers felt we must be based on Biblical principals and virtue. They wrote that reason down for us. We have record of it. It is there for those who wish to know. Do you know what that reason is?

Go ahead and cite the exact places in The Bible which show the "principles and virtue" upon which you say America was founded. Step up and do it.

For instance, show us the place where "self governance" is either spoken of or is demonstrated by God for anyone to pursue.

Do you understand what I just said to you? Eh ... ?

 

[8atman]

I'm just wondering if anyone else noticed JoReba did not address my last post to him. Even the post of mine that he did quote above, he didn't address anything in it. Hmmm.....

I tell you what, JoReba, my response is on the previous page so maybe you just missed it. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

You address my post, then I'll address yours.