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Were Our Founding Fathers Really Christians?

This is an oft debated topic.  Were the founding fathers active and devout Christians as so many among the Christian Right would have you to believe or were they were more pragmatic in their affairs and belief in God as some reconstructive historians would have you believe.
This is an interesting debate so as a historian I will give you my analysis of the question.

Of the 55 men who formed the Constitution 52 of them were active participants in their local churches.  This alone however does not constitute what I would consider a devout Christian.  To properly examine this question you have to look at the role of churches in 18th and 19th century America.  These were gathering places.  A place where neighbors could come together every Sunday for worship and fellowship.  Few large cities existed in the time of the founding fathers, places like New York city and Philadelphia were nothing more than rural centers compared to todays cities and the populations were scattered across the countryside.  For many church worship on Sunday morning was the only time they saw anyone other than their families.  In this light we can draw no real conclusion from the church participation of these men.

Then there is the question of deism.  Deism is a quasi-religious belief that God is aloof and does not interfere in the everyday affairs of man.  Benjamin Franklin once considered himself a deist when he was a young man.  He later repudiated that belief but still put off the Puritan view that one's soul can only be saved by God and not by good deeds alone.

An often quoted founding father by the Christian right, Noah Webster, who wrote the first dictionary said "No truth is more evident to my mind that that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and priviledges of a free people." 

This would seem to overturn some of his earlier writings when he said "The very idea of a system of religious principles and a mode of worship, prescribed and established by human authority, is totally repugnant to the spirit of christianity. Every establishment is only a milder term for tyranny....It is an insult to humanity, a solemn mockery of all justice and common sense, to assume that right of entailing our opinion and formalities of devotion upon posterity, or to exclude them from the protection or emoluments of government for a non-conformity dictated by conscience."

I center my discussion here on Noah Webster because he is best known for arguing for the seperation of church and state.  This idea leads to an interesting discussion because it requires us to review what Noah Webster meant when he argued this principle.

First of all the words "seperation of church and state" do not appear anywhere in the Constitution.  The term comes from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists in which he wrote "I contemplate with sovereign reverance 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 seperation between Church & State"  

When any founding father spoke about religion it could be argued that they spoke only about Christianity.  For many of them they wanted to create a world where man could worship God as he saw fit without raising the ire of the state because he refuses to worship in a way the government decrees.  England had its Church of England while Spain and France followed the teachings of the Catholic faith.  To the founding fathers, these churches were like governments all of them imposing their will on the people they were supposed to serve.  They never wanted that in America so they prevented the founding of a single Christian church sanctioned by the Government of the United States.  When the founding fathers created this country they thought they were building a nation where mankind could worship the "Chrisitan" God as they saw fit.

The unfortunate consequence of the First Amendment is the removal of prayer in schools.  Let's go back to the words of Noah Webster for a moment. “In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed.”

Abraham Lincoln wrote: "In regard to this great book, I have but to say, it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Saviour gave to the world was communicated through this book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man’s welfare, here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it."

So is this a Christian nation?  The answer was Yes but one could make a strong argument that a sense of religion and belief of God is slipping from the fibers that bind this nation together.  If we continue to turn away from the morality taught in the bible then an unspeakable calamity will fall upon America and on the world as a whole.  America is the last stronghold of Chrisitianity.  Should it ever collapse then the world will fall into the clutches of the devil.  We will certainly know the meaining of suffering when that happens.




The unfortunate consequence 
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Doomsday Prediction for 2008 Presidential Election

As if Barack Obama winning the Presidential Election in 2008 would not be doomsday enough I have for all my Casper Cronies the following prediction:

The electoral college requires a total of 270 electoral votes in order to win the election.  If no candidate reaches the 270 votes required then, the House of Representatives must convene to elect the next President of the United States.  Each state gets one vote each and the winner only needs 26 votes to win the election.

Here is what I predict will happen.  Neither Obama or McCain win the election with the required 270 votes.  Obama probably gets more than McCain but still not enough to win the election.  Each state will then get one vote in the House of Representatives.

The number of states goes McCain's way and he wins election...

Will there be revolutions in the streets?  Some say there might be...
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McCain Loses Election After Debate Performance

During the debate last night I saw two men who both wanted to hold the highest public office in the land.  In previous years there were definite differences in the two candidates, one was far to the left while the other was far to the right.  Last night, I saw a Marxist and a really, really bad democrat wanna be.  Now I understand why Joe Lieberman likes McCain so much.   Obamais just too far tot he left and McCain, well, he's just about right.

The problem with John McCain is that he just doesn't get it.  My fellow Republicans, we made a tremendous mistake in making this guy our nominee.  What would last night have been like if Obamahad to face down Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee or Guiliani?  Any of those four would have swept the floor with Obama.  They would have pasted him and Obama would now be down for the count.  

Instead we have a guy who wants to talk about earmarks.  Well, earmarks are a bad problem but they are a small, small problem in America.  Truth is most Americans don't even know what an earmark is.  Most probably think its that little shadow that appears mysteriously on a piece of paper when you hold it up to the light.  He likes to talk about being a "maverick".  If I have to hear that one more time I'm going to pull my hair out.  McCain's not a maverick.  If he was a Maverick he would offer up a true plan.  How would this suit you?

First, we eliminate capital gains, taxes, corporate taxes, inheritance taxes, and marriage penalties by instituting a new tax code.  One that is simple enough that it eliminates the April 15th tax day by having "every" American pay a percentage of their income each week to the government.  This would also eliminate the class warfare game the Democrats like to play when it comes to taxes.   Money would flow into the treasury at the tune of $13 trillion as some estimates would indicate.  We could retire the deficit within ten years.

Institute a health insurance plan that provides health insurance for those who need it.  This isn't for people who get a cold and think they have to go the emergency room, but for people who have diabetes or cancer and can't buy health care through insurance providers because it costs too much.

We reform social security by first removing the FICA funds from the general budget and two, setting up a personal payment plan for each American to invest a small portion of their money in mutual funds, money markets, IRAs or annuities.  They also have the option to leave it where it is.
You want to make sure social security gets fixed, force all Congressmen onto Social Security when they retire.

Give the "ordinary" American a chance at governing by instituting term limits on House members.  12 years and that's it pal, now it's someone elses turn.

Hey McCain here's a novel idea for ya, try balancing the budget.  Instead of socializing these bad mortgages, lets take a new approach as a government and spend only what we bring in.

Reform education, not by throwing money at the problem but by turning over the power in our schools to the principals and the community PTAs.  Money never made for a good education. Ben Franklin went to a school that didn't even have a floor and he became one of the greatest of all American scientists and philanthropists.

Defense spending should increase not decrease.  No soldier of ours should ever be without the very best that we can give them.  That includes the highest starting pay grade that we can afford.  This country is too rich and too powerful to ask our bravest men and women to do the most for the least.  We should pay them before we ever write the first WIC check or issue the first food stamp.

Increase the value of the dollar by putting it back on the gold standard.  Stop printing so much. You can't continue to print the American dollar and expect the value to stay high, so stop it.

Energy Independence - Drill here Drill NOW!!! Pay Less.  WE should drill every where we can. Nothing should be off limits.  We should also invest billions in alternative energy resources such as nuclear power, solar and wind power, natural gas and clean coal.  We should also invest billions in building the infrastructure to provide these alternative fuel sources.

End the strain on food prices by getting American farms back to growing rice and corn for sustenance rather than for fuel.  The experiment with ethanol is over.  It was a good try but it was a dismal failure.  Now we should get farmers back into the food growing business and out of the fuel making business.

Iraq War - we need to get out as soon as possible by setting a timeline for withdrawal.  If the Iraqi government is not ready to assume control of its own interests at that time then America can not abandon its enemy but the Iraqi government must pay the bill.  American forces will assume control of the Iraqi oil fields and collect all the profits to fund our troops for the time we are there and we give only the remaining balance to the Iraqi government.

Immigration is a big problem but instead of an amnesty bill for all why not offer this as a possible means of gaining American citizenship.  If you want to come to this country you can gain citizenship by doing a four year stint in the Armed Services.  They will receive excellent pay and college tuition benefits and after four years they can come out as full fledged citizens.  If they don't make it through, we give them a free ride back to where ever they came from.

America should make human rights a top priority.  The Cross doctrine would identify a certain criteria for when American forces should intervene and if crimes against humanity occur and they fit that definitive criteria then America should step in, hunt down and crush anyone who would do harm to our brothers.

Gay Marriage - Marriage is a religious institution and it should stay between a man and a woman.  Still gay couple should have the rights and privileges as a husband would or a wife. There should be a legal status that allows them to be at their partner's side when they are sick and have the same benefits as a married couple would have in the event of death.

Abortion should be protected in the even of rape, incest, or the life of the mother is in jeopardy but "just because" abortions must stop.  It should be left up to the state OB/GYN boards to look at every case and judge on merit whether or not that abortion meets that criteria.  If an abortion is done and does not fit the criteria then the doctor should have his/her  license suspended.  In the event of a second offense during the life span of his/her career, the doctor should have his license revoked for a period of one (1) year, after a third offense during the lifespan of his/her career the license of said doctor should be revoked permanently.

And finally if asked if I would ever call on Americans to sacrifice, my response would be very short and to the point.  Americans have sacrificed enough.  It is time now for the government to sacrifice.  It is time for bureaucrats to sacrifice and it is time for politicians to sacrifice. Americans already give more than they should be asked to give while politicians get wealthy, lining their pockets with special interest money and sweet heart deals from companies looking for political favors.  Its time for government to sacrifice its time for the government to start paying its fair share back to people that it is meant to serve.


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Bill Maher's "Religulous" is an assault on all Believers:

The brilliant leftist minds on the left coast, unfortunately have this giant sounding board, a medium through which they can shape the hearts and minds of Americans.  It is called the silver screen.  The days when actors did what they were paid to do, act, are now long over.  The Hollywood elite come out in force every four years to ridicule and make fun of Conservatives and promote their Marxist liberal agendas as if they knew what they were talking about but in reality they are just ignorant, imbecilic and just plain dumb.

Such is the case with Bill Maher's new movie "Religulous" a meshing of the words "Religous" and "Ridiculous".  The movie assaults the three main faiths: the Christians, the Jews, and the Muslims.  When asked if he thought himself an atheist Maher responded saying he disliked the term because it gives religion a certainty that is undeserving.  Bill Maher said he just isn't sure.  Yet he accuses America of being "young" and "dumb" when faced with the reality that this is a religious country.  Sounds like an atheist to me.

As a Chrisitan, I believe that Christ died for our sins in order to be the bridge between God and man.  God needed a perfect sacrifice to build that bridge and Jesus was that perfect sacrifice.  You can ridicule me for my beliefs if you want Mr. Maher.  I really don't care.  If you're right and there is no God then I must ask you what have I lost?  I lived my life to help my fellow man, I loved my fellow sinners because he saved the worst among them all when he saved me.  I brought my two little girls up in a faith that protects you from AIDS and from un-wed pregnancies if you follow its teachings.  I have lost nothing.  But if I am right and God someday judges all of mankind and sends to hell those who refused to accept his perfect sacrifice, what have you lost?
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Give Money to Buy off All Mortgages

Let's not kid ourselves the bailout's initial cost will be around $500 billion.  The final cost will more than likely be closer to the $2 trillion mark.

So I propose a radical new strategy.  Instead of bailing out Wall Street, why not send the money to the people who will use it wisely?  Why not pay off every American's mortgage?  By the time lawmakers finally finish parsing out the dough, the cost will be less to pay off every American'smortgage than it would to buy off Wall Street.

Think of the benefits.  Americans free from the mortgage begin spending like crazy.  Retail stores pop up every where, new jobs are created and you would save billions in lost revenue tohomeowners who write off the interest on their homes. 

If Obama was half the democrat he thinks he is he would propose such a radical strategy.  Bail Out America, give us our fair share.  Isn't that what Obama's all about anyway?  Wealth redistribution?
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