America was a non-Christian nation (and should remain so)

[mellowtigger]

My thanks to snousle for pointing out this quote in furrbear's thread:

"As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion..."
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Tripoli

Two-thirds of America's (then, only 32) senators were present for the vote on this 1797 treaty, and it passed unanimously.

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Article_11.GIF

The wonders of wikipedia are boundless.  They even have a photo of Article 11 of the treaty.  :)

This quote is new information to me.  Maybe it's time to remind the nation that mixing religious fervor with government authority is a bad idea.  It is always a bad idea, no matter which flavor of religion is trying to do it.  We really don't need to recreate (Christian) Rome.

I've listed here the necessary links for promoting this old (and therefore conservative?) idea.  Go forth, new meme.  Fly!

Comments

[mellowtigger]

I wonder though if the argument should be framed, "America was a nation of Christian citizens who founded a non-Christian government. That separation was their genius."

Now, I don't believe that Christians today use the name the same way that Christians back did then. (I think they were more theist than evangelist, so they would have been just as uncomfortable around modern Christians as some atheists are.)