Wisconsin Capitol Building's "Holiday Tree"

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by EE-BO

Amen! (oops, hope I didn't offend anyone with that.)

The people who really fight these battles are, in my experience, in some way very unhappy with their own failed lives and this is how they can inflict themselves on everyone else and feel like they have power- and they do it because they realize they have noone to blame but themselves for their misery.

A dark thought perhaps, but one I keep in mind when I hear stories like this lest I get pulled into those people's own sense of paranoid hatred and start assuming all non-Christians are out to get us, when in fact it is just a few people who are so unhappy with themselves they will settle for sharing a little of their misery with anyone.

All it takes is one person the feel "uncomfy" to ruin Christmas for the masses. It's not my fault your crazy mother raised you Jehova's Witness and you never got a Sega Genesis on Dec 25. The squeakiest wheel gets the oil I guess. And i'm sorry, but anyone who says that America wasn't founded as a Christian nation is just lost in life. Just my opinion.

[RACooper]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

And i'm sorry, but anyone who says that America wasn't founded as a Christian nation is just lost in life. Just my opinion.

Well then guess I lost in life then... see silly me thought that America was founded on Deist principles rejecting the idea of a "Christian" nation since it only lead to conflict between the various denominations, splinter sects, those who rejected the idea of a "Christian God" (but not God), and since many of those living in the colonies had fled religious persecution - you know the Enlightenment principles of no state religion but a belief in a higher being that those silly Founding Fathers wrote about?

[RACooper]

Originally Posted by SECdomination

Use some logic. Do you really think that in 1776, the founding fathers were giving thought to other religions half a world away?

No, they wanted a choice to follow their Catholic or Protestant doctrines. By the way, both of those are Christian.

Why yes Protestantism and Catholicism are both Christian... but Deism wasn't and isn't since it rejects the basic principles of Christianity.

Perhaps you should use some logic and/or research and apply it to the question of what Deism is and how it differs from Christianity, then apply what you discover to the principles of faith as outlined by the Founding Fathers of America.

PS> Incidentally the freedom to follow the Catholic faith wasn't really one of the founding principles given the virulent anti-Catholicism then (and some would argue now still) as evidenced by the outrage at the Quebec Act which guaranteed the freedom of the Catholic faith in Quebec and which was the final of the "Intolerable Acts".

[sageofages]

Originally Posted by SECdomination

Silly you...

Use some logic. Do you really think that in 1776, the founding fathers were giving thought to other religions half a world away?

No, they wanted a choice to follow their Catholic or Protestant doctrines. By the way, both of those are Christian.

True...but Huegenots HATED Catholics for the persecution they received at their hands.

Unitarians pretty much include anyone believing in a higher power (unity) but note the last phrase below...so that makes at least 3 not necessarily "christian".

"Unitarian Universalism (UUism) is a theologically liberal religious movement characterized by its support of a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning." This principle permits Unitarian Universalists a wide range of beliefs and practices. Unitarian Universalist congregations and fellowships tend to retain some Christian traditions such as Sunday worship that includes a sermon and singing of hymns, but do not necessarily identify themselves as Christians." The whole read is actually pretty interesting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarian_Universalism

[ThetaDancer]

Originally Posted by SECdomination

Silly you...

Use some logic. Do you really think that in 1776, the founding fathers were giving thought to other religions half a world away?

No, they wanted a choice to follow their Catholic or Protestant doctrines. By the way, both of those are Christian.

Thomas Jefferson. John Adams. John Quincy Adams. Abigail Adams. Benjamin Franklin. Paul Revere. Josiah Quincy. Thomas Paine. All Unitarians, which, by the way, is not an inherently Christian faith.

If you're going to be condescending, at least be accurate.

For the record, I am both Christian and Unitarian. But that is not always the case.

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by ThetaDancer

Thomas Jefferson. John Adams. John Quincy Adams. Abigail Adams. Benjamin Franklin. Paul Revere. Josiah Quincy. Thomas Paine. All Unitarians, which, by the way, is not an inherently Christian faith.

If you're going to be condescending, at least be accurate.

For the record, I am both Christian and Unitarian. But that is not always the case.

Interesting. I had always thought that Unitarians were Christian. I don't know, all the denominations practice differently but in my opinion if you follow the teachings of Christ you're a Christian.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

Interesting. I had always thought that Unitarians were Christian. I don't know, all the denominations practice differently but in my opinion if you follow the teachings of Christ you're a Christian.

Unitarians can be Christians, but it's not necessary.

I thought the above were deists.

[PhiGam]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Unitarians can be Christians, but it's not necessary.

I thought the above were deists.

18th century Deism is the closest thing to modern Unitarianism.

[CutiePie2000]

Since we have both Canadians and Americans weighing in on this topic, something to keep in mind:

"If people tell you they want to stick to the hard and fast rule of separation of church and state, tell them to consult Canada’s laws. That’s an American law. In Canada our laws are governed by religious accommodation."

http://www.stephenhammond.ca/newslet...ails.php?id=58 (He's a great lawyer and a phenomenal public speaker also)

[skylark]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

And i'm sorry, but anyone who says that America wasn't founded as a Christian nation is just lost in life. Just my opinion.

Totally entitled to your opinion of course, but I guess the authors of the constitution and bill of rights were "lost in life." I seem to remember something in there about the government not establishing any religion....

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by skylark

Totally entitled to your opinion of course, but I guess the authors of the constitution and bill of rights were "lost in life." I seem to remember something in there about the government not establishing any religion....

True, but lets not pretend that they were God less heathens that worshipped the sun.