America a christian nation?

[Sludgeman101]

I have a message to any person who has ever stated that "America is a christian nation, it was first discovered by Christians, and so if all you atheists don't like it, get out!" Well, i'm will not go into detail about the founding fathers and the stressed seperation of church and state, as this has already been covered by many of my atheist brothers and sisters. But instead, i would like to ask the people who make that statement this, if you applied that bullshit logic to say, any racial minority, would it still be true? (IE, America is founded by white people, so if all you Asians don't like it, get out!) of course not! It is bullshit! If you say that to anyone who is not racist or retarded, they would agree! So why do so many people agree when atheists are the target? Is it because we make up less than 10% of the population in America? (Thats atheists, not non-religious or agnostic.)

[Jenny A]

Yes. It's because we are a minority.

It'll stay that way until it's politically incorrect to say "we hate atheists."

[vorlon13]

As I noted elsewhere, were christianity to be made illegal, I'd find it damn hard to vote to convict just about any of the religiousites in my area. Damn, it would be tough exonerating all the goddam mormons, but there you have it.

[Whateverist]

Do you mean in words or in actions? By the stated principles of the one they call 'christ', the ones who claim to be rarely represent.

[Lek]

The US has never been a christian nation. Most of the founders or their families had come from countries where there were state religions. They were fleeing religious persecution and were very concerned about the need to create a government system without a state religion and in which people would be free to believe as they desired without fear of persecution. Because of the fact that most of the citizens of the country have been christians, the culture became very much christian. The culture is now moving away from christianity as the percentage of other religions, as well as "no religious preference" and atheists grows. No matter how the culture changes it's extremely important that our system of government allows citizens to be free to believe as they desire.

[Minimalist]

They were fleeing religious persecution and were very concerned about the need to create a government system

Most of the colonies were founded as commercial enterprises.

[RobbyPants]

But instead, i would like to ask the people who make that statement this, if you applied that bullshit logic to say, any racial minority, would it still be true? (IE, America is founded by white people, so if all you Asians don't like it, get out!) of course not!

Actually, there's a pretty strong overlap in people who would say that both to atheists and non-whites. It's just getting to be less popular to say that type of thing to non-whites using your outdoor voice. A lot of this is basic tribalism. WASPs have sat at the top for a long time, and that's slowly being eroded. What you're seeing is a reaction based on fear and revanchism.

It'll stay that way until it's politically incorrect to say "we hate atheists."

Although, that won't stop the fundies from complaining about the "atheist agenda" ruining America. It's mostly politically incorrect to complain about homosexuality, but that doesn't stop them from doing it or complaining about being labeled "homophobes" or "bigots".

[Bob Kelso]

Holy shit I just gave Lek a kudos.

[Anomalocaris]

They were fleeing religious persecution and were very concerned about the need to create a government system

Most of the colonies were founded as commercial enterprises.

Christianity was very much an overt prop for crass mercenary and commercial concerns during much of its existence.

The conviction, calculatingly inculcated by christianity, that "My greed and overweening sense of superiority deserves to be, and therefore will be, gratified at whatever cost to anyone else, particularly nonbelievers, because I am a good pious christian" had been and continues to be the main, (only sometimes) unspoken attraction of christianity.

This was how the Spanish attracted recruits to exterminate natives of central and south america for their gold and silver, but in the name of their salvation. This was how the British colonies justified their existence in North America, this was how American settlers justified spreading over much of North America and dispossessing the natives, and this continue to be how megachurches fill their pews with the gullibly grasping.

As to why America may continue to be seen convincingly as a christian nation by the foolish, uneducated and the gullible, that's because the gullible have been indoctrinated with the notion that America is the exceptional land of economic success, as well as the false association between economic success and christainity.

[FatAndFaithless]

My favorite counter to this completely bogus claim is in the Treaty of Tripoli, a peace treaty signed into law by John Adams with unanimous assent from the Senate. In the treaty it explicitly states at the beginning of Article 11:
"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion....."

Written by the founding fathers, ratified by the founding fathers. 'Merica ain't no Christian nation.