An extremely intriguing, debatable, and common topic among political Americans today is whether religion has any place in government. Some will argue that it does; because the Founders had religious beliefs and standards, America should follow their example without ceasing. On the other hand, people will argue that there is no place for religion in government, because it interferes with and gives an unwelcome prejudice to political decisions, in a place where there is no room for biases. However, to answer this question properly, one first has to consider the views of the Founding Fathers themselves on this issue. Were they for or against the separation of church and state? Were they overwhelmingly Deist, Agnostic, Christian, or Atheist? And
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This twisting of Christianity dominated the times of the Fathers, and still resonates with some today. One of the clearest supporters of Deism was Thomas Paine. In his “profession of faith,” he lays out the fundamentals of this heresy: “I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life. I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and in endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy (Holmes, 2015).” While sounding appealing on the surface, this treacherous world-view rejects mainstream Christianity and embraces a more Enlightened and rational outlook on …show more content…
One could assume that Americans are becoming irreligious by watching the news and following social media. But those opinions have no concrete evidence to back it, because it is based purely on observation. In reality, different polls produce different results on this topic. For example, one poll states that forty-one percent of Americans believe in the separation, while thirty-four percent are against it (Unknown, 2012). A separate poll states that sixty-seven percent believe the First Amendment clearly defines the separation (Haynes, 2011). Yet another poll claims a near dead heat, with forty-eight percent for reduced religious influence, and forty percent for increased religious influence (Lyons, 2004). Although polls can have different results because of time, polled members, and context of questions, it still produces an inconclusive result for the answer to this
This twisting of Christianity dominated the times of the Fathers, and still resonates with some today. One of the clearest supporters of Deism was Thomas Paine. In his “profession of faith,” he lays out the fundamentals of this heresy: “I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life. I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and in endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy (Holmes, 2015).” While sounding appealing on the surface, this treacherous world-view rejects mainstream Christianity and embraces a more Enlightened and rational outlook on …show more content…
One could assume that Americans are becoming irreligious by watching the news and following social media. But those opinions have no concrete evidence to back it, because it is based purely on observation. In reality, different polls produce different results on this topic. For example, one poll states that forty-one percent of Americans believe in the separation, while thirty-four percent are against it (Unknown, 2012). A separate poll states that sixty-seven percent believe the First Amendment clearly defines the separation (Haynes, 2011). Yet another poll claims a near dead heat, with forty-eight percent for reduced religious influence, and forty percent for increased religious influence (Lyons, 2004). Although polls can have different results because of time, polled members, and context of questions, it still produces an inconclusive result for the answer to this