I have a confession to make. I have a 2-foot stack of back issues of National Geographic and Smithsonian magazine that I have never read. I am working my way through them slowly, but I finally let my subscriptions expire this year because I was feeling really guilty about just how large my stack had grown. Anyway, I just finished reading the October 2010 issue of Smithsonian in which I found a very timeless article that I would love to share with you now. The full story is available online for your perusal.
The article:
America’s True History of Religious Tolerance: The idea that the United States has always been a bastion of religious freedom is reassuring—and utterly at odds with the historical record
By Kenneth C. Davis
Smithsonian magazine, October 2010
In this story, Davis writes that President James Madison once said Christianity “disavows a dependence on the powers of the world… for it is known that this Religion both existed and flourished, not only without the support of human laws, but in spite of every opposition from them.” Madison also wrote, “And I have no doubt that every new example, will succeed, as every past one has done, in shewing that religion & Govt. will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together.”
America’s True History is full of quotes from our Founding Fathers, all arguing for the separation of church and state. I know there are a lot of people out there who like to argue against it, saying this country was founded as a “Christian nation.” If you are someone who likes to use this argument, I would recommend that you read this article and find out what our Founding Fathers really thought about the topic. Their ideas are thoroughly documented.
I believe that our Founding Fathers built the wall between church and state to preserve the strength of each. The contamination of one with the other is the single greatest threat to our nation. What do you think? Please comment below.
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