Why West Texas Really Needs the American Civil Liberties Union

Why West Texas Really Needs the
American Civil Liberties Union
An Issue of Constitutional Liberties
Steven D. Schafersman, Ph.D.
President, Texas Citizens for Science, http://www.texscience.org
Board Member, Permian Basin Chapter of the ACLU of Texas,
http://www.aclutx.org
Concerned Citizens Council Lecture Series
Big Spring, Texas - October 15, 2007
Why West Texas Really Needs the ACLU
DISCLAIMER
All opinions stated in this presentation are my own, not those of the
ACLU, but I will attempt to be clear about ACLU goals.
I am not an official spokesperson for the ACLU.
My philosophical, political, and religious views do not necessarily
match those of other ACLU members, which are quite varied.
We will briefly examine many areas of Constitutional law litigation in
which the ACLU is involved, but I am really knowledgeable only
about Establishment Clause cases.
Finally, I am a scientist and an activist, not an attorney. I actively
write, speak, and lobby on behalf of the accuracy and reliability of
science in public school education as protected by the
Establishment Clause, not for many other areas of Constitutional
law in which the ACLU is involved, so I may not be able to answer
questions about every topic.
Why West Texas Really Needs the ACLU
Outline of the Presentation Tonight
The United States Constitution and The Bill of Rights
The Origin and History of the American Civil Liberties Union
The Purpose of the ACLU: Defending the Bill of Rights
The First Amendment and the Establishment Clause
The Meaning of Church/State Separation
Textbook and science censorship by the Texas SBOE
Ector County ISD Bible Course and why it is illegal
“Freedom of Religious Expression” Law and why it is illegal
U.S. and Texas Flag Pledges and why they are illegal
The Myth of “America is a Christian Nation”
The United States Constitution
Scene at the Signing of the
Constitution of the United States
September 17, 1787
Independence Hall, Philadelphia
The United States Constitution
The Primary Purpose of the Constitution: Creation of a System of Government
The Bill of Rights
James Madison presents The Bill of
Rights to the First Congress
December 15, 1791
Federal Hall, New York City
The Bill of Rights
Amendments 1-10 of the Constitution
1. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
2. A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
3. No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be
prescribed by law.
4. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be
violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be
searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
5. No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except
in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be
subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against
himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just
compensation.
6. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district
wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature
and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his
favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
7. In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact
tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
8. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
9. The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
10. The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states
respectively, or to the people.
The Bill of Rights
The American Civil Liberties Union
The American system of government is founded on
two counterbalancing principles: that the majority of
the people governs through democratically elected
representatives; and that the power even of a
democratic majority must be limited, to ensure
individual rights.
Majority power is limited by the Constitution's Bill of
Rights, which consists of the original ten
amendments ratified in 1791, plus the three postCivil War amendments (the 13th, 14th and 15th)
and the 19th Amendment (women's suffrage),
adopted in 1920.
The American Civil Liberties Union
The mission of the ACLU is primarily to preserve these Constitutional protections
and guarantees:
Your 1st Amendment rights: freedom of speech, association and assembly;
freedom of the press; and freedom of religion and from government
establishment of religion.
Your 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendment rights to due process: fair treatment by the
government whenever the loss of your liberty or property is at stake, right to
counsel, and personal searches and seizures require a warrant.
Your 8th Amendment right to not be tortured.
Your 9th Amendment right to privacy: freedom from unwarranted government
intrusion into your personal, private, and medical affairs.
Your 14th Amendment right to due process and equal protection under the laws:
equal treatment and protection of life, liberty, and property regardless of race,
sex, religion, ethnicity, national origin, or sexual orientation.
The United States Constitution
In the United States, the oath of
office for the President of the
United States is specified in the
U.S. Constitution (Article II,
Section 1):
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm)
that I will faithfully execute the
Office of President of the United
States, and will to the best of my
Ability, preserve, protect and
defend the Constitution of the
United States.”
States
The United States Constitution
The war-making powers of the United
States are specified in the Constitution
(Article I, Section 8):
“The Congress shall have Power: To
declare War…and make Rules
concerning Captures on Land and
Water.”
Bush’s Iraq War of Choice has cost the
United States:
• Over $600 billion of borrowed money
• Over 3,800 U.S. military deaths
• Over 22,000 U.S. military casualties
• Over 100,000 Iraqi deaths
• Millions of Iraqi refugees
• Current budget deficit is $4 trillion
“Rip”
The Bill of Rights
HOW IS PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH DOING?
He has violated every right!
First Amendment
Federal funding of faith-based organizations
Federal funding of abstinence-only education
Attempts to get vouchers to pay for religious schools with public tax money
Attempts to stifle funding and scientific conclusions about anthropogenic global warming, evolution, origin
of the universe, origin of life, human overpopulation, etc.
Fourth Amendment
Warrantless searches of telecommunications data of U.S. citizens
Warrantless wire-tapping of U.S. citizens
Warrantless searches of library and bookstore records of U.S. citizens
Fifth Amendment
Ignoring habeas corpus
Indefinite detainment without legal counsel or judicial arraignment hearing
Seizure and extreme rendition to secret U.S. prisons in foreign countries
Sixth Amendment
Indefinite and secret detainment without speedy and public trial
No trials, no witnesses, no defense counsel
Eighth Amendment
Physical and mental torture of numerous individuals held captive in U.S. prisons
Ninth Amendment
Implied rights of privacy, clean air and water, freedom from hunger and thirst, etc.
The Bill of Rights
HOW IS THE ACLU DOING? Every item below is being litigated by the ACLU!
First Amendment
Federal funding of faith-based organizations
Federal funding of abstinence-only education
Attempts to get vouchers to pay for religious schools with public tax money
Attempts to stifle funding and distort scientific conclusions about anthropogenic global warming, evolution,
origin of the universe, origin of life, human overpopulation, etc.
Fourth Amendment
Warrantless searches of telecommunications data of U.S. citizens
Warrantless wire-tapping of U.S. citizens
Warrantless searches of library and bookstore records of U.S. citizens
Fifth Amendment
Ignoring habeas corpus (the right to appear before a judge, learn the charges, obtain bail, etc.)
Indefinite detainment without legal counsel or judicial arraignment hearing
Seizure and extreme rendition to secret U.S. prisons in foreign countries
Sixth Amendment
Indefinite and secret detainment without speedy and public trial
No trials, no witnesses, no defense counsel
Eighth Amendment
Physical and mental torture of numerous individuals held captive in U.S. prisons
Ninth Amendment
Implied rights of privacy, clean air and water, freedom from hunger and thirst, etc.
The Nobel Prize
Al Gore, who won the popular vote
for President in 2000, but lost the
electoral vote by a controversial 5-4
Supreme Court decision, was just
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
President George W. Bush—who
cares nothing about science,
literature, economics, and peace—
proves that you don’t have to be
Nobel Prize material to be President
of the United States.
The American Civil Liberties Union
The ACLU works to extend rights to segments of our population that have
traditionally been denied their rights, including Native Americans and other
people of color; lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people; women;
mental-health patients; prisoners; people with disabilities; and the poor. If the
rights of society's most vulnerable members are denied, everybody's rights are
imperiled.
The ACLU was founded by Roger Baldwin, Crystal Eastman, Albert DeSilver and
others in 1920. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan and has grown from a roomful of
civil liberties activists to an organization of more than 500,000 members and
supporters. The ACLU handles nearly 6,000 court cases annually from its offices
in almost every state.
The ACLU has maintained the position that civil liberties must be respected,
even in times of national emergency. The ACLU is supported by annual dues
and contributions from its members, plus grants from private foundations and
individuals. It does not receive any government funding.
The American Civil Liberties Union
It should be obvious that the ACLU is absolutely INDESPENSIBLE! It’s
work on behalf of Constitutional liberties for U.S. citizens and other
humans is vital for the political and moral health of our country.
The ACLU is IRREPLACEABLE as an institution, since it works to
safeguard the foundational freedoms, liberties, and protections guaranteed
by the Constitution.
The ACLU is both a conservative and liberal institution. It is conservative in
the sense that it tries to conserve traditional values, i.e. our Constitutional
rights and liberties. It is liberal in the sense that it tries to promote freedom
for individuals, organizations, and society (liberal and liberty derive from
the same root).
The ACLU is not always immediately successful. The past seven years
have witnessed the most sustained attack on Constitutional rights and
protections in the modern era, and we are continuing to suffer from that
attack. Litigation takes a long time. Politics is faster.
The United States Constitution
The Bill of Rights: First Amendment
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof?”
Establishment Clause
Separationist Interpretation (strict separation, no aid)
Accommodationist Interpretation (some aid permitted, such as
for health, safety, transportation, etc.)
Both interpretations are Non-Preferentialist (cannot prefer one
religion over another or religion over non-religion)
Free Exercise Clause
Separation of Church and State
False Claim: There is nothing in the Constitution or Bill of Rights
about separation of church and state. The Establishment Clause
only prohibits Congress from establishing a national religion, so
government can promote religious agendas.
“I don't believe there's such a thing as the separation of church and
state. In fact, the First Amendment to the Constitution actually calls
on the United States Congress to make sure, to ensure that people
are allowed to practice their religion.” Texas Rep. Leo Berman
Truth: Separation of Church and State is a metaphor of the
Establishment Clause. “In the words of Jefferson, the clause against
establishment of religion by law was intended to erect ‘a wall of
separation between church and State.’” Justice Hugo Black
Fourteenth Amendment
An essential addition to The Bill of Rights to make their
liberties available to all citizens at all levels of government.
“No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the
privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall
any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due
process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the
equal protection of the laws.”
Under the “Incorporation Doctrine” of the 14th Amendment, the
Supreme Court has held since 1868 that the protections of The Bill
of Rights apply to state, county, and municipal governments, even
though the Amendments state that they apply only to Congress.
Decades were required to make freedom from religious
establishment a reality. The process continues today.
Religion and Non-Religion
False Claim: The Establishment Clause only prohibits preference of
one religion over another, not religion over non-religion, so
governments can promote—through legislation and statute—broadly
religious goals and agendas.
“Freedom of religion should not be mistaken for freedom from
religion.” Governor Rick Perry
Truth: “Government should not prefer one religion to another, or
religion to irreligion.” Justice David Souter, Justice Hugo Black, etc.,
in several Supreme Court decisions. The slightest empathy or
reflectance would demonstrate why freedom from religion is
necessary: Everyone would want to be free from religions other than
their own. That’s hundreds of religions to be free from!
Religious and Secular
False Claim: When religion is removed from the public schools, it is
replaced by a “religion of secularism,” which hurts religious students.
“We don't need to shield our children from religious expression and
allow them to only be exposed to the religion of secularism in our
schools.” Governor Rick Perry
Truth: The U.S. Constitution requires that our various governments
and government institutions—such as public schools—must be
secular. Secularism is the middle, neutral state between religion
and anti-religion. Individuals can choose to be religious, nonreligious (secular), or anti-religious, but the state must be secular
by Constitutional law.
The Problem
Public officials I term the “4Rs”—Radical Religious Right
Republicans—aggressively use the power of their state offices to
force their sectarian religious values and beliefs onto moderate
citizens and secular institutions.
Censorship of public school textbooks, especially biology texts
Vouchers for private schools—almost all are religious schools
Proselytization of students using Bible study classes (HB 1287)
Requiring recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance with “under God”
phrase, requiring a “moment of silence,” and adding “under God”
to the Texas Pledge (HB 1034)
Forcing religious speech on captive student audiences under the
guise of “freedom of religious expression” (HB 3678)
Abstinence only; against stem cell research; extorting faith-based
pre-marriage counseling; attempts to ban abortion, etc.
Texas Constitution and Vouchers
Article 1 - BILL OF RIGHTS
Section 7 - APPROPRIATIONS FOR SECTARIAN PURPOSES
“No money shall be appropriated, or drawn from the Treasury for the
benefit of any sect, or religious society, theological or religious
seminary; nor shall property belonging to the State be appropriated
for any such purposes.”
Over half the states have had a statewide referendum on the
question of giving public tax money to private religious schools. In
every case, vouchers failed by a 2-1 margin. The same would occur
in Texas if the legislature would allow a vote.
City councils and state legislatures have tried to implement limited
voucher programs, but most of these have failed in state and federal
court decisions; e.g., Florida.
School Vouchers – An Accommodation
Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, 2002 (narrow 5-4 SC decision)
Valid secular purpose (e.g., assistance to failing public schools)
Public financial assistance is neutral, not directed to religious
schools (but almost all private schools are religious)
Public financial assistance given to parents, not schools (but it
quickly goes to schools)
Results:
Voucher programs focus on meeting Supreme Court guidelines
Voucher proposals for “failing” urban schools, autistic students, etc.
Legislative efforts and ploys to cause public schools to fail: underfunding schools, over-testing students, delaying teachers salary
raises, requiring “teacher accountability,” charter schools, virtual
academies, promoting home-schooling, etc.
WHY?
Why do the 4Rs engage in their blatant unconstitutional activity?
They want to counter the Constitutional secular and neutral nature of
government institutions, especially the public school system, which
they perceive as anti-religious.
They wish to reinforce the almost pervasive religious proselytization
of children in Texas society, so to do their part in their evangelical
mission.
They know they can succeed in steps, by keeping the pressure on
and gradually winning small victories, ultimately winning larger
victories.
Courts may rule against them, but courts can change, and
precedents can be overturned. After all, stare decisis is dead. And
since Supreme Court justices have promised to uphold the principle
during their confirmation hearings, but failed to do so, hypocrisy is
dead, too.
Who are the Radical Religious Right
Republicans in Texas doing the most damage
to our Constitutional liberties?
Governor Rick Perry
House Speaker Tom Craddick
Representative Warren Chisum
Representative Charlie Howard
Former Rep. Kent Grusendorf
Super Lobbyist James Leininger
Textbook Censorship was common and
is still ongoing in Texas.
Biology, earth science, environmental science, history, economics,
civics, social studies, literature, health education, and many other
textbooks—including the dictionary—have been censored by the
radical religious right majority on the State Board of Education for
decades, and education in Texas has suffered, especially science
education.
The topic of evolution in biology textbooks was especially damaged
in the 1960s and 1970s, when the subject was watered-down,
relegated to insignificance, and even removed from some textbooks.
Anti-evolution disclaimers were stamped in biology texts!
Efforts began in 1980 to challenge the censorship problem.
The Textbook Adoption System is Still Broken
The Texas SBOE still has too much power.
Science textbook publishers engage in self-censorship, anticipating
what content the Texas State Board of Education will permit.
An abstinence-only policy was implicitly mandated by the SBOE.
The topic of contraception was omitted from all health education
textbooks in 2004, despite the facts that
over 60% of Texas high school students engage in sexual activity,
Texas has one of the highest teenage illegitimate pregnancy
rates, and
Texas has one of the highest teenage STD and HIV rates.
The politically-appointed Texas Commissioner of Health refused to
intervene or say anything, despite TCS’s written requests.
There is no law requiring that accurate and reliable
science be taught or pseudoscience to not be taught
in public schools.
Instead, every significant court case involving creationism and
intelligent design was decided in science and society’s favor on the
basis of a First Amendment, Establishment Clause violation.
Every court concluded that the defendants tried to force sectarian
religion into science classrooms (or keep evolution out of them).
Evolution v. Creationism or Intelligent Design Creationism Cases:
Epperson v. Arkansas, 1968 (Supreme Court: anti-evolution law overturned)
Wright v. Houston ISD, 1972 (District Court: evolution ruled not a secular religion)
McLean v. Arkansas, 1982 (District Court: balanced treatment law overturned;
creation science not science, but a religious doctrine)
Edwards v. Aguillard, 1987 (Supreme Court: equal-time law overturned; creation
science ruled not legitimate science)
Freiler v. Tangipahoa Parish, 1997 (District Court: disclaimer law overturned)
Kitzmiller v. Dover, 2005 (District Court: disclaimer law overturned; intelligent design
ruled to be creationism, a religious doctrine)
Conclusions about the Establishment Clause
and Textbook Censorship
The accuracy and reliability of our country’s science education
system depends on a Constitutional clause that prohibits the
establishment of religion!
Textbook censorship is just one part of a much larger problem
involving the promotion of sectarian religion by public officials.
“Human civilization becomes more and more a race between
education and catastrophe.” H.G. Wells, The Outline of History
The Texas 4Rs are courting catastrophe by gaming the system to
achieve their sectarian self-interests. They regularly pervert science
education (and other cultural values) by using the powers of their
offices to legislate fundamentalist Protestant Christian doctrines that
Texas secular public institutions must accept.
Other Violations of the Establishment Clause
and Church/State Separation in Texas
Proselytization of students using Bible study classes (HB 1287).
Example: Ector County ISD is facing very expensive litigation from the
Texas ACLU. As is the case with most public high school Bible
courses, the ECISD course is being taught in a non-scholarly, nonsecular manner, and this is unconstitutional. The new Permian Basin
ACLU Chapter was formed in the wake of this lawsuit.
Requiring recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance with “under God”
phrase, requiring a “moment of silence,” and adding “under God” to the
Texas Pledge (HB 1034). The national Pledge is currently under
litigation and the Texas Pledge soon will be. If the unconstitutional twoword phrase is removed, the Pledges will become legal.
Forcing religious speech on captive student audiences under the guise
of “freedom of religious expression” (HB 3678). The law and its “Model
Policy” were written by an anti-Separationist attorney and sponsored by
two anti-Separationist Texas Representatives. This very egregious new
law violates several Supreme Court decisions supporting the
Establishment Clause, and will soon be litigated and overturned.
The United States is a “Christian Nation” Myth
"I just have to say in all candor that since this nation was founded primarily on
Christian principles, personally, I prefer someone who has a grounding in my
faith."
Senator John McCain, October 1, 2007
Senator McCain also said he agreed with a recent poll that 55 percent of
Americans believe the U.S. Constitution establishes a Christian nation. "I
would probably have to say yes, that the Constitution established the United
States of America as a Christian nation," he said.
Later, McCain sought to clarify his remarks: "What I do mean to say is the United States of
America was founded on the values of Judeo-Christian values, which were translated by our
founding fathers which is basically the rights of human dignity and human rights," he said.
"I believe that anyone can be president of the United States of any faith," McCain said, saying
he was angry his remarks were misinterpreted but "there's nothing I can do about it.“
This is, of course, classic back-peddling, since McCain realized that he had over-reached in
his zeal to establish himself with the core Republican voters—religious fundamentalists—and
his statements were blatantly untrue. At least McCain regrets telling untruths.
The United States is a “Christian Nation” Myth
"Our laws and institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the
teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be
otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and institutions are
emphatically Christian."
United States Supreme Court 1892, Holy Trinity Church v United States
The quote above is spurious, a hoax.
http://supreme.justia.com/us/143/457/case.html
http://www.languageandlaw.org/TEXTS/CASES/HOLYTRIN.HTM
This case is cited most often for its determination of how legislative intent can be
determined. The case is famous for being misinterpreted as a religion case, from
a line in obiter dicta in which Justice Brewer claimed that the United States is a
"Christian nation." Many people have cited that as the case's holding, though that
is incorrect.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Trinity_Church_v._United_States
Holy Trinity did not establish the United States as a Christian nation.
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/brewer.htm
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/trinity.htm
The United States is a “Christian Nation” Myth
"We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the
capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each
and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain
ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”
James Madison, Fourth President of the United States
This statement appears nowhere in the writings or recorded utterances
of James Madison and is completely contradictory to his character as a
strong proponent of the separation of church and state. It is a spurious
hoax.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/capital.asp
The United States is a “Christian Nation” Myth
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation
was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but
on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other
faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship
here."
Patrick Henry, May 1765, Speech to the House of Burgesses
The quote above is a hoax, a forgery. Patrick Henry never wrote
or stated this.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/badquotes.htm
http://www.geocities.com/peterroberts.geo/Relig-Politics/PHenry.html#msquo
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/tnppage/misqidx.htm
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Patrick_Henry
The United States is a “Christian Nation” Myth
In 1797, six years after the adoption of the Bill of Rights, the United
States government signed a treaty with the Muslim nation of Tripoli that
contained the following statement (numbered Article 11 in the treaty):
“As the Government of the United States is not, in any sense,
founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of
enmity against the law, religion or tranquility of Musselmen; and as the
states never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any
Mohometan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising
from religious opinion shall ever produce an interruption of harmony
existing between the two countries.”
This treaty was negotiated by an emissary appointed by President
George Washington and signed by President John Adams. It was
ratified by the U.S. Senate with no debate and no disagreement.
The Declaration of Independence
Scene at the Presentation of the
Declaration of Independence
July 4, 1776
Independence Hall, Philadelphia
The United States is a “Christian Nation” Myth
Claim: The Declaration of Independence refers to God as an important
founding element of the new United States.
Facts:
1. The Declaration of Independence is an important historical
document of our country, but it is not a founding document of our
government. It is a declaration, not a constitution.
2. The Declaration refers to a Deistic God—“Nature’s God,” “Creator,”
and “Supreme Judge of the world”—NOT Jesus or the Christian
God.
3. The Deistic language was used to base the Declaration on Natural
Law, which is the Law instituted in Nature by the Creator God (in
which the Founding Fathers all believed).
4. The actual founding documents of the United States, the
Constitution and The Bill of Rights, do not mention or invoke God or
religion of any kind. In fact, they expressly separate religion from
government in several key passages.
The United States is a “Christian Nation” Myth
All of the major Founding Fathers, many of
the Signers of the Declaration of
Independence, many of the Framers of the
Constitution, and the first six Presidents of
the United States were Deists.
These include George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin,
John Adams, James Madison, James
Monroe, Thomas Paine, Alexander
Hamilton, Benjamin Rush, John Quincy
Adams, and many others.
These men were religious, believed in a
God, but WERE NOT CHRISTIANS. In
fact, many of them disliked or despised
Christianity. An abundance of historical
scholarship attests to these facts.
The United States is a “Christian Nation” Myth
In 1778, James Madison said to the Virginia
Convention on Ratifying the Constitution:
"Freedom arises from the multiplicity of sects,
which pervades America and which is the best
and only security for religious liberty in any
society. For where there is such a variety of
sects, there cannot be a majority of any one
sect to oppress and persecute the rest."
Deists valued reason, science, and knowledge,
not religious superstitions. They disliked the
sectarian tendency of most religions.
The Founders would have agreed with Thomas
Paine, who wrote, “I believe in one God, and no
more…I do not believe in the creed professed
by the [Roman, Protestant, and other churches]
nor by any church I know of. My own mind is
my own church.” (Age of Reason)
The United States is a “Christian Nation” Myth
The founding fathers were horrified by witch
hangings conducted by Christian Puritans, by
religious persecutions, and by atrocities
committed by state-enforced Christian
churches in Europe. The founding fathers
were attracted to a deistic concept of God, a
kinder, more humanitarian God than the
jealous, cruel, vindictive God of the Bible.
The Framers of the Constitution believed in
what is today termed Church/State
Separation. They were religious men, but
they wanted to keep religion separated from
government. They wrote the Constitution and
Bill of Rights to ensure that the emotional
excesses of religions would not harm citizens
by gaining control of the state’s official
powers. They would have been horrified with
conditions in the United States today.