...A Great Nation with Many Questions The American citizens of this great nation, as a whole, are ready to concede that the United States of America was not founded with Christian principles or with any basis of religion. In ten years, no one will question whether we were founded as a Christian nation or not. Is this something that American citizens are willing to concede? Our founding fathers never directly made reference to Christianity or religion, but it certainly was referenced. Think of how the United States of America would be if its foundation was not one with Christian principles, not a united country, a country without good moral values. Historically, whether many believe it or not, the United States of America is a Christian nation. American was founded by the Pilgrims and Puritans in the early 1600’s. They came to America to be able to practice religious freedom and for other reasons. England decided that they wanted to break away from the Roman Catholic Church in the 1500’s, thus the creation of the Church of England, otherwise known as the Anglican Church. The pilgrims not wanting to belong to the Church of England decided that they wanted to establish a colony in the state of Virginia. They wanted to practice religious freedom and have the Gospel as part of their lives. According to you tube video, “Pilgrims and their journey” by Amwess1 the pilgrims left for America in 1620 on the Mayflower. After more than sixty days they made land at Plymouth, Massachusetts...
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...This book is based on the topic of Religion and Constitution. Constitution of the U.S. was intended to be set up as a completely secular political system or a Christian common wealth. While setting up the constitution, there were some controversies that had caused some religious believers to challenge the constitution’s authorities, there were also made efforts to abolish the slavery and to amend the constitution to recognize the authority of Jesus Christ. The Constitutional Convention had just met for a few weeks when there arose crisis between delegates of four smaller states who demanded equal representation in the Senate. They were firm and wanted the rights at any cost. On the other hand, the delegates of the larger states were not willing to accept the idea of providing the small states’ representation in the Senate and thus they threatened to walk out of the convention. Just as things were about to get out of control, Benjamin Franklin the oldest delegate rose up to speak. Franklin gave the suggestion of adjourning the convention for three days to cool down the temper of the members. He also suggested to include a Chaplin, who would help the delegates to give words of wisdom and enlighten...
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...American History up to 1875 Name Course Instructor Date American History up to 1875 The American history records tremendous changes that define the journey taken in shaping what the country looks like today. The Indian-European conflict was common in the 17th Century in the North America. The issue of slavery got intense and many Indians fell in the hands of the European. Slaves were mistreated, overworked, and tortured to an extent of them dying at the farms. The introduction of Christianity by the Europeans meant that the Indians had to do away with their old fashioned ways of worship. The Indians and the European immigrants had different religion and beliefs that had to be unified for a common existence. The interaction between people of different races, religions and beliefs has been a great aspect of the American history. It was until later in the 20th century that European exploration and colonization of America that brought change in how the Old and New Worlds interacted. The settlement of the Indians in America was a vital mark in the development of native culture. The Indians established their lifestyle blended with rich culture and religion. The Indians on the East Coast had a more civilized life and well-established trade systems. The first encounter between the Europeans and the native Indians took place in the 1500s.[1] The Europeans discovered America as they engaged in fishing of whales and other sea exploration...
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...Report for the presentation ——Religion and the constitution On October 23, Dr. Chris Beneke, associate professor of history makes a presentation and the theme is “Religion, the constitution and the American Presidency”. It discusses the no religion test in United States; we can find the No Religious Test Clause of the United States Constitution is found in Article VI, paragraph 3. It separate the church and the government, no one can disturb each other. It is no required about the religions for federal employee. It is not talking about that “congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. States that maintained no religions test for officeholders in 1787. About the presidential religions affiliation, Washington is infidel and there is a cartoon showed “Cabinet meeting: If AL were president” that all the Cabinet members will wear the religion clothes because he is a believer of a religion. So does United States still have an informal religions test? The answer of course is yes. Gov. Romney in Florida is no blacks allowed until 1971 and no gays allowed nowadays. In conclusion, what Dr. Chris Beneke said is that conventional religions faith is essential for presidential aspirants —— best if its protestant Christianity but catholic Christianity also now seem okay. And attitudes toward Religions faith of candidates especially influenced by relative position on social (“value”) issues (“anti-Mormon sign). Fundamental...
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...Thomas Jefferson: Country to popular belief He was, contradictory as you could get, as it pertained to Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson’s point on religion and slave holding both have considerable roots in contradictory territory; from examining his stance on religion and enslavement there are only a few ways in which you could interpret his choices as it pertained to the country. I think that he made the choices purely out of his status finically, for slavery, and religiousness he changed his course due to his interpretation of the Constitution that he wrote. In the instance of slavery; this is the most blaring of his contradictions. In defense of Jefferson; his father died and in turn left him an inheritance of slaves (Congress, 2005). One could say that at the age of 14 young Jefferson did not have the money or ability to get himself out of the debt his father had put him in to release the slaves(Congress, 2005). As much as he wanted to let the slaves go he could not. Jefferson’s quote citing slavery as a problem within the nation shows his devotion to ending slavery. “There must doubtless be an unhappy influence on the manners of our people produced by the existence of slavery among us. The whole commerce between master and slave is a perpetual exercise of the most boisterous passions, the most unremitting despotism on the one part, and degrading submissions on the other.” Followed by this quote: "We have the wolf by the ears; and we can neither hold him...
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...to get married in 17 states and the District of Columbia. Some other states allow same sex couples to have a civil union, but civil union does not give the couple the same rights that a marriage does. By allowing same sex couples to get married, homosexuals will be given some rights that most heterosexual married couples take for granted, such as family medical insurance, the ability to visit their ill, injured, or otherwise hospitalized family members, and should one pass away, the rights to continue raising children they had together. Our constitution was written to allow the ability of laws to change, and over the years, many laws have changed, including the laws regarding marriages. For example before 1967, inter-racial couples were not allowed to get married, now not only are they allowed to get married, but no one bats an eyelash when it happens. The United States of America was founded on Christian beliefs and much of our constitution reflects that. And one of the things given to us in the Bill of Rights is the Freedom of Religion. This bill guarantees that no one shall be persecuted or punished for their religion or for not having religion. One of the most common...
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...The U.S. Constitution does not mention anything about the United States being a Christian nation and does not recall Christianity or God at all. It appears just as a document that establishes the structure of the new government of the nation. In the same way, the First Amendment protects the individuals’ rights to practice one’s own religion, but does not mention Christianity at all (“God and the Constitution”, 2007). It states instead that the Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, buy despite of that, it is clear that the foundational documents that preceded the U.S. Constitution were influenced by a Christian worldview. Moreover, many of the founders were professing Christians and showed their faith in public...
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...In the Chinese culture the nation consider five religious philosophies such as Daoism, Buddhism, Protestantism, Islam, and Christianity. In China, the government has restrictions on religion that affect the social level of the Chinese culture. Buddhism is main religion that the government of China recognizes to be the official religion. However, in the United States, there is no official religion that is control by the government. In the United States, religious belief is dynamic and widespread among Americans. Based on 35, 000 Americans age 18 and older, the U.S Religions Landscape Survey reported that that among adults in America 78.4% were Christians, 4.7% were another religion, 16.1% were unaffiliated, and .8 % did not know what religion they were. (PewResearch Religion & Public Life Project ). Additionally, Christianity is the most influential religion in the nation; however the United States has no nationally established religion because of the First Amendment t in the U.S Constitution. According to the Grey House Publishing stated that the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has two distinct clauses affecting religion, each representing a fundamental principle and both designed to protect religious liberty. The Establishment Clause prohibits any law, “respecting an establishment of religion.” The Free Exercise Clause bans laws “prohibiting the free exercise of religion.” (Thomas, 2009, p. 217) Under this amendment, it protects the freedom of every individual to...
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...the abuses have built up, unfortunately on the side of Christians using their position against nonbelievers. This has caused an unfortunate backlash, which has seen every instance of Christian symbolism or teaching eagerly repressed by the so-called forces of order. But, in their zeal, these self-proclaimed crusaders have gone too far – they've taken Christianity off of it's pedestal only to replace it with an idol more suitable to their tastes: Secular Humanism. Secular Humanism has been classified by U.S. Courts as a religion, and is supported by public schools. In the case Washington Ethical Society v. District of Columbia, the Supreme Court officially stated that Secular Humanism “qualifies” as a religion under the first amendment. Yet many overlook this classification by the highest legal body in the country. Most public schools not only teach Secular Humanism openly, but they embody it in the entire school system. Atheism reigns supreme, evolution taught as fact, Christianity viewed as a relic of the past. These are sure signs of a support for this nascent religion. Granted, for much of the nation's existence, Christianity has been very well represented in the schooling system. In the past, teachers have openly preached, prayed, and read bible verses to their students. The bible used to be one of two books that children learned to read with. But the nation has moved on, and ever since...
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...deity or the irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Blasphemy in Islam is any irreverent behavior toward holy personages, religious artifacts, customs, and beliefs that Muslims revere. It is taken as a gigantic nature of crime with the capital punishment Blasphemy Causes destabilization of world peace Blasphemy in different religions All major religions such as Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism does not allow Blasphemy at all. Along with different religions different countries have made some Blasphemy laws to control it on some aspects. All the major religions books taught us not to go against any religious god, thing, holy personality or Prophet. But we face different cases of Blasphemy, not only interreligious but even in intra-religiously. Causes of Blasphemy Freedom of Expression Anti Islamic Sentiments Lack of Faith Lack of knowledge It becomes point to be famous and rich (Salman Rushdi) Inter-religious hegemony. Religious Laws against Blasphemy AS PER CHRISTIANITY & JUDAISM The punishment for blasphemy in most of the major religions is death. It is stated in the Old Testament of the...
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...founded upon Christianity, boasts liberal religious freedom, a distinct separation of church and state. This creates a disparity between the religiously affluent and the proclaimed atheist, the Muslim and the Christian, the Buddhist and the Scientologist. One of the most highly debated issues upon freedom of religion includes the removal of the words “Under God” from the pledge of allegiance in public schools. Christians insinuate a loss of our foundation and morals to their children, while atheists, Muslims, and other religious sectors are entitled to equality. This may stem from a mix of power and value differences. While I do agree that The United States does stem from Christianity, I feel that religious freedom is specifically outlined in the constitution by our founding fathers. There is a value that Christians hold within the Bible and their beliefs, in which they feel the liberal government is taking away. They feel the loss of foundation that our country was based upon. They feel powerless. The forfeiture of “Under God” within public schools is clearly in line with our rights. However, because the United States is based upon Christianity as a whole, I do believe that public education should branch to provide an education in which Christians can send their children to a school that is able to maintain Christian beliefs and continue worship God as they know Him within a religious sector. This would provide an opportunity for the foundation of Christianity to raise their...
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...Jager v. Douglas 9-4-14 7th The Jager v. Douglas case started when the Douglas County schools wanted to pray before the football games, but one young boy named Doug Jager refused to participate in these prayers due to his families’ religious beliefs (OpenJurist). This ended a tradition of Douglas County schools that had lasted forty-one years, and this led to Doug being harassed and even threatened by peers and people around school (Freedom from Religion Foundation). The problem was that in these prayers when they ended, it would end along the lines of “Jesus, in your name we pray” and so on expressing Christianity. Doug Jager felt this...
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...Religion in India is characterized by a diversity of religious beliefs and practices. India is the birthplace of four of the world's major religions; namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Throughout India's history, religion has been an important part of the country's culture. Religious diversity and religious tolerance are both established in the country by the law and custom. According to the 2001 census,[1] 80.5% of the population of India practice Hinduism. Islam (13.8%), Christianity (2.4%), Sikhism (1.9%), Buddhism (1.5%) and Jainism (0.4%) are the other major religions followed by the people of India. There are also numerous minor tribal traditions, though these have been affected by major religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity. The amount of diversity in the religious belief systems of India today, is a result of both the existence of many native religions and also, the assimilation and social integration of religions brought to the region by travellers, immigrants, traders, and even invaders and conquerors such as the Mughals. Zoroastrianism and Judaism also have an ancient history in India, and each has several thousands of Indian adherents. India has the largest population of people adhering to Zoroastrianism (i.e. Parsis and Iranis) and Bahá'í Faith in the world,[2][3] even though these religions are not native to India. Many other world religions also have a relationship with Indian spirituality, such as the Baha'i faith which...
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...is out of God’s love for Him that makes missions possible. The reality is that mankind has tasted God’s grace and love toward our fellow man by sharing what we have tasted, namely, God’s love. Steven Hawthorne notes that, “Worship fulfills God’s love. He loves people so vastly that He wills them to something better than greatness; He wants to bring them into an honored nearness to Him.” This is what I see in Isaiah. We see Isaiah worshipping God in all His glory and splendor and then God asks one of the most important mission centered questions ever in Isaiah 6:8, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Abstract According to World Constitutions Illustrated, the Moroccan constitution provides for supposed freedom of worship by stating in article 3 that, “Islam is the religion of the state, which guarantees to all the free...
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...Why is Christianity so central to Douglass’ argument? Why does he make numerous references to the Bible? Christianity is a religion based on values of love, respect, forgiveness, and understanding, and the Bible is the book from which those values are taught. Frederick Douglass, born into slavery, was a prominent figure in the fight to abolish slavery, and a great speech giver. In his speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Douglass centrals his argument around Christianity to bring to light the sham under which his audience resides, and makes numerous references to the Bible to support his claim. It has been, and still is to this day, said that the United States of America was built upon a foundation of Judeo-Christian values. In what feels to be increasingly heated words, Douglass speaks on behalf of the American slave, presenting to his audience the travesty they have made of the Christian faith. He explains that “American Christianity” is “to [the American slave], mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy – a this veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages” (Douglass 485). Through the use of harsh words, Douglass is hoping they will penetrate the souls of those listening, resulting in sorrow and guilt for allowing such a travesty to arise from a religion based on love and respect. Further into his speech, Douglass emphasizes on how the lives of his audience are a sham, and he feels he is helping them to do right by making...
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