"Art. 11. As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion,as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen,and as the said States never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."
Nice quote. Just for background, this treaty was dealing with the Muslim pirates off the coast of Africa. These pirates used the fact that the ships they were raiding were not Muslim as one reason for the legitimacy of piracy. It's pretty obvious what your interpretation is. Here is another: It could mean that the government of the United States is not a Christian theocracy. It is not a caliphate with a caliph like the pirates were used to. It doesn't mean that the country wasn't founded on Christian principles. Here is some text from the Treaty of Paris (1783): "IN THE NAME OF THE MOST HOLY AND UNDIVIDED TRINITY It having pleased the Divine Providence to dispose the hearts of the most serene and most potent Prince George the Third, by the grace of God, king of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, duke of Brunswick and Lunebourg, arch-treasurer and prince elector of the Holy Roman Empire etc., and of the United States of America, . . ." While you will probably disagree, I think it easy to see why there can be two interpretations of article 11. A little harder for differing interpretations on "In the name of the most holy and undivided Trinity." John Adams was president when the Treaty of Tripoli was signed. Here are some of his quotes. The general principles upon which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity I will avow that I believed and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and the attributes of God. [June 28, 1813; Letter to Thomas Jefferson] We recognize no Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus! [April 18, 1775, on the eve of the Revolutionary War after a British major ordered John Adams, John Hancock, and those with them to disperse in the name of George the Sovereign King of England." ] [July 4th] ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. [letter written to Abigail on the day the Declaration was approved by Congress] "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." --October 11, 1798 As no truth is more clearly taught in the Volume of Inspiration, not any more fully demonstrated by the experience of all ages, than that a deep sense and a due acknowledgment of the growing providence of a Supreme Being and of the accountableness of men to Him as the searcher of hearts and righteous distributor of rewards and punishments are conducive equally to the happiness of individuals and to the well-being of communities....I have thought proper to recommend, and I hereby recommend accordingly, that Thursday, the twenty-fifth of April next, be observed throughout the United States of America as a day of solemn humiliation, fasting, and prayer; that the citizens on that day abstain, as far as may be, from their secular occupation, and devote the time to the sacred duties of religion, in public and in private; that they call to mind our numerous offenses against the most high God, confess them before Him with the sincerest penitence, implore His pardoning mercy, through the Great Mediator and Redeemer, for our past transgressions, and that through His Holy Spirit, we may be disposed and enabled to yield a more suitable obedience to His righteous requisitions in time to come; that He would interpose to arrest the progress of that impiety and licentiousness in principle and practice so offensive to Himself and so ruinous to mankind; that He would make us deeply sensible that "righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people" [Proverbs 14:34]. So were the founding fathers mostly protestant with a few exceptions? J === Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. - J ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Order the Adobe Coldfusion Anthology now! http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Coldfusion-Anthology-Michael-Dinowitz/dp/1430272155/?tag=houseoffusion Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:320692 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/unsubscribe.cfm
