i was reading the comments on the article when i came across one that pulled out many of the alleged quotes from founding fathers (and Lincoln of course) that dispute the US christian connection. so i decided to look them up, something i had not done before.
first there was the quote: "The United States is in no way founded upon the Christian religion", which was attributed to George Washington & John Adams. this one appears legit and is sourced from article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli. but it's not that black and white. first, the treaty was specifically aimed at appeasing muslims in tripoli. so one could immediately wonder if this wasn't political styling versus the whole truth. but then, there is also dispute over whether the quote even made it to the arabic version. and really this is only a restatement of the establishment clause of the first amendment of the US constitution. so there is nothing radical or new here.
second there is: "This would be the best of all possible worlds,
if there were no religion in it.", which is attributed to John Adams in a letter to Thomas Jefferson. again, this is legitimate, but is taken far out of context. the whole quote is:
"Twenty times in the course of my late reading have I been on the point of breaking out, "This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it!!!" But in this exclamation I would have been as fanatical as Bryant or Cleverly. Without religion this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in polite company, I mean Hell."
so clearly this is not any indication of atheism or even rejection of chritianity on Adams' part. it's a man struggling with religion on a personal level.
third we have a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln: "The Bible is not my book, and Christianity is not my religion. I could never give assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma." i could not even find a satisfactory source for this one, but there are many instances of it being attributed in many places. and it is consistent with things Lincoln is known to have said about religion and christianity. again, though, all this does is portray a man struggling with religion. well that he should in the face of a horrible war, a mentally ill wife, the death of his children and dealing with slavery.
lastly there is the lion of the secular quotes in US history, Thomas Jefferson: "I do not find in orthodox Christianity one redeeming feature." what's funny is that the one they pick here seems to be disputed. again, though, Jefferson proves a man of his times that struggled with religion and faith:
"Do not be frightened from this inquiry by any fear of its consequences. If it ends in a belief that there is no god, you will find incitements to virtue in the comfort and pleasantness you feel in its exercise, and the love of others which it will procure you. If you find reason to believe there is a God, a consciousness that you are acting under his eye, and that he approves you, will be a vast additional incitement; if that there be a future state, the hope of a happy existence in that increases the appetite to deserve it; if that Jesus was also a god, you will be comforted by a belief of his aid and love. ... In fine, I repeat, you must lay aside all prejudice on both sides, and neither believe nor reject anything, because any other persons, or description of persons, have rejected or believed it. Your own reason is the only oracle given you by heaven, and you are answerable, not for the rightness, but uprightness of the decision."
this is from a letter to a friend. Jefferson's work provides much evidence that he was likely a deist and rejected all organized religion in his own life, but he also saw value to religion in the fabric of a society. perhaps the most revealing quote from Jefferson is this simple wisdom: "He who steadily observes the moral precepts in which all religions concur, will never be questioned at the gates of heaven as to the dogmas in which they all differ." this is taken from another letter.
in the end, the silliness of chasing quotes from men long dead who themselves saw many sides to these issues should be plain. the US is not explicitly a christian nation, and it says as much in the constitution. the US was founded by men who, for the most part, believed in some form of a god and were profoundly influenced by christianity, one way or another. and, in a move more profound than they could have known, those men left room for future generations to define things for themselves. and this should be the real arena of concern. what we say today, what we do today, what we allow people to define this nation as today is the real issue. let's be sure we leave room for everything we are.
happy new year all.
