Ironglow,
Yes, I missed Israel. Don't know how I missed that one.
I also forgot the Spanish Empire, which was one of the largest on earth and immensely religious, zealotly Catholic. Now they spent lots of time torturing and killing anybody who didn't believe in God, or who happened to be Christian but Protestant. In short, people that they didn't think were Godly enough.
The problem is, who gets to decide who is Godly enough and who is not? You? Dee? Your Ministers?
Not on my watch. :-)
Thomas Jefferson would certainly have flunked your tests, since he only believed in a disinterested Superior Being, who set the world in motion like a giant clock and then just stood back and watched. Franklin as well (fathering 84 illegitimate children). Washington, one of the largest slave owners in America, and despite his immense wealth, gave virtually nothing to charities. Shall I go on?
Best, Mannyrock
P.S.- Dee, writing responses in bold italics does not make your arguments more convincing, but actually makes them look rather desperate. I prefer Ironglow's orderly method.
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Israel went into slavery 2 times in the OT and came back..Israel went into dispersion 2,000 years ago and was reconstitutes in it's homeland 60 years ago. Name another nation which has done that !
Yes, the Spanish Empire was immensely wealthy and zealously Roman Catholic at that time. It was the heir of the "Holy Roman Empire" following a "church" which had turned political hundreds of years previously..(IMO) it was an organization led by such as the Medicis & Borgias..(Giovanni Medici..pope Leo X,1513) (Rodrigo Borgia.. Alexander VI, 1431) produced illegitimate children.. a completely corrupt group leading a corrupt royalty..
the candle had passed centuries ago. Thomas Jefferson failed my standard long ago..not only for being a Diest, but he divorced God by making expurgations to the Bible and calling the result "The Jefferson Bible" (Rev 22:18,19). Ben Franklin has had many a false tale told about him..i doubt the 84 illegitimates although he did have some. He seems to have been a late convert to Christ, because he had a poor start.
Washington did own slaves and was as decent as an owner can be..info says he was seeking a way to free same.
Manny..you seem to be demanding perfection of human beings..we are a fallen people, often our trail to Christ is halting and unsteady..nevertheless, we recognize who He is.. Don't expect perfection from any man ("man" being a generic term)
Of course, as unbelievers usually do, you grasp probably the only two founding fathers who could be in any way compromised in their belief in God. Obviously, Thos Jefferson was a half-way Christian..which is to say he failed the test. There is proof that Franklin was saved from Diesm.. late in life. You missed Thomas Paine..who could be debated (with hindsight) as to the position of his standing.
Naturally, you didn't mention the vast bulk of them, who were very dedicated to Christ..here are some quotes;
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The highest glory of the American Revolution was this - that it connected, in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity." - John Quincy Adams
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"The Bible is the cornerstone of liberty. A student's perusal of the sacred volume will make him a better citizen, a better father, a better husband." - Thomas Jefferson
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"The Bible is the rock on which our Republic rests." - Andrew Jackson
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"In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government, ought to be instructed." - Noah Webster
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(UC) "We have staked the future of American civilization upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God." - James Madison
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(UC) "He who shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive Christianity will change the face of the world." - Benjamin Franklin
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(UC) "It can not 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." - Patrick Henry
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"The religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and His apostles...to this we owe our free constitutions of government." - Noah Webster
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"Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed the conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?" - Thomas Jefferson
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"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almight God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly implore His protection and favor." - George Washington
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"Suppose a nation in some distant Region should take the Bible for their only law book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited.... What a utopia, what a paradise would this region be." - John Adams
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"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." - John Adams
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