[Vision2020] Founders Valued Separation

[Tom Hansen]

>From today's (October 30, 2008) Letters section of the Spokesman Review 
with thanks to Jack DeBaun of Sandpoint.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Founders valued separation

Steve Massey (Oct. 25) asserts that our country is founded on "Christian 
principles." In truth, our common law is derived from the English Saxons, 
whose laws were largely influenced by the principles of Roman law. Thomas 
Jefferson concluded in a letter to Thomas Cooper (Feb. 10, 
1814), "Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of common law."

The Bible is far more supportive of the divine right of kings than it is 
of our representative-democratic form of government. In the past, verses 
such as 1 Peter 2:13-14 and Romans 13:1-2 were commonly used to compel 
obedience to authoritarian rule. 

During George Washington's administration, the Senate gave unanimous 
approval to the Treaty of Tripoli in 1797. This treaty states, in 
part, "the government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded 
on the Christian religion ... ." The words "Christian" and "Christianity" 
appear nowhere in our Constitution, the supreme law of the land.

Regarding the matter of church/state separation, Alexis de Tocqueville, 
whom Massey quoted, wrote, "All (the clergy and laity with whom he spoke 
during his travels in this country) thought the main reason for the quiet 
sway of religion over their country was the complete separation of church 
and state."

Jack DeBaun
Sandpoint
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Seeya at the polls, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
 
"We're a town of about 23,000 with 10,000 college students. The college 
students are not very active in local elections (thank goodness!)."

- Dale Courtney (March 28, 2007)


---------------------------------------------
This message was sent by First Step Internet.
           http://www.fsr.com/