Religion and Americas Founding - Essay Example

Religion and Americas Founding It is very true that the present-day notion of the separation of the church and is at odds with the Founding fathers’ vision of religion’s role in our democratic republic. The Founding Fathers would be seriously shocked if they woke up from the dead and find what is currently going on in America. Things have greatly metamorphosed from how they were in the past. It is true that the Founding fathers were truthfully religious Christians. They did not only read the Bible, but also lived by it. Their children were also given Biblical names, and most of their communities were given names after the cities in the Holy land. The Christian Americans of the eighteenth century saw their rise and development in religious and mostly Biblical terms. Nevertheless, in the declaration of independence, they appealed to God as the creator, the highest judge of the whole world and the divine providence for legality and protection. In the Constitution of the United States of America, we find that there is nothing like separation of the church and the state. The separation of the church and the state’s purpose was not to create freedom from religion, but creation of freedom for religion (Rauchut 4-21). One book that was taken seriously by the Founding Fathers is the Holy Bible. The people of America have always been considering themselves as a Christian state, embracing all religions, as long as they all they all agreed with the traditional Christian-Judeo principles as they are stipulated in the Holy Bible. Even at present, up to about eighty-five percent of the people of America consider themselves Christians. It is unimaginable the kind of shock that would hit the Founding Fathers if they came back today to find that their beloved nation, which is still having the largest population constituted of Christians joining forces such as the European union, the United Nations and even Russia who are always ready to go against the word of God. It is also true that the biggest percentage of the United Nations is constituted of the Arab Muslim nations; countries that do not even recognize the right of Israel foe existence, and also who have a belief that they are purposely there to clear Israel out of the world map. It would also be to the shock of the Founding fathers to realize that their descendants, whereas preaching to the Christians who are Bible believing, are following a scheme that is dreamed up by the republic of Saudi Arabia, a nation that is aggressive against the Jews and Christians, as well as the Western Civilization. I believe the modern or present-day demands of the world have led to the separation of the church and state. This is because the world is currently considered to be a rotten place and the church cannot single-handedly clear up the mess. There are several things that happen in the world today such as terrorism that are not supported by the church; however, it cannot offer an appropriate solution, which makes it difficult for the church to be involved in such matters. Fighting terrorism requires an intensive fight with the suspected perpetrators, which leads to several deaths, and this cannot be supported b the church (Rauchut 6-19). Does morality depend on any Gods’ existence? I believe there is no apparent reason as to why people should believe a thing like that. If we actually believe in the presence of a God, even one that has most of the theism, philosophical and classicalism’s traditional qualities, then there are no specific moral values that can be derived from that premise. One major complaint regarding the issue of secularism is that belief in God and religion are the fundamentals of morality, a democratic society and justice. Here, the fundamental premise is that the only values that eventually matter are those that are inspirational, and they can only be understood and perceived via connection or relationship with divine and religious tradition. Religious and different kinds of theism have literally had decades of years that showed that they could offer the basis for moral, democratic and just society (Rauchut, et al 12-23). Mostly, they have not done a very pleasant job; contrary, we find that religion is always linked to political repression, prejudice and dissipation. However, even though these shortcomings are not enough proofs that religion cannot be in a position of offering a basis for democracy, justice and morality, they actually prove that the values do not immediately and naturally come from religion. A very significant point that should make individuals discouraged from dynamically believing in the essential relationship between those particular values and the religion in general or particularly theirs. I concur with the statement which states that there is no republic without liberty; no liberty without virtue and not virtue without religion. This is because all of them are interconnected and one cannot do without the other. In other words, one defines the other. However, I do not agree with the statement that morality cannot be maintained without religion. This is particularly true because how a person conducts him or herself in within him or her and religion has nothing to do with it. Many people are generally good, regardless of their religious affiliations. Religious liberty means all religions are treated equally, and none appears to be more or lesser that the other. A good society is one that respects all religions and gives all of them free space to carry out their practices. It is true that American religion greatly undermines the American values. This is because there are some values that America stands for, which to some extent appear discriminatory, and which are not acceptable by the American religion. That is why a line has been drawn between the state and the church, as they no longer agree on many issues. Works cited Rauchut, Edward. American Vision And Values: A Companion To The Kirkpatrick Signature Series. Bellevue University Press, 2008. Print. Rauchut, Edward, et al. Kirkpatrick Signature Series Reader. Bellevue University Press, 2008. Print. Read More