Did the Founding Fathers promote Christianity or other religious doctrines when they created the United States Constitution and our Government?

There is (and has been) a well organized movement to convince modern day Americans that our Nation was founded on and more importantly promoted the "Christian" beliefs that are so prevalent in today's debate. THE FACTS HOWEVER, DO NOT SUPPORT THIS POSITION.

Historians have determined that less than 10% of Americans in 1800 were members of congregations.

The Founding Fathers rarely practiced Christian orthodoxy, although they did support the free exercise of any religion. Washington, Franklin, Hancock, Hamilton, Lafayette and many others were actually members of the Freemason Society that welcomed anyone as long as they believed in a Supreme being.

The Constitution reflects our founders views of a secular government protecting the freedom of any belief or unbelief. There were no genuine evangelicals at the Convention.

A few of the myths about George Washington came from Mason Weems' book, "Life of Washington". The famous cherry tree story came from this book but has NO basis in fact. Weems wrote that Washington was a devout Christian, yet Washington's own diaries show that he rarely attended Church. He wrote thousands of letters and the name of Jesus Christ never appeared.

Most Christians do not consider Thomas Jefferson a Christian. He did not believe in spiritual souls, angels or godly miracles. Jefferson believed in materialism, reason and science.

John Adams had his feelings and wrote in 1787-88;
The United States of America have exhibited, perhaps, the first example of governments erected on the simple principles of nature; and if men are now sufficiently enlightened to disabuse themselves of artifice, imposture, hypocrisy, and superstition, they will consider this event as an era in their history. Although the detail of the formation of the American governments is at present little known or regarded either in Europe or in America, it may hereafter become an object of curiosity. It will never be pretended that any persons employed in that service had interviews with the gods, or were in any degree under the influence of Heaven, more than those at work upon ships or houses, or laboring in merchandise or agriculture; it will forever be acknowledged that these governments were contrived merely by the use of reason and the senses.
". . . Thirteen governments [of the original states] thus founded on the natural authority of the people alone, without a pretence of miracle or mystery, and which are destined to spread over the northern part of that whole quarter of the globe, are a great point gained in favor of the rights of mankind."

James Madison has been called the "Father of the Constitution" but made no push for Christianity. In 1785 he wrote;

"During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the Clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution."
"What influence, in fact, have ecclesiastical establishments had on society? In some instances they have been seen to erect a spiritual tyranny on the ruins of the civil authority; on many instances they have been seen upholding the thrones of political tyranny; in no instance have they been the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers who wish to subvert the public liberty may have found an established clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just government, instituted to secure and perpetuate it, needs them not."

Benjamin Franklin was not a follower of organized religion.

Thomas Paine, the most influential writer in early America wrote;

"I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my church. "
"Of all the systems of religion that ever were invented, there is no more derogatory to the Almighty, more unedifiying to man, more repugnant to reason, and more contradictory to itself than this thing called Christianity.

The Constitution itself mentions religion ONLY twice and both times in an exclusionary context. The 1st Amendment says; "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion" and Article VI, Section 3 says; "No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States".

The "zealots" in our modern society that continue their attempts to "speak" for the Fonders or invoke their opinion of what the Founders "meant" are JUST PLAIN WRONG! The misguided and persistent attempts by this group and their political followers to embed the "doctrines of ANY single religion" and the attempt to assign credibility to their position by invoking the "beliefs" of the Founding Fathers should be adamently rejected by thinking Americans. The position lacks TRUTH! The design and intent of our system of Government was, is and should be quite the opposite.

A question to consider might be; "If the doctrines of a specific "Christian" religion (or any other for that matter) did become a functional part of the United States Government, how would it be possible for the wide variety and diversity of "religious practices" to continue to exist within our borders?

Free Americans must maintain the COMPLETE separation of Church and State (as it was intended) and never allow the Government of the United States to be compromised in the "name of religion" by anyone or any group. Our very survival as a Nation may rest on this issue!

It is TIME TO THINK AGAIN!