Separation of Church and State?

The founding fathers' views on religion and government After the recent flap over the 9th circuit court's pledge decision (ruling the added phrase 'under God,' inserted into the pledge in 1954, to be unconstitutional), I've received a lot of requests for the thoughts of the Founding fathers on the issue of Separation of Church and State. At issue is the belief of many mainstream Christians that separation is a later construct of the courts, and never intended by the founders. Another prominent argument is that the founders only opposed the establishment...

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Here's What Deism Really Is

Deism is a well-established theology with a long history. It is said to originate in the Age of Enlightenment, according to Wikipedia, but it could be argued that it goes all the way back to the days of the great Greek philosophers. It was popular with several of the American Founding Fathers, including Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and more, and is experiencing a resurgence. Thomas Paine once said “God exists, and there it lies.” This brilliant man summed up Deist theology in a single sentence, and demonstrated the simplicity...

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Deism and Christianity (Part 2 of 2)

(The following is my view, not representative of all Deists. Comments are welcome.) As I mentioned in Part 1, Deism in America grew within a Christian culture. What I mean by this is that most American Deists were associated with a local church. But it also had a “love/hate” relationship with Christianity that has not abated. Deists affirmed, along with Christians, that God is our Creator and that the creation is good and shows God’s handiwork....

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Deism and Christianity (Part 1 of 2)

(The following is my view, not at all representative of all deists. Comments are welcome.)  I thought it would be interesting to consider what Deism shares with the Christian religion. This topic could be a bit tricky because Deists have no set of codified beliefs. We consider ourselves to be free-thinkers, so we don’t tell each other what to believe. But, in a nutshell, Deists believe in God as revealed in nature, and then use reason...

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