Reply #261: Yes, that may or may not be true--you really do not know how many

[Malva Zebrina]

did not practice religion, but kept up the pretense for expediency do you?

In the living museum at Jamestown, there is a slate tablet signed by the pastor back in the seventeeth century, discovered laid into the original floor when restoring this church. It threatened all those who did not come to church for all services, with severe punishment even DEATH. I cannot remember the exact words, but the message was clear--tyranny over the people and their religious practice in this first permanent settlement in the New World. Looks like a few of them or perhaps a lot of them must have been missing church.

The Mayflower Compact was signed by only 41 of it's 102 passengers Who knows who the others worshipped, if they worshipped at all. Attendance at meeting house in colonial times, was required under penalty, if not outright threat of being shunned and it took place all day on Sunday, and once during the week with a minister up in the pulpit, shouting hellfire and brimstone the entire time.

How many simply sat in the bleachers (where the house slaves and servants sat on benches inclined at an angle downward, so they would have to stay attentive and not fall asleep) pretending out of fear, to listen and believe, went home, and did their religious African chants using their sacred totems-(shells, feathers etc.) This-especially amongst African slaves, who had NO access to anything to do with government, not being able to vote as a whole person. Imagine if they, with their substantial population had a say in it all --what religion would you now say should be the law of the land .

I suspect just a little of the white man's ethno-religious bias here in your posts that seem to be advocating that this is a Christian Nation simply because the rich white man sitting in the chamber, said so or practiced Christianity.

Excavations of slave quarters have revealed all sorts of religious artifacts to prove these peoples practiced their own religion, in secret of course.

The first Americans on this soil, the native American Indian, practiced pantheism until that gentle belief was deemed sinful by Christian missionaries and they forced Christianity on them when they were hungry, depopulated and vulnerable, and these people did not vote either.

But, if Christianity is so prevalent as to expect that our government MUST not ignore it's precepts in it's lawmaking or governing, I have only one thing to say.

The history has much NOT to be proud of. Present day unacceptable attitudes are intimately connected to this same religion and the hate, bigotry, greed, and murderous impulses do not lend credence to the idea that our laws need to be connected with this grandly led Christian history at all. Be careful what you ask for, you may just get it.

I'll stick with the secular, and fight any incursion into the government on the part of any religion--particularly the Christian religion.