The religious freaks in America constantly prate on and on about their founding Fathers and their "Rich Religious Heritage(tm)". Ok. I made that last part up. That phrase is a Watchtower(tm) phrase. The religious freaks try to con modern folks into believing that our founding Fathers were all Christians(tm) and our Country was founded based upon the principles of Christianity. Unless you consider the Taliban of the day (Puritans) in New England, that notion is simply not true.
The man who is my American hero and who wrote the Declaration of Independence was not one of them. Nor was Thomas Paine, Ben Franklin or George Washington, Samuel Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Patrick Henry, and many other Revolutionary Patriots.
Consider Thomas Jefferson's viewpoints on the "rich religious heritage" he passed on to future generations of the Republic he was a major player in founding:
"I do not find in orthodox Christianity one redeeming value."
"I have recently been examining all the know superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition (Christianity) one redeeming feature. They are all alike founded on fables and mythology."
"In every Country and every age, the priest has been hostile to Liberty."
"It is in our lives and not our words that our religion must be read."
Amen to that last one, Tommie.
For those of you skeptics who doubt any of this, read Thomas Paine's "The Age of Reason." It is freely available on the Internet. He thoroughly trashes the Bible and Christianity fairly and squarely. But that is easy to do.
Farkel