Extreme Christians

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I may have the times screwed up but at least I'm not flat out denying that this country was founded on Christian ideals.
EDIT: I also knew that using the salem witch trials was a bad example but at the moment the best thing I could think of

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." - John Adams

I have found Christian dogma unintelligible. Early in life I absented myself from Christian assemblies." - Benjamin Franklin

"Christianity is the most perverted system that ever shone on man" - Thomas Jefferson

"During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What has 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." - James Madison

"Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we called it the word of a demon that the Word of God. It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind; and for my own part, I sincerely detest it, as I detest everything that is cruel." - Thomas Paine

"We have abundant reason to rejoice that in this Land the light of truth and reason has triumphed over the power of bigotry and superstition ... In this enlightened Age and in this Land of equal liberty it is our boast, that a man's religious tenets will not forfeit the protection of the Laws, nor deprive him of the right of attaining and holding the highest Offices that are known in the United States." - George Washington

In 1776, there was no Evangelical movement. There was no Southern Baptist Convention, no Assemblies of God, etc.

Evangelical Christianity didn't even exist until about 1900, and was not mixed with politics until the 1970s.

As sinsboldly has pointed out, we were NOT founded on Christian values. Many of the founding fathers would be considered atheists today. In their day, they could never adopt that as an official stance, and so never really "came out of the closet". The best way to describe them is as secularists; the church and the state should be separate!

We were founded on utilitarian values, for the last time! Read some philosophy.

This is all very interesting, but speaking as a European I wonder, how did the present state of affairs come about? Except for Italy (which is exceptional due to the proximity of the Vatican), religion plays little or no part in European politics, and I don't think there is another industrialised country where it has the same influence as in the States. If a presidential candidate in a western European country were to come out as an atheist, he wouldn't lose more than a handful of votes among religious extremists, but in the States it would be political suicide. How come, if, as you say, the country was founded by agnostics and closet atheists?

A few countries in South America are industrialized. Michelle Bachelet, the president of Chile, is an agnostic despite the country being very conservative.

Most of Latin America is heading toward the left politically, but religion still plays a strong role in society.

I think only Colombia, Peru, and Mexico are still moderate or conservative.

But then again, no one pays attention to Guyana or Suriname.

to bads it's not more like south korea they love MMORPG's and games like starcraft 2