Catch My Products

Catch My Products
Click on the image to visit Catch My Products.

My humorous thoughts about life.

"My Humorous and Helpful Thoughts About Teaching / Educational Resources for Your Classroom / Music and Random Fun"

Thursday, July 4, 2013

#GBE2: New Chapter (The Founding Fathers)

People love to mess with history for their own political agenda, but the fact remains, the people who started a new chapter for our country were a bunch of radicals, who did not stand behind Jesus in the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

"One Nation Under God," by Jon McNaughton
Here's a bit of conservative propaganda painted by Jon McNaughton. Isn't it a bit ironic to see Jesus holding the document that gives us freedom of religion? Never did our constitution call us a "Christian nation." Instead our constitution stated, "Legislature" should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

Looking deeper, is that Thomas Jefferson standing behind Jesus?  Here's two of his quotes.

Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law.
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Dr. Thomas Cooper, February 10, 1814

Among the sayings and discourses imputed to him [Jesus] by his biographers, I find many passages of fine imagination, correct morality, and of the most lovely benevolence; and others again of so much ignorance, so much absurdity, so much untruth, charlatanism, and imposture, as to pronounce it impossible that such contradictions should have proceeded from the same being.
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Short, April 13, 1820

Glenn Beck, Mr. Tea Bagger himself, likes to dress up as Thomas Paine. Now that's funny! Paine was the atheist who said, "Churches were human inventions set up to terrify and enslave mankind."

I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish Church, by the Roman Church, by the Greek Church, by the Turkish Church, by the Protestant Church, nor by any Church that I know of. My own mind is my own Church. [Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason]

How about Adams who said, "This would be the best of all possible worlds if there were no religion in it." 

I shall have liberty to think for myself without molesting others or being molested myself.
-- John Adams, letter to his brother-in-law, Richard Cranch, August 29, 1756, explaining how his independent opinions would create much difficulty in the ministry, in Edwin S Gaustad, Faith of Our Fathers: Religion and the New Nation (1987) p. 88, quoted from Ed and Michael Buckner, "Quotations that Support the Separation of State and Church"
 

And this, Dear Readers, is all I ever ask for. Quit trying to push your faith on me or change the history of our founding fathers when they began a new chapter. I have nothing against religion. I just don't want to be pressured to practice yours, nor lied to about who are founding fathers truly were.

I leave you with a Bill Maher clip that you'll either love or loathe. Either way, have a wonderful Independence Day!

 


15 comments:

Debbie D. said...

Applause! Applause! Although I'm not American, this has always disturbed me too and I agree with your stance as well. Very brave post, Joyce. Thumbs up!

Michelle Liew said...

Frankly, I believe that we all have the right of faith and belief. So, yes, we should never be pressured into practicing another religion if we do not feel the rightness of its tenets. Well said.

Lorinda J Taylor said...

Right on, Joyce! It's institutionalized, dogmatic, evangelizing religion that causes all the wars, not personal belief. See the posts tagged Mythmakers on my blog http://termitewriter.blogspot.com

stevebethere said...

And thumbs up from me too Joyce :-)

Hope you have a good Independence Day

mail4rosey said...

I'm here to wish you a Happy 4th of July. :)

Unknown said...

I've gone even further in my studies of this subject and you are most certainly correct. I don't believe in the devil but I like the quote "the devil two best inventions, religion and money"
Happy Independence Day to all my American Fiends. :)

Rocks said...

Happy 4th of July!! :)

Unknown said...

Even Ronald Reagan, whom today's conservatives hold in a practically religious reverence, said that separation of church and state was necessary. Measured against today's Tea Bagger types, Reagan was a moderate.
Hope you had a happy Independence Day.

shelly said...

Excellent points!

Hugs and chocolate,
Shelly

Unknown said...

I agree - I believe in God but I don't want anyone telling me what all that should include or where/when/if/what......
2 of the worst experiences (where I was treated the worst!!) of my life involved a church which is a big part of why we rarely go to church now.

Anonymous said...

If religion puts your feet on a path to awareness, higher consciousness, or even closer to where you want to be, then it has value. If imposed, then it is nothing more than another form of tyranny. We are either all perfect, or none, make that choice as you will. For those who make claim in either direction have surely lost their way!

Anonymous said...

Yes ma'am! I couldn't agree more and I've always found it irritating that fact is often twisted into fantasy. Thanks for a great post Joyce.

Amy McMunn said...

Very well stated!

Philosophidian said...

Hear, hear! *applause*

Lucy said...

Hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July :)

Lucy from Lucy's Reality