The following comes from a man of great common sense, Thomas Paine. Thomas Paine is one of the principal founders of the idea of ​​American independence. “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. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay All national institutions of the churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me to be nothing more than human inventions, put in place to terrify and enslave humanity. , and monopolize power and profit. Whenever we read of the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and tortuous executions, the relentless vengeance with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent if we called it the word of a demon rather than the word of God. It is a story of wickedness that served to corrupt and brutalize humanity; and, for my part, I sincerely hate him, as I hate everything that is cruel. » These were the thoughts of a man who laid the foundation of the United States. Let me ask you this: does this sound like a man willing to impose Christian values, or any other religious values, on an entire nation? Many religious groups insist that the United States was designed to be officially Christian and that our laws should implement – ​​their version – of Christianity. Is this view correct? Did the founders of our government intend to create a government that would give special recognition to Christianity or any other theology? To answer all these questions, no. The Constitution is a secular document and contains no mention of Christianity or any other religion. In fact, the Constitution only refers to religion twice in the First Amendment, which states "respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," and in Article VI, which prohibits "religious examinations » for access to public office. These two elements prove that the country was not founded as officially Christian. The founding fathers did not create a secular government because they did not like religion. Many were believers themselves. Yet they were well aware of the dangers of the union between Church and State. They had witnessed the difficulties of church-state partnerships in Europe. Nothing has changed regarding the truth of Jefferson's sentiments and the need to preserve the wall of separation between church and state since 2016. Religious symbols, icons and phrases – not just Christian, but any religion – should be kept away from government buildings. and organized prayer should be excluded from schools. This protects our freedoms, including the freedom of those who believe in the ideas presented in documents like the Ten Commandments or the Lotus Sutra. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Those on the Christian right who would break down this wall of separation are doing themselves a disservice, as the loss of separation between church and state weakens the government's ability to protect everyone's rights to practice freely his religious beliefs. Of course, it is possible that many right-wing Christians do not believe in religious freedom and instead want America to be a Christian nation (that is, their particular brand of Christianity) that is.