“Colonial America was not settled out of a search for religious liberty, but it stumbled onto that principle just in time.” — Steven K. Green Colonial Copy Share Image
“At the risk of oversimplification, the unifying theme of the Hebrew scripture is one of forging a national identity connected to God… — Steven K. Green Bible Copy Share Image
“With religious nonconformists outnumbering Anglicans after 1700, and economic motives eclipsing any sense of a religious mission, the colony adopted a moderate… — Steven K. Green North carolina Copy Share Image
“Whether it was celebrated or lamented, the Constitution was universally seen as a secular document establishing a civil frame of government. In… — Steven K. Green Christian nation Copy Share Image
“Religious imagery and symbolism were the common idioms that all speakers employed when making rhetorical points. Rather than indicating a level of… — Steven K. Green Bible Copy Share Image
“Jefferson then distilled and enunciated these “essentials” in several personal works he shared with friends, his “Syllabus,” and two extracts from the… — Steven K. Green Bible Copy Share Image
“Because Americans lack a common ethnicity or extensive heritage, our founding myth is more important than it is for most other peoples.… — Steven K. Green American exceptionalism Copy Share Image
“Cotton’s code was never enacted, but in 1641 the General Court adopted the Body of Liberties, written by lawyer and pastor Nathaniel… — Steven K. Green Bible Copy Share Image
“In both instances of Franklin and Jefferson, revisionist writers have emphasized those aspects of their beliefs that are consistent with Christian faith,… — Steven K. Green Christian faith Copy Share Image
“All in all, Christian nation proponents commit several errors in their claims about the religious beliefs of the Founders. Their claims isolate… — Steven K. Green Christian nation Copy Share Image
“As George Marsden reminds us, “at the time of the American Revolution there was no distinctly ‘Christian’ line of political thought as… — Steven K. Green American revolution Copy Share Image
“As noted, late in their deliberations the drafters of the Constitution included a clause prohibiting religious tests or prerequisites for holding any… — Steven K. Green Freedom Copy Share Image
“The myth of America’s religious founding thus provided an explanation for those who needed to sanctify the past before they could go… — Steven K. Green Manifest destiny Copy Share Image
“The “large majority of ministers who published sermons during the Revolutionary era justified the war effort by a rationale that was more… — Steven K. Green Political Religious Copy Share Image
“The haphazard unfolding of religious toleration described above occurred chiefly by default (and in New York, to enhance a commercial environment), not… — Steven K. Green Religion Copy Share Image
“With its emphasis on stability and Christian unity, colonial Virginia was not a receptive place for religious dissenters. Catholic clergy were banned,… — Steven K. Green Christian unity Copy Share Image
“while one can debate whether a particular Founder was religiously devout, there is little question that many regularly attended Christian worship and… — Steven K. Green Christian worship Copy Share Image
“Yet, more is at stake in this debate beyond simply acknowledging the religious inclinations of those people involved in the nation’s founding.… — Steven K. Green Bill of rights Copy Share Image
