>Hooray for the Masonic order!

Ever take a good look at the map of the original layout of Washington DC <g> ?
( or the back of the US $1 bill ? )

>
>>Without getting too deep into the debate, it is worth noting that the world-view of the Founding Fathers was more Masonic than Christian. That is to say, it only required the acknowledgment of some "higher power" - which could easily be seen as "the laws of nature", "reason" or some deistic idea of a Creator. Jews and Moslems were welcome as Masons. George Washington took the oath on his Masonic Bible. It was the world view of much of the Enlightenment.
>>
>>It is safe to say to most of the Founding Fathers making the United States a "Christian" nation was not part of the agenda even if the result may have been a demographic fact.
>>
>>>>>>>>>Then it doesn't really matter what he swears on.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>So, why do you want to get rid of the custom of using the Bible?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Because using the Bible in any official or quasi-official capacity is, in my view, anti-American. FWIW, I'd also drop the invocation and benediction at the inauguration, get rid of the opening prayer in Congress, take "In God We Trust" off money, and drop "Under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. In my view, all of that is in violation of the First Amendment.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>So, you would remove "God" from the Constitution?
>>>>>
>>>>>I wouldn't have to. God doesn't appear in the US Constitution.
>>>>
>>>>You're right about that, but "Lord" will work here just as well. Fark you.
>>>>
>>>>The Constitution declares, in words just above George Washington's signature, that the proceedings were "done ... in the Year of our Lord," which is an obvious reference to Jesus Christ.
>>>
>>>So they followed the standard convention for giving dates at the time. Hardly a suggestion that religion had any role in governing.
>>>
>>>>Also, Sunday is set aside as a day of rest for the president in Article 1, Section 7. This particular day of rest singles out Christianity because the seventh day is the day that God rested after creating the Earth.
>>>
>>>Here's the passage you're talking about:
>>>
>>>"If any bill shall not be returned by the President within ten days (Sundays excepted)"
>>>
>>>IOW, they're only counting "business days," which in those days, meant 6 days a week. That's hardly establishing Sunday as a religious day of rest, just acknowledging that it wasn't generally a day when people worked.
>>>
>>>Have you ever read why the Bill of Rights came later? Because they were so obvious to the authors of the Constitution that they didn't think they even had to be stated.
>>>
>>>Tamar