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Originally Posted by irateplatypus
wow... before i respond to this thread i'd like to you back up your fundamental assumption that christianity is playing a bigger role in government. the thread-starting premise is unsubstantiated.
it seems to me that, overall, the role of christianity in the government (and world politics in general) is in decline. the prevailing trend seems to be a growing opposition to the christian institutions already in place... not a increase of christian influence in total.
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From the start of this country, there was no Christian component to the gov't. So it is impossible for there to be less.
But here is an example of how there is FAR more Christianity in gov't today:
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In 1797 our government concluded a "Treaty of Peace and Friendship between the United States of America and the Bey and Subjects of Tripoli, or Barbary," now known simply as the Treaty of Tripoli. Article 11 of the treaty contains these words:
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As the Government of the United States...is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion--as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity of Musselmen--and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.
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This document was endorsed by Secretary of State Timothy Pickering and President John Adams. It was then sent to the Senate for ratification; the vote was unanimous. It is worth pointing out that although this was the 339th time a recorded vote had been required by the Senate, it was only the third unanimous vote in the Senate's history. There is no record of debate or dissent. The text of the treaty was printed in full in the Philadelphia Gazette and in two New York papers, but there were no screams of outrage, as one might expect today.
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There is no chance that a document with content that states this country was not founded on the Christian religion would pass today, let alone pass unanimously and without debate or dissent and receive no public outcry. Because there is a very vocal group of Christians and there is a block of government officials who agree with that vocal group of Chrisitians or at the least, want those votes.