The United States of America is a secular nation not founded upon the Christian religion

First off, I didn't offer any rebuttals because it was my quote round and I ran out of characters. I will offer them here. Con claims that the reason the settlers came were almost exclusively Christian. This is simply not true. The settlers came for a variety of reasons, religion just being one of many. Others included property, wealth, and general freedom. (1) As to the authors of the Constitution, my source claimed who I mentioned and Con's source claimed who he did. It is for this reason that I say the main thing that matters with that document is the finished product, as we will never actually know who did what in terms of making it. In that finished document, however, the secular nature of it is undeniable. The only time religion is mentioned is to limit it's association with government or give people freedom to choose which they wanted without persecution. Con said a lot about the settlers, most of which I agree with, but the country is defined in my opener as the government and laws that the founders set up. The people, while important, come and go and change their minds very quickly. The laws and government are much more permanent, which is why I say they are what forms the actual nation. Con is correct that the settlers were mostly Christian, but that is one of the main reasons the founders, when they established an official government, made it secular. They saw what was happening in the colonies due to religious rule and they wanted to avoid that. People who were not Christian were being persecuted, tortured, and even killed. Catholics and Protestants were constantly at war. (2) So while I agree with Con's assessment of the religious views of the colonies, I disagree with his premise that it's evidence that we are based in Christianity. It is, in fact, a primary reason the founders knew that basing a nation on religion would never work and that secularism was the best way to achieve success. A more specific example is a quote by George Lincoln Burr. "More than once it has been said, too, that the Salem witchcraft was the rock on which the theocracy shattered." (3) It is true that Nathaniel Gorham wanted a religious pledge, but that was rejected and didn't make it through. That should serve as evidence of the collective mindset. As to Con's burden, he has to prove more than Christianity was "on that list". In order to say we were founded on Christianity, he has to prove that Christianity was the main thing on that list. That is what a country is considered to be founded on, the main thing on such a list. Personally, I say that is freedom, but that is just an opinion and not my burden in this debate. The reason I say the concepts of "founded upon" and "inspired by" are different comes down to definitions. Inspiration is defined as something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create : a force or influence that inspires someone. (4) Therefore, what gives you the idea for a creation is a far different concept from what you base the creation on. Con has offered no rebuttal to my strongest evidence, the Treaty of Tripoli. Not only does it specifically say that we were not founded on Christianity, but the Constitution establishes it as official law. "This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding." (sic) (5) As to the founding father's repeated mentioning of God, that in itself doesn't really prove Christianity. Nearly every religion professes belief in a "creator God". There is one thing specifically that separates Christianity from all these other religions. That is Jesus. References to Jesus are not in any of the founding documents. Even George Washington, the main person people who think we were founded on Christianity look to, hardly ever mentioned Jesus' name. The belief that Jesus was the son of God is integral to Christianity. This belief is surprisingly absent from early American life. In fact, there is much evidence that Washington, as well as Jefferson, thought Jesus to be a mythical figure as opposed to a historical one. (6) My final argument of the round centers around one of the founding fathers that we haven't mentioned, Ben Franklin. Not only was he one of the most influential founding fathers, but he was also the only one who's signature was on all of our founding documents. (7) One of the strongest pieces of evidence that he was not a Christian is the widely held belief that he was a member of the hellfire club. This was a club that was very secretive, but there is ample evidence that this club centered around sin and debauchery. Drugs, orgies, pretty much anything that you wanted to do, regardless of social conventions or taboos. In other words, a club that no self respecting Christian would join. (7) There are also many quotes and much more evidence that Franklin was not only a non-Christian, but also opposed to it. In conclusion, I believe I have made it very clear that we were founded more on secularism as opposed to Christianity. 1. http://www.sitesalive.com... 2. http://www.smithsonianmag.com... 3. http://www.topsecretwriters.com... 4. http://www.merriam-webster.com... 5. Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution 6. http://www.truthbeknown.com... 7. http://www.worldviewweekend.com...