The United States was founded on Christianity

I was excited that somebody was willing to argue in favor of this idea. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but part of my excitement comes from the fact that I feel the issue has been resolved already. However, the most evil thing I could do is close myself off to opposing arguments and objections to my beliefs. Now, we move onto the debate this issue, once which has been subject to a large amount of debate. Before I make my case, I wish to note one minor thing on Pro's definition. The resurrection of Jesus Christ made up for the sins of Eve, not Adam. After all, Eve is the one who ate the forbidden fruit. Other than that, I am willing to accept his definition. =Opening Statement =In this debate, I would like to postulate and defend two major contentions in regards to the resolution. This debate will be decided by my opponent's ability to refute my contentions, and put forward his own. My two contentions are as follows:(1) The Treaty of Tripoli of 1796 is evidence that the United States of America was not founded on Christianity. (2) The intellectual force behind the American Revolution was Thomas Paine, a Deist and well-known anti-theist. =Contention #1=Before I go further into the Treaty of Tripoli of 1796, it is important to talk about the political climate of this fledgling republic. Particularly, the state of the Founding Fathers. It should be noted that the Founding Fathers were still alive at this time. John Adams was President, Thomas Jefferson was Vice-President, Alexander Hamilton was Secretary of the Treasury, and George Washington had just left after two terms as President himself. Therefore, the conclusion can be reached that the Founding Fathers were alive, well, and active at the time this treaty was signed. Now that we have established the story behind the Treaty of Tripoli of 1796, we now turn to the actual text of the treaty. I turn to Article 11 of this treaty, which states the following :'As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion,—as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen [Muslims],—and as the said States never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan [Muslim] 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. 'The text of this treaty clearly states that the United States of America was in no way founded on Christian values. According to Frank Lambert, Professor of History at Purdue University, the assurances in Article 11 were "intended to allay the fears of the Muslim state by insisting that religion would not govern how the treaty was interpreted and enforced. John Adams and the Senate made clear that the pact was between two sovereign states, not between two religious powers. " Lambert writes,"By their actions, the Founding Fathers made clear that their primary concern was religious freedom, not the advancement of a state religion. Individuals, not the government, would define religious faith and practice in the United States. Thus the Founders ensured that in no official sense would America be a Christian Republic. Ten years after the Constitutional Convention ended its work, the country assured the world that the United States was a secular state, and that its negotiations would adhere to the rule of law, not the dictates of the Christian faith. The assurances were contained in the Treaty of Tripoli of 1797 and were intended to allay the fears of the Muslim state by insisting that religion would not govern how the treaty was interpreted and enforced. John Adams and the Senate made clear that the pact was between two sovereign states, not between two religious powers'In conclusion, a treaty was signed in the year 1796 that denied the idea the United States of America was a Christian nation. In order to argue that the United States was a Christian nation, my opponent must contend that the Senate unanimously approved of a treaty without endorsing Article 11. Sources:. http://www.stephenjaygould.org...http://press.princeton.edu...http://memory.loc.gov...:=Possible Objections to Contention #1=(Note: In the Possible Objections part, I am not trying to refute straw men. I am only presenting potential counter-arguments, not acting as if my opponent had made them. )My opponent may cite the fact that the Arabic version of the treaty did not include Article 11. However, the English version did. The English text of the treaty was the one proposed to the Senate and read aloud before the Senate floor, before being approved unanimously. The English version was the one President Adams signed, declaring 'Now be it known, That I John Adams, President of the United States of America, having seen and considered the said Treaty do, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, accept, ratify, and confirm the same, and every clause and article thereof. And to the End that the said Treaty may be observed, and performed with good Faith on the part of the United States, I have ordered the premises to be made public; And I do hereby enjoin and require all persons bearing office civil or military within the United States, and all other citizens or inhabitants thereof, faithfully to observe and fulfill the said Treaty and every clause and article thereof. '=Contention #2=Thomas Paine was the author of Common Sense, a book that argued the case for why the colonies should be independent from Great Britain. The book was popular because it was written in a way that the average person could understand, and was read aloud in public places. The book was so popular that it was estimated to have sold half a million copied in the first year alone. The impact of the book is best captured by British statesman George Trevlyan when he wrote, 'would be difficult to name any human composition which has had an effect at once so instant, so extended and so lasting [. .. ] It was pirated, parodied and imitated, and translated into the language of every country where the new republic had well-wishers. It worked nothing short of miracles and turned Tories into Whigs'We can also establish that Thomas Paine was a Deist and an anti-theist. His book, titled 'The Age of Reason', was a full out attack on the Christian religion. It is obvious that this man, such a large influence in the revolution, was not a Christian. SourcesIsaac Kramnick, "Introduction," in Thomas Paine, Common Sense (New York: Penguin, 1986), 8Foot, Kramnick (1987). p 10. . http://en.wikipedia.org...=Possible Objections=My opponent may argue that there were Bible verses in the book used as arguments, which may have indicated he believed in some parts of it. However, this ties into his desire to make the book understandable to the average person. =Conclusion=I feel that these two contentions, if they stand by the end of the debate, prove that the United States of America is not a Christian nation, and was not founded on Christianity. If my opponent wishes to win this debate, he must satisfactorily refute my two contentions, and put his own contentions in place. I wish to thank my opponent for the time and effort he will be putting into this debate. I hope this will be an educating and fulfilling debate, both to us and the audience.