The US government should be secular.

I chose it specifically for the definition of ‘secular’ you proposed to be used for this debate; “not spiritual, of or relating to the physical world and not the spiritual world. ” By initiating the debate and proposing the terms it is implied that your arguments will be in accordance with the premise (your proposed definition of ‘secular’) Thus it should be safe for me and spectators to read your debate topic as “The US Government should NOT have a sense of spirit, to not be spiritual, to pertain to and relate only to the physical world and not the spiritual world. ” And expect your arguments to back up that contention. You’re arguments do not, I find them irrelevant. You’re arguments specifically and obviously are addressing the matter of state religions, and whether or not it was what our founding fathers intended, and what seems to work best in other countries. That is a separate matter altogether from “The US Government should NOT be spiritual, to pertain to and relate only to the physical world and not the spiritual world. ” I think what you failed to consider is that religion and spirituality are not synonymous. It is VERY obvious that the founding fathers didn’t want the laws of the land to be subjected to, or influenced by, religious dogma. Hence the separation of church and state, if that was your debate I would have picked the same side you did. But you clearly addressed in round 1 this debate was going to be about spirit, not religion. (In that regard the US Government already is secular, we don’t have state church governments) Now that is cleared up let me argue the United States was founded on a DEEP sense of spirit. I read that you omit the Declaration of Independence, that’s fine; the Preamble in the Constitution should suffice. ”We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. “ ‘. .perfect Union. .’ ‘. .establish Justice. .’ ‘. .insure. .. Tranquility. .’ ‘…welfare. .’ ‘. .Blessings. .’ ‘…Liberty. .’ Those are spiritual matters; they do not pertain to anything material, if they did the founding fathers would have stayed in Britain, but they left out of spiritual destitution, they specifically say why they left: “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security” – That is an incredible spiritually powerful assertion, their spirit and heart told them something was wrong, and they were in a position to do something about it, and felt obligated to perform it (risking life, chancing death) out of a sense of duty for them, and for us (future security). In this essence the founding fathers were indeed spiritual warriors, it’s a bit exotic I admit, but true nonetheless. So my argument rests: The United States, it’s people and government, should absolutely without a doubt be spiritual, and have a sense of spirit, and to not blindly consider matters that pertain strictly only to the physical world – that’s how slaves are made.