A Christian Nation

I keep hearing people (particularly the more fanatic elements of the religious right) keep spouting off about America being founded as a Christian nation, and that the founding fathers intended that it be a Christian nation. Are they serious?

The claim that America was founded as a Christian nation has merit only in that the first pilgrims to this country came here as Christians (let's forget for a moment the fact that they were persecuted as heretics and chased out of England by the established Churches). They weren't looking to found a nation per se, just a place where they could practice their own religion without fear--while denying that same right to anyone who followed.

As to the claim regarding the FF's intention that this be a Christian nation, it seems to me that if that's what they truly wanted, they had every opportunity to do so while they were drafting the Constitution. Not only did they not do that, they went 180 degrees away from it, writing in protections against it--in essence creating a secular nation whose citizens could practice whatever religion they wanted without any governmental interference--either for or against.

So, to Mike Huckabee, who claims that this is, always has been, and always should be, a "Christian nation": I say that you don't know enough of the history of this nation to be president of it. If you knew enough about the ideals and principles of those great men who founded this country, you would understand how stupid such claims are and stop making them. And the people who support you scare me simply because it means that there are that many people in this country who obviously don't understand the dangers inherent in letting the Church--any Church--run the government. The Founding Fathers did understand that danger, which is why they didn't make this a nation founded on any religion--even the one to which most of them belonged.