| − | Though the extreme of creating theocracies ruling over those without the church (contrary to the charter given to the church in the New Testament<ref>John 18:36; 1Cor. 5:12,13; 2 Cor 10:4; Eph. 6:12; Romans 13:1-5; 1Pet. 2:16</ref>) was rightly resisted by men such as [[Baptist]] [[Roger Williams]], yet all 50 states referred to God in their Constitutions.<ref>http://www.whateveristrue.com/heritage/preamble.htm</ref> Evangelical Calvinism (then the predominate faith) is seen as fostering a fervent American nationalism,<ref>Alan Heimert, ''Religion and the Colonial Mind''</ref> and the effect of a Bible based Christianity is credited with working to bring souls to be ruled from within, by the Spirit of Christ and a sound conscience.<ref>http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/CauseEffect.html</ref> This helped to enable relatively small government and yet promote stability in a vast and fertile country with a multitude of different peoples, and to endure and progress in overcoming many serious negative consequences of the abuse of power, and the iniquity of unjust bondage. | + | Though the extreme of creating theocracies ruling over those without the church (contrary to the charter given to the church in the New Testament<ref>John 18:36; 1Cor. 5:12,13; 2 Cor 10:4; Eph. 6:12; Romans 13:1-5; 1Pet. 2:16</ref>) was rightly resisted by men such as [[Baptist]] [[Roger Williams]], yet all 50 states referred to God in their Constitutions.<ref>http://www.whateveristrue.com/heritage/preamble.htm</ref> Evangelical Calvinism (then the predominate faith) is seen as fostering a fervent American nationalism,<ref>Alan Heimert, ''Religion and the Colonial Mind''</ref> and the effect of a Bible-based Christianity is credited with working to bring souls to be ruled from within, by the Spirit of Christ and a sound conscience.<ref>http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/CauseEffect.html</ref> This helped to enable relatively small government and yet promote stability in a vast and fertile country with a multitude of different peoples, and to endure and progress in overcoming many serious negative consequences of the abuse of power, and the iniquity of unjust bondage. |
| | While not all the Founders were Christian, none were known atheists, and Deists consisted of men such as [[Benjamin Franklin]], [[James Madison]], and [[Thomas Paine]]. | | While not all the Founders were Christian, none were known atheists, and Deists consisted of men such as [[Benjamin Franklin]], [[James Madison]], and [[Thomas Paine]]. |