:Okay, two quick replies. First, I never said the founders wanted society to be secular - only the institution of the government that all of society lives under. Their intent was to create a society where each individual has the maximum freedom to practice his or her faith, and that is not a secular society. Second, this debate addressed the founding of the ''federal'' government, not the founding of any state governments. As I point out in my reply below, Article VI of the Constitution was created in part to ensure that religion would never be a test in holding Federal office. That says a lot about the founders' intent when forming the national government, regardless of their views expressed in speeches and in private. --[[User:DinsdaleP|DinsdaleP]] 19:00, 6 September 2008 (EDT) | :Okay, two quick replies. First, I never said the founders wanted society to be secular - only the institution of the government that all of society lives under. Their intent was to create a society where each individual has the maximum freedom to practice his or her faith, and that is not a secular society. Second, this debate addressed the founding of the ''federal'' government, not the founding of any state governments. As I point out in my reply below, Article VI of the Constitution was created in part to ensure that religion would never be a test in holding Federal office. That says a lot about the founders' intent when forming the national government, regardless of their views expressed in speeches and in private. --[[User:DinsdaleP|DinsdaleP]] 19:00, 6 September 2008 (EDT) |