like it or not, this Country was founded upon Christian principles...The Forefathers and all of those that implemented everything you mention here were Christians, like it or not...they based their decisions, appropriately and with God’s hand involved … not by their own will

while i have no idea what history books you have been reading, i'd wager that most visitors here can cite a number of sources that repute exactly what you claim as truth. while there were no doubt some leaders engendered to a number of popular churches at the time - "At the time of the American Revolution, religious organizations dominated political developments. Churches often doubled as political parties. It is essential, therefore, to recognize responsibility by organized religions for what happened in politics - the bad as well as the good. It is just as essential, however, to recognize explicitly that churches have evolved during the subsequent centuries in both formal creeds and social activities." and any "description of their political activities...must not be applied to present-day identities, despite continuation of the same names." (see the creation of america: through revolution to empire by francis jennings) - many of the names we associate most strongly w/ the founders were radical in ideals & contemptuous of the rule of organized religions.

take ole' ben franklin, for instance, - that onetime postmaster general who remained privy to private correspondences by reading other people's mail - a self-described deist. here's bruce e. johansen's historical perspective in his book forgotten founders: how the american indian helped shape democracy:

Religious self-righteousness and pomposity was a favorite target of Franklin's pen, and he often used Indians to illustrate the religious relativism that was basic to his own Deistic faith. Deism, a religion that more than any other was prototypical of the Enlightenment frame of mind, emphasized naturalism, natural man, and rational inquiry, all of which finely complemented Franklin's interests in Indian culture. Like Colden before him and Jefferson after him, Franklin often used his Deist beliefs to stress the universality of moral sense among peoples, and to break down ethnocentricity.

According to Alfred O. Aldridge (Ben Franklin and Nature's God, 1967), Deism involved belief in the superiority of "natural religion" as opposed to "the hollow formalism of Christianity." Deism formed an ideal complement to the natural rights philosophy that was so important in Enlightenment thought. According to Aldridge, Franklin's early 'Articles of Belief' (1728) showed that, early in his life, many of his religious beliefs resembled those of several American Indians. At that time, Franklin even accepted polytheism. Although he later acknowledged monotheism, Franklin never lost his critical eye toward conventional Christianity. Aldridge found in Franklin's "Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America" an abundant satire of religious proselytizing and economic imperialism.

...In the same essay, Franklin commented on the use of religion as a cover for economic exploitation. ... According to Franklin, [Iroquois sachem] Canassatego asked [Englishman Conrad] Weiser: "Conrad, you have lived long among the white People, and know something of their Customs. I have sometimes been to Albany and noticed that once in Seven Days they shut up their shops and assemble in the Great House; tell me: what is it for?"

Weiser was said by Franklin to have replied: "They meet there to learn 'Good Things'."

Canassatego had no doubt that the town merchants were hearing "good things" in the church, but he doubted that all those good things were purely religious. He had recently visited Albany to trade beaver pelts for blankets, knives, powder, rum, and other things. He asked a merchant, Hans Hanson, about trading, and Hanson told the sachem that he couldn't talk business because it was time for the meeting to hear good things in the great house. After the merchants returned from the church, Canassatego found that all of them had fixed the price of beaver at three shillings sixpence a pound. "This made it clear to me, that my suspicion was right; and that whatever they pretended of meeting to learn Good Things, the real purpose was to consult how to cheat Indians in the Price of Beaver," the sachem said, according to Franklin’s account.

In 'Poor Richard' for 1751, Franklin wrote: "To Christians bad rude Indians we prefer/ "Tis better not to know than knowing err."


well, there's one 'founding father' you definitely didn't find acting as a hand for a christian god.

i'll leave it to other interested parties to bring up jefferson (the slave-owner who penned those words "all men were created equal", who "established a brothel near his University of Virginia so that the white-collar intelligentsia would have a respite from the stresses of academic life" - see the outfit: the role of chicago's underworld in the shaping of modern america by gus russo - and who created his own version of the bible) and others of their ilk. there are plenty of primary documents clarifying their religious beliefs.

the state documents that they left us are not ambiguous on this radicalism either. the most unique strength of the u.s. constitution is its position on religion. madison's bill of rights stressed that govt was not to touch religion. there was the natural right to practice any religion you chose to, and there was the state - but the state wasn't supposed to enforce/endorse any of them. this was made clear by jefferson. from the book, the fundamentals of extremism: the christian right in america, in the chapter the path to theocracy: the purgation of the first amendment, dr. john suarez writes:


...In 1802, Jefferson characterized the First Amendment as building a "wall of separation between church and state" when he wrote to the Danbury Baptists:

"I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law regarding an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church and State."

...

This brings us to a key argument of Christian fundamentalists, namely, that the United States was founded as a Christian nation. ...this assertion confuses the fact that our government was created as a political unit and the broader historical perspective of the conquest and settlement of North America by Europeans. There were minority attempts during the Constitutional Convention favoring recognition of Christianity in shaping our laws, but these ideas were rejected. This led to the Constitution’s emergence as a purely secular document. It is, therefore, no accident the entire document is devoid of religious references.

This was made clear in 1797, when the Treaty of Tripoli was approved by the Senate, under John Adams. It unequivocally stated, "the Government of the United States is not, in any sense founded on the Christian religion." Of course, none of those revelations are surprising to those who appreciate the wisdom of the First Amendment and the sociopolitical benefits it has reaped over the past two centuries.

Yet, Christian fundamentalists continue to contend, in ever more frequent and louder claims, this is a Christian nation. The United States has lost touch with its Christian origins, they argue. ... This is such a key issue to anyone seeking a theocratic direction, that it will not be abandoned regardless of historical evidence to the contrary.


so this may all be in vain, to actually provide substantial evidence to refute such myth-spouting as the foolish concept that the founding fathers were guided by providence to occupy these already-occupied lands. as a wise man once said, "you can lead a fool to the facts, but you can't make 'em think".

so i'll close w/ two last thoughts to chew on - while reasonable people will agree that the united states was not founded on christian principles, they can agree that this continent was indeed conquered on such. if you really want to imagine somebody "rolling over in their grave", picture jesus hearing about all that has been done in his name.

and i can think of at least one organization that surely was founded on "christian principles", and which are still (unfortunately) very applicable in much current ideology today. it's acknowledged right there in their "seven noble truths" (or maybe they call them "kleven kloble kluths"...my knowledge is admittedly superficial in that regard):

1. the tenets of the christian religion
2. white supremacy
3. protection of our pure american womanhood
4. preventing unwarranted strikes by foreign labor agitators
5. upholding the constitution of the united states
6. the sovereignty of our state rights
7. promotion of pure americanism

i'll leave it up to the reader as an intellectual exercise to figure out just which nefarious group this belongs to. (okay okay okay - one last clue - a favorite meeting hymn was 'onward christian soldiers')

Seriously -- the founders were mostly atheists, for god's sake! (Forgive the pun.)

Here -- listen to this lecture on the people's history of the US & you'll see what I mean. Plenty of original sources cited:

atlanta.indymedia.org/usermedia/audio/11/a_peoples_history_of_the_us_zinn_%5Bprogressive_era%5D.mp3

Ben

Now ... CHARACTER is a topic that covers a huge spectrum of details; however, common sense DOES dictate what GOOD CHARACTER consists of ... does it not?.

Does the word, "God" ring a bell? (Duh?)

Stupidity (Forever) v. Ignorance (Curable)

Whoever is boasting about this nation being founded on christian principals needs to reread about all the carnage the happended due to those christian values. Remember the Indians? Pull out some of those historic pictures of black men hanging from trees, surrounded by white families all dressed up, with their children smiling for the camera. Christianity for some people means that If you are not christian like them, then your life has little or no value. It's not The religion I knock, its people who use it as a weapon against those who by God's will are different. America had a shameful begining. It was utterly horrific. Progress has only occured due to submition and assimilation to european culture by other races. Besides, Christianity, like Islam was spread mostly with force and bloodshed, and the threat of eternal damnation; fear. It's even considered a sin if a person desires to seek proof of whether the contents of the bible are even true. Aside from the stuff that is actually historical, alot of the other stuff, can strongly be considered legend.As far as my freedoms, they just reapproved the amendment that ensures my right as a black person to vote. It's kind of funny that my right is not garanteed. At anytime that right can be voted down. But thank god good old white christian men will always have their right to vote.

What was so good about the grounds on which this nation was founded? Christianity has always been used to show dominance over others, much like Islam. If you are not Chrisitian, then you are going to hell. Right? This idea makes it easy for chrisitians who believe this way, to dehumanize others without realizing it. That's what made it so easy for our founders to order, and allow the slaughter of native Indians. It was the Chrisitian mentality, that allowed white people to lynch black men, women, and children, and then celebrate by taking pictures with their entire family standing next to the hanging victim. That's what makes it easy for christians to attend the funerals of American gay soldiers who died in Iraq and protest against those fallen soldiers. It is important for people to have faith in god, but organized religion seems to be more about political power, amd social control. Christianity became popular, because it was spread through force and bloodshed. Religion should be about one's relationship with god, not fear. It's even considered a sin to question the contents of the bible. The bible is a series of writings gathered together over time. Some things have been added and taken away depending on the canon authority. We can't question that? We go to hell if we desire to check our sources? I'm not saying question God. But consider the possibility that what was written, aside from historical accounts, was legend, much like the old greek and roman relgions that we now consider as fiction. Even so, if it sounds silly for someone to shed blood for Zues' sake, why have people shed blood in the name of Jesus, or Allah?
As far as my freedoms being protected. Congress just reapproved my right as a black person to vote. The amendment can be voted down. All it takes is a pen stroke for my freedon to be taken away.