Do you put much value on the USA's "founding fathers"?

I respect our Founding Fathers, they did what was necesary in their time to secure a future for their families. Plus guided the rest of the U.S. to follow their new way of life. Which at that time was a big step up. Now I think their beliefs and words are being twisted, and evenm betrayed. I'm not much for words on the subject, but I don't think they would be amuzed, if rizen from the grave tomorrow.

Well cool for them, they were original for those times. Schools have always lied, so what's the big deal? If the kids aren't taught to think for themselves by their parents or don't figure it out for themselves, I'm sorry but I have such a hard time dealing with people who never question anything. As for our founding fathers..well that makes me think they're even more interesting now. They had good values and they created the constitution which is a wonderful piece of paper which I don't think we should ever try to get rid of from our way of life. Thanks for sharing the information and reminding me about the fourth of July..I think this year's celebration will be extra special to me ^_^

Actually the fact that the founding fathers were Deist rather than Christian makes me feel better about my own freedom here in the United States as a member of another religion. I've noticed there's a big push for the idea of the U.S. as a Christian country in recent years, and it can be scary for us non-Christians at times. I often feel as if others believe I don't have a right to be in this country because of my religious belief, even though I was born here, and my ancestors on one side have pretty much always been here.

The "founding father" were products of their time, and to judge them by todays values would produce a very wrong picture. Of course they were Deists, many worthy man were. Or can we forget that religion, Christianity making no exception, uses to take the "conservative" side, against everything that promises a change of the situation. American Revolution was exactly this: a revolution against the God invested king. Jefferson & Company lived fully in the Enlightenment, and had a humanist and deist view of God. That doesnt' mean that they hadn't an ethical Christian worldview, more ethic and more Christian than many who believed in a literal Bible truth. The founding spirit of the United States is a rare combination of the enlightened self-conscience of a people -Thomas Paine- and a faith in God's favor for a people decided to be her own ruler. But you are right: it is necessary to explain some of the more astonishing parts of this country's history, for example how the Declaration of Independence could hold for a self-evident truth that all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights, among these Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness... when at the same time a good deal of the nation's wealth was built by slaves. And most of slaveholders were Christians. But, one can't change the past by present values.

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