WAS THE UNITED STATES FOUNDED ON CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES Essay

WAS THE UNITED STATES FOUNDED ON CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES - Essay Example the Pope. To avoid this very friction, the US constitution framed by Jefferson clearly demarcates between the State and the Church and again reaffirms it in the Bill of Rights. This article tries to shed some light on the issue, from the perspective of certain recent articles and other historical facts, and tries to explore the principles behind the formation of US Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The article will also take a stand and will try to prove that US Constitution was not formed on Christian principles, but were solely based on the principles of fraternity, equality and justice for all. It is interesting to note that the people with opposing views on the subject of separation of Church and State have cited Thomas Jefferson in their arguments. The main reason behind this is the fact that Jefferson was one of the founding fathers of the US constitution formed in 1787. It is observed by the religious groups that Jefferson was an observant person and regularly attended church services during his tenure as the president. However, what many of the religious groups fail to say is that, he also, as Jewett aptly observes, â€Å"expressed contempt for any organized religion. And, saw as an anathema, any governmental control on religious thought† (Jewett, Jefferson and Religion). Jefferson was a follower of the Enlightenment theories of that age and thus believed in secularism, freedom and humanism. He was deeply influenced by the ethical theories of Stoicism and Epicures. Jesus, according to Jefferson, was a teacher in morality and his moral views were necessary to br ing freedom, happiness and to govern the society well. His god was a ‘god of reason’ who, he believed, established the laws on which nature functioned. Jefferson believed that one’s religious practice was of a personal nature which no state should try to control. This is evident in one of his letters which says â€Å"you must lay aside prejudices on both sides, and neither believe nor reject