quote:
Originally posted by HeruStar:
The American Constitution at one point used GOD to LEGITAMIZE it.
I don't think this is true. One of the first precepts in the Constitution is the separation of church and state. The reasons for this were totally self serving. The colonists were tired of the Church (as in Church of England, which differed hardly at all from the Roman Catholic Church) influencing the rules of state, as it did so heavily in England. The idea was a complete breakaway from European conrol. The orthodoxy of Catholicism makes it very difficult for a country to experience self determination, and the colonists knew that first hand. Consider today, how much influence the Vatican has over Mexico. Who really runs that country, President Fox or the Pope?
But, we are talking about revolutionary prodestants. Although revolutionary in outlook, I suspect they couldn't even write a document that didn't have some sort of religious context. Especially since it was their religious teachings (taken entirely out of context) that gave them the right to come to this land and take whatever they wanted anyway. But the clause of separation of church and state effectively writes God out of consideration before the document is even finished.
I think this is one of the truely defining concepts in the Constitution that has yet to be fully realized. The founding fathers wanted a system of law and government that
worked for them. They worded it very carefully to achieve that end. The results of this are obvious. The farther apart church and state are, the better both institutions function. The Constitution has changed over time to adapt to the changing needs of its people and it should continue to do so, IMO. But none of it should be changed unless and until it is proven not to work.