“We the People..” have you ever stopped to consider who was included in that “we”?
This week Mike Gaddy returns to discuss the question: Is the Constitution a Christian document? Join us for a trip to 1785 Philadelphia where we look inside “the room where it happened” and uncover the possible motives and supposed religiosity of the 55 white men who devised the system that we, two centuries later, are still trying to untangle our basic Liberties from.
Many Christians on the political right, and even the left, considered the United States Constitution to be a Christian document. Yet, the founders avoided consulting with or even making reference to the teachings of Christ or any Deity, Creator, or Higher Power for that matter, in the formation of the Constitution. When we look at what the founders said and did we are left with a very different image of the motives that may have inspired the document that for too long Christians have been misled to see as divine.
You can connect with Mike at rebelmadman.com. He hosts two radio shows, Addicted to Your Own Destruction, (Fridays at 12 PM EST) Forensic Autopsy of Consitution & its Characters, as well as Addicted to Our Own Destruction (6 PM EST) On Rev radio.
Timestamps:
1:35 Mike’s Episode on Succession (Ep. 24)
2:12 Does the Christian-right view the constitution as God-Breathed?
It’s important to look at how both sides view the constitution in relation to their Christianity
3:31 What Mike has learned from his studies of the Christian Right and Left
Jury Duty selection and biases
We should be led by evidence rather than emotion
5:38 Were all the founders Christain?
Religious - yes; Christain - not necessarily
Many came to the US to escape religious persecution
Most popular verses with founders were old testament
Leviticus 26 KVJ
Deuteronomy 28 KVJ
New Test: Galatians 5:1 KVJ
9:59 Why Mike is so passionate about this topic
Believing something false is going to affect our decision-making process over and over again
False narratives don’t bear good fruit
13:10 How did we get to the Constitutional Convention?
Not everyone came for religious freedom, many came for profits
After 6 years of articles of confederation, many Federalists had gained power
John Dickinson - author
Articles of Confederation would prevent career politicians
17:38 Term Limits
People vote on emotion not the Constitution
Thomas Jefferson - Rotation(term limits) allows the people to benefit from the genius of their community, don’t know it without rotation.
Articles of Confederation allowed for instant recall - do a bad job get instantly recalled
22:26 Term Limits, Taxes, and the Federalist push for the Amending the Articles of Confederation
Unlimited taxes from unlimited sources blocked by Article 134 of Articles of Confederation
Important question: Did the people who went to Philadelphia for the second constitutional convention go to protect the rights of the people or to destroy them and gain power?
Red flag: Secrecy of the Convention
Constitutional Convention was made secret for 50 years no one could say anything about what occurred even to constituents
Blacked out windows and soundproof attempts
26:24 Did the founders at the Constitutional Convention act like Christians?
“Thou shall not steal” includes taxes
Quakers in Philadelphia provided a written proposal to Constitutional Convention asking them to outlaw slavery - given to Tinch Cox (president Quaker foundation) and Benjamin Franklin
Was never read to the convention for consideration
Antislavery/Abolishing slavery was never discussed
When slavery was discussed:
Luther Martin - known drunk, longest sitting attorney general in US, not a Christain by any record
On the topic of slavery: “the revolution was grounded in defense of the natural god-given rights possessed by all mankind, but this constitution is an insult to that god who views with equal eye the poor African slave and his American slave master.
Geroge Mason only one who agreed - calling it a “crime against heaven”
Gandhi: I like your Christ but I don’t like your Christianity
Were the founders there as delegates to protect the rights of the people or to protect their financial interests?
Federalist: Oliver Ellsworth and Robert Livingston “we are not here to discuss moral or religious issues, we are here to discuss commerce”
34:11 Samuel Bryant - The Cloak of Divinity
Antifederalist
Federalists will have to “cloak their message in divinity to sell it to the American public”
The easiest thing is to get people to believe what they want to believe
Patrick Henry - Federalist used his Christain image to push the constitution, though he was most vocal against it (the invention of fake news)
1 Samuel 8 KVJ - choosing a King other than God(probably a bad idea)
39:57 Daniel Dresback (American University Professor) - “one of the most striking features is the absence of the acknowledgment of a supreme deity…”
Articles of Confederation and Declaration of Independence included acknowledgments to a supreme being
Franklin noted lack of prayers in the second constitutional convention vs. first
Alexander Hamilton referred to it’s lack as avoidance of foreign aid
12 of 13 colonies has Christian oaths in their states’ Constitutions; Article 6 Clause 3 Federal Constitution did away with these
Flip Wilson - Christians and Lions; Christians got a great coach but their team is shaky
53:33 Henry Abbot - North Carolina ratification convention delegate
Foresaw what Article 6 Clause 3 impact would be
54:59 The Fraud of “We the People”
The population at the time was about 3 million.
The “we” excluded: women, non-land-owning white men, and enslaved people(about 700,000 at the time)
The “we” was about 65,000-80,000 people were eligible to vote out of the 3 million
57:00 Have things changed since 1787?
Constitution created a system
Voting as states the 55 delegates rejected a Bill of Rights but made provisions for slavery
The first power they gave congress was unlimited taxation from unlimited sources
59:19 One Verse from New Testament repeated throughout countries founding
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty of which Christ has made us free and do not be entangled again with the yolk of bondage”
Did they do this, did they protect the individual, or did they protect their own interest?