Adam, I love you too - thanks for that great post... I think you should get the jeep...

J La - interesting read - I learned quite a bit from reading this that I had not known before. However, in the declaration of Independence:

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to separation."

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." July 4, 1776 (emphasis added)

And let us pull from the writings of the founding fathers...

George Washington: "The power and goodness of the Almighty were strongly manifested in the events of our late glorious revolution; and his kind interposition in our behalf has been no less visible in the establishment of our present equal government. In war he directed the sword; and in peace he has ruled in our councils. My agency in both has been guided by the best intentions, and a sense of the duty which I owe my country. " (Letter from George Washington)

Here is an interesting read about the role of God in the founding of this great nation:

God and Washington

Here is a link to the constitution (a must read for anyone):

http://www.house.gov/Constitution/Constitution.html

I could go on - but I suggest you do a search on the Internet for both sides of the issues and I think you will find that the answer is that the founding fathers wanted a separation of any single church and the state - basically they didn't want a repeat of the Church of England fiasco... However, they knew our nation would fall apart without religion. There are some incredible stories about the founding of the United States of America.

I took a class in college and that is why I know so much about this subject - however, sometimes my mind loses track of facts, and that is why I love the Internet - it is all at your disposal - for and against - all written very well for anyone to make an educated conclusion of the matter.

Brent
;Dp;