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From: speter@mit-trillian.MIT.EDU (Peter Osgood)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc,net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Christian Roots of the U.S.
Message-ID: <1114@mit-trillian.MIT.EDU>
Date: Tue, 9-Sep-86 10:41:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: mit-tril.1114
Posted: Tue Sep  9 10:41:54 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 10-Sep-86 05:36:03 EDT
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Reply-To: speter@trillian.UUCP (Peter Osgood)
Organization: MIT Project Athena
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Xref: linus talk.religion.misc:17 net.religion.christian:4596

Those who founded Virginia were more interested in a money making
trading company than a religous colony.

Those who landed at Plymouth, the Pilgrims, 51 of them, were
Separatists who were fleeing the oppressive English crown. 

Rhode Island and Connecticut were both founded by disenchanted Puritans
who started the Quaker religon.

Maryland was settled by Roman Catholics.

New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania was settle by Lutherans.

Georgia and Massachusetts started out as trading companies.

When it came time to write the Constitution in 1789, it was
eminently obvious to Jefferson et. al. that we needed a nation
which held to no specific religon.  It was painfully obvious to
them that any country which embraced a religon of state was doomed
to becoming oppressive.  Since life, liberty and the pursuit of 
happiness was their goal they endevored the separation of church
and state.

We may have been founded in Christianity, but were have a Buddist,
Jewish, Moslem, heritage as well as others.

				---peter osgood---