Does America Have a Christian Founding

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Specifically, what are the Christian influencesupon the principles found in the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution?2. How does Dr. Hall address the following questions in his presentation: What about the separation of church andstate and the first amendment prohibiting theestablishment of religion? Didn’t this mean that the founders wanted to keep religion out of the public square and out of political discourse?3. Jefferson has been described as one of the most secular founders. Some say that he strongly disfavored allowingreligion in public life. What does Hall say aboutJefferson?4. What is religious liberty and what were the foundershoping to do by protecting it in the First Amendment?5. How would you apply Dr. Hall’s presentation to currentcontroversies in American politics related to religious freedom and the public role of religion in society?

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.

God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

Christian Influences on the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution:

  • Natural Law and Natural Rights:
    • The concept of inalienable rights, as expressed in the Declaration of Independence (“endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights”), has roots in Christian natural law theory. This theory, developed by thinkers like Thomas Aquinas, posits that certain rights are inherent and universal, derived from God’s creation.
    • The idea that laws should be based on a higher moral order reflects the Christian belief in a divine lawgiver.

Christian Influences on the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution:

  • Natural Law and Natural Rights:
    • The concept of inalienable rights, as expressed in the Declaration of Independence (“endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights”), has roots in Christian natural law theory. This theory, developed by thinkers like Thomas Aquinas, posits that certain rights are inherent and universal, derived from God’s creation.
    • The idea that laws should be based on a higher moral order reflects the Christian belief in a divine lawgiver.
  • Moral Principles:
    • The emphasis on virtue, justice, and liberty in the founding documents aligns with Christian moral teachings.
    • Concepts like “doing unto others as you would have them do unto you” (the Golden Rule) resonate with the founders’ emphasis on ethical governance.
  • Covenant Theology:
    • Some scholars argue that the founders were influenced by covenant theology, a Protestant doctrine that emphasizes the importance of agreements and contracts. This influenced the idea of a social contract between the government and the people.
  • Influence of the Bible:
    • The Bible’s influence can be seen in the language and themes of the founding documents, such as the concept of human fallibility and the need for checks and balances on power.

2. Dr. Hall’s Address of Separation of Church and State:

  • Dr. Hall and similar scholars often argue that the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause (“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion”) was intended to prevent the federal government from establishing a national church, not to eliminate religion from public life.
  • They contend that the founders believed in religious pluralism and wanted to protect the freedom of individuals to practice their faith without government interference.
  • They argue that the “separation of church and state” phrase, which comes from a letter by Jefferson, has been misinterpreted to create a strict wall of separation that the founders did not intend.
  • They point to the founders’ own religious expressions and beliefs, as well as the historical context of the time, to support their argument that religion was considered an integral part of public life.

3. Dr. Hall’s View of Jefferson:

  • While Jefferson was a Deist and held unorthodox religious views, Dr. Hall and those of a similar viewpoint, often argue that Jefferson’s writings and actions do not support the idea that he wanted to exclude religion from public life entirely.
  • They point to Jefferson’s references to God in the Declaration of Independence and his support for religious freedom as evidence that he recognized the importance of religion in society.
  • They argue that Jefferson’s concern was primarily with preventing government coercion in matters of faith, not with eliminating religious influence from public discourse.

4. Religious Liberty and the Founders’ Intent:

  • Religious liberty, as understood by the founders, encompassed the freedom to practice one’s faith without government interference.
  • The First Amendment’s Religion Clauses (the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause) were intended to protect this liberty.
  • The founders sought to create a society where individuals could follow their conscience in matters of faith, without fear of persecution or discrimination.
  • They also sought to prevent the government from establishing a state-sponsored religion, as had been common in Europe.

5. Applying Dr. Hall’s Presentation to Current Controversies:

  • Dr. Hall’s perspective can be applied to current debates about religious freedom, such as:
    • The role of religion in public schools.
    • The rights of religious institutions to operate according to their beliefs.
    • The place of religious expression in the public square.
    • The arguments presented by Dr. Hall, would be used to argue that the founders did not intend for a completely secular society, and that religious expression should be protected.
  • It would be used to argue against the idea that the “separation of church and state” requires the removal of all religious influence from public life.
  • It would also be used to argue for the protection of religious freedom as a fundamental right, even when it conflicts with other societal values.
  • It is important to note that many legal scholars strongly oppose the views of Dr. Hall, and those that share his view point.

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