Christian Nation Quotes
The treaty, which was also ratified by the Senate, was actually drafted by Joel Barlow, the U. S. Consul in Tripoli. It was the first official statement of the United States on its religious basis or lack thereof.
Objectors to the Separation of Church and State Doctrine point to this quotation to justify giving preferences to Christians in majority Christian societies and presumably to prefer Muslims in Islamic nations. Most of the Founding Fathers and most of the general population were on the opposite side of this issue. Hence the First Amendment was one of the conditions for ratification. There has always been a large minority who believe that America was founded by people who were mostly Christian (Protestant) and there is nothing wrong with having America be a Christian nation and preferring Christians for key government positions.
Some other Republican governors thought that Fordice had misspoken and offered him a chance to correct or modify his statement. He declined.
Many Conservative extremists like Terry are not only anti-abortion but also are racists and religious bigots as well. However there are also many anti-abortionists who have fought for equality and pluralism in America. The Roman Catholic Bishops, for example, oppose abortion, but denounce racism and other discrimination.
