David Barton: "The Constitution is a god-given document"

[Initech]

Link to tweet

No it isn't, you brainwashed cultist morons. You're in a cult. Get over yourselves. This kind of shit is very dangerous. And any church that invites this lunatic to speak should lose its' tax exempt status.

[eShirl]

1. It was written on the tablet Trump was carrying when he descended Mt. Bullshit.

[Initech]

5. Mt. Bullshit...

[peggysue2]

26. LOL!!

Good one.

[Lonestarblue]

31. And every time MAGAs attend a Trump rally, they go to see him fling brown stuff from Mt. Bullshit!

[Traildogbob]

37. 😂😂😂😂👏👏

[Autumn]

2. Complete and utter bullshit.

[Wounded Bear]

3. Please quote the passage in the Constitution where "God" is mentioned...

We'll wait...
.
.
.
.
.
Wait, no we won't. It doesn't exist.

[Blue Owl]

4. Get bent, Barton

[lindysalsagal]

6. Of course. That's why europe endured centuries of local warfare in feudal "governments".

Because god loves watching his children slaughter each other, year after year. He only waited to "give" us the constitution in 1776 because......

Hey-you're the one who claims there's a god and what it wants. Up to you to give the rest of the answers, here.

[Elessar Zappa]

7. Fine, then quit shitting all over it.

[TreasonousBastard]

8. Washington, Jefferson, and a few others we're adamant that...

the US was not Christian.or officiallly religious at all.

[Bucky]

12. Washington was a deist, refused to take communion at his local Episcopal church

Jefferson wasn't really affiliated with the Constitution's drafting at all and hinted he was against its ratification when he first read it.

Interestingly, neither man even considered the idea that religion might play a part in politics. Their historical guideposts were the Thirty Years War, the English Civil War, and the Glorious Revolution. The first two saw massive slaughter and atrocities committed under the excuse of religious motivations for fighting. The last of these was an example of what happens when everyone chills out and just agrees to go by a vote of the land-owning people.

[Bucky]

9. Hahaha!! As a government teacher, this just makes my head explode!

This dude clearly doesn't understand--and probably hasn't ever read anything about--the US Constitution.

[haele]

13. This guy trolled his way through Usenet in the late '90's.

He was always arguing that Jefferson's wall between Church and State and Adam's Treaty of Tripoli statement were only there to allow the non-Christians not to feel discrimination before they will be shown how to be saved.
He was always a John Bircher tool. And supposedly a History teacher.

Jarle

[bucolic_frolic]

10. Deism was popular during The Enlightenment

Deism is a term that describes many of the Founders.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism

"Deism (/ˈdiːɪzəm/ DEE-iz-əm [1][2] or /ˈdeɪ.ɪzəm/ DAY-iz-əm; derived from the Latin deus, meaning "god&quot [3][4] is the philosophical
position and rationalistic theology[5] that generally rejects revelation as a source of divine knowledge, and asserts that empirical reason and observation of the natural world are exclusively logical, reliable, and sufficient to determine the existence of a Supreme Being as the creator of the universe.[3][5]"

God as these modern kooks know Him was not considered to be working in the way these modern kooks think. (Circular reasoning deliberate, to go around in circles, just like these modern kooks.)

[BruceWane]

11. OK Mr. Barton, since you're an "expert" on this, please explain..........

The founders of this country, the men who discussed and debated and decided how this new country was going to work, had a blank slate in front of them. Empty page. No rules. They could have chosen a dictatorship, or a monarchy, or anarchy, or democracy. They were making the rules from scratch.

They could have declared this country to be "The United States of Our Hallowed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ". They could have listed the christian-based principles of the new government, citing the biblical passages that formed the basis of each.

Instead, the chose to not write a single word to imply that this nation was based on any religious viewpoint whatsoever. In fact, they explicitly declared that there shall be no religious test to hold any office.

Please explain why the founders completely failed to even provide the smallest hint that the US constitution is based on "god's word", and further failed to simply state that this is in any way a "christian nation".

(This is my standard reply to anyone who claims the US is a "christian nation". I've only ever received silence in reply.)

[multigraincracker]

33. The first Constitution, ever to not mention

a God or religious sect.

So, my question is, which bible and who's interpretation of that text? A lot of wars were fought over those questions and now they have to be asked again.

[Yavin4]

14. The founding fathers, flawed as they may be, were extremely articulate.

Every sentence, phrase, word, grammatical structure was painstakingly debated and then recorded.

If they wanted this new nation to be a Christian nation, they would have said so in the documents, unequivocally and explicitly.

[NickB79]

15. Separation of church and state works both ways

Saying religion can dictate government is their standard mantra.

But what about government dictating religion? How would that go over?

It's a two-way street. What would happen if a Catholic President decided to say the US was officially a Catholic nation, and all other Christian religions are no longer welcome here? Convert or pay a tax?

What, you didn't consider the vast differences between different sects of Christianity?

I have a feeling the Evangelicals would suddenly reconsider their stance on separation of church and state.

[FakeNoose]

20. We only need to fear two kinds of people

Politicians who tell us how to pray, and ...

Religious leaders who tell us how to vote.

[underpants]

16. So it was this God's idea to specifically NOT have religious tests?

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be Required as a Qualification To any Office or public Trust under the United States.[1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_Six_of_the_United_States_Constitution

[Solly Mack]

17. Oh, yeah. I remember now...

As it was written, so it was predestined, that the fathers of the founding did mount the Revered horse and off they flew to the heavens to receive the tablets of rights. As they descended back through the darkness, a burning bush lit their way - a light of salvation, and it was good.

At Mount Sinai did they dismount the heavenly equine and lay the Preamble at Mother Mary's feet. Waiting to greet them was a host of 144,00 and they did receive the word.

Declaring all men free, the women were scorned and made to depart to the kitchens to prepare a great feast for the chosen.

John Hancock, largest in is name, thus spoke: Upon this foundation I will build a country.

Whereupon Ben Franklin declared: And I will light the way. I have the key.

Laying down his fiddle, young Thomas Jefferson cleared his throat and a hush followed: I hold these truths to be self-evident, that all things written with our hands is written by God. Let us now constitute the word of God and call it the Bible of Constitution.

Hearing such a joyous noise, James Madison said: Upon my shoulders shall this holy task rest.

Thus did a clamor ensue.

It was the noise heard around the world.

We know these things to be true.

[struggle4progress]

18. "No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust

under the United State"

US Constitution, article six, clause three

[MissMillie]

19. If they really believed it was a god-given document...

...they'd stop sh*tting all over it.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

21. This guy is Looney Toons!!!!

The Founding Fathers went to great lengths to avoid infusing religion in the drafting of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

The Holy Bible may be considered such as the words of God and His Son.

[FakeNoose]

22. It's bad enough when Evangelicals misquote the Bible to suit their needs

... but now they're doing it with the Constitution too.

Just STOP IT. Just STFU. The U.S. Constitution isn't based on God's Word, and God isn't a Christian or any other theology.

[gratuitous]

23. Why has this god-given document needed so many amendments, Mr. Barton?

Is god getting sloppy or forgetful or something? Was god okay with slavery for the first 90 years or so of the country, but finally decided that wasn't such a hot idea? Why didn't god give women the right to vote from the get-go? Has god had any second thoughts about arming everyone to the teeth with military weapons?

When you've answered those questions, Mr. Barton, I have some more.

[milestogo]

24. Then why do God-Fearing Republicans shit all over it?

[rurallib]

25. Which God (god) I wonder?

There are bundles to choose from.

[EnergizedLib]

27. If America is God's country and their God favored us

Why isn’t it in the Bible? Why didn’t their God set us up from the get-go?

[Beartracks]

28. Then you'd best understand what's truly in it -- and what isn't -- ...

... lest you incur His wrath.

===========

[Rural_Progressive]

29. Yeah, and the bible is gawd given as well

rather than the first half being a bunch of stories taken from a number of oral traditions and written down with numerous error filled translations to follow. Then the second half written by a bunch of misogynistic power hunger clowns who never even met the guy they claim to quoting and interpreting his teachings.

Over two thousand years of blindly following a fraud of a religion and giving it ultimate authority to slaughter millions in its name, deprive entire cultures of their homes, lands, and lives.

Very happy I wasn't brainwashed when I was a kid, honestly I feel more compassion than you might think for those of you who were. If the only reason you behave honestly, morally and ethically is because of a fear of eternal damnation that doesn't make you a good person. The only requirement to behaving well is to have a good heart as the Dalai Lama pointed out years ago.

[SCantiGOP]

32. You don't think it is just coincidence

that other than vague references to a place called Rome, every event in the Bible takes place within a couple of hundred miles of Palestine?
That would be like me writing a history of the world and having all events take place within 200 miles of my hometown.

[Rural_Progressive]

39. You'd ah thought folks would have tumbled to a bunch of this stuff

centuries ago. But no, they just keeping jamming it down little kids throats with threats of eternal damnation in the fiery pits of hell if they don't totally buy into the nonsense.

If that doesn't qualify as emotional child abuse I'm not sure what does.

[SCantiGOP]

30. Didn't George Washington write the Bible?

About a third of our fellow citizens may think that’s true.

[mountain grammy]

34. If this asshole is tax exempt he shouldn't be..

[bringthePaine]

35. seconded!

[JHB]

36. Then it was God's will that there were no formal prayers over the deliberations

A measure to begin each day's meeting with an invocation was tabled and never brought up again, except by school prayer advocates who quote its text but bear false witness by not also mentioning its fate.

[Moostache]

38. Why do we even give these people the courtesy of attention?

If I came out and said that I believe - Jesus was a hash-dealer in 1st century Palestine that was actually arrested by the Romans for drug dealing and subversion of the youth then took a plea deal to become "Barabbas" and they would then execute the real "Barabbas" in his stead - would I garner any attention on mass media or other social feeds for such lunacy?

Jesus framed Barabbas.
Prove me wrong.