Moses ambled down from the mountain with ten
laws, right?
"You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make idols.
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Honor your father and your mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet."
Two of which are illegal 99% of the time. One that is illegal in court.
And those aren't unique. Its not like all cultures were stealing and
murdering with impunity until they came across this. In the first half
the lord sounds like a bad boss.
Look also at the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5- 7). Too long to reproduce here, but it also doesn't have that founders feel.
Because what so many people seem to forget is that the founders were
not a homogeneous group. They disagreed and fought, especially about the
scope of the state. That's why the constitution is a secular document,
with specifically no religious tests and the very first freedom in the
first amendment in the bill of rights is against an establishment of
religion.
The one founding document that does express a creator
is the Declaration of Independence, and that is very nonspecific. As I
understand the idea of a creator was more akin to the idea of the
watchmaker. As a watch implies a watchmaker, a universe implies a
universe-maker. Also, I forget where in the Holy Book the fact that we
are granted life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness comes from. It's
closer to the formulation from John Locke about "Life, Liberty, and
Property," but the Founders couldn't say that when they owned people as
property.
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