Preview

Evidence of Religious Faith in the Declaration of Independence

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
293 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Evidence of Religious Faith in the Declaration of Independence
In the Declaration of Independence, there is not much mentioned about religion. It was mainly written as complaints towards the King of Great Britain. There was only one line mentioning anything about god or religion. It was that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. It is an extremely thin statement but it actually says a lot. It doesn’t say who this Creator is but as a Christian, I assume it is talking about God being that he created all human beings. As mentioned, when he says that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, I assume he’s talking about god. The reason I say this is because god made all human beings to be equal. Whether they thought everybody was the same was their choice. It does need to be noted that the Declaration of Independence is not this countries legal document. Therefore it has no authorities over law and this document was just necessary for its time. There seems to be no true religious faith because it could be taken as both ways and there’s always that second opinion. In conclusion, some people do think that the Declaration of Independence declares that the United States is built under Christianity because it mentions Nature’s God and Creator a few times in the document. The Nature’s God is going back to the Divine Right during the Enlightenment period. These are barely compatible with Christianity. When Thomas Jefferson mentions creator he might not even be talking about god. No one will ever know unless they go back to the 18th century and go back when they first wrote this

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    The Patriarchy, the belief that men are capable of running society and that’s why men were so full of themselves back then and some of them still are now, it is important to look at the fact that there is so much more to everyone else than just the average white male who runs the world. Judith N. Shklar states in her criticism, “As a "hail and farewell," the Declaration is a perfectly stunning classical oration. It also has some of Jefferson's own most cherished beliefs in it. "Nature" or "nature's God" is a very cool deity— "The Creator," who is known only by his works. These show us that "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" are rights derived from the necessities to which God's nature impels us.”…

    • 1489 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Harbinger Study Notes

    • 2960 Words
    • 10 Pages

    After the final battle and independence was won, the Continental Congress set forth with 56 men, to write, edit and eventual agree to and sign the Declaration of Independence. God is mentioned 4 times within the document. The four names that God was given in the document that declared that we no longer considered ourselves to…

    • 2960 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Government note Chap. 1-8

    • 4039 Words
    • 24 Pages

    When the writers of the Declaration of Independence stated that the people are "endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights...", they…

    • 4039 Words
    • 24 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Declaration of Independence describes how the British government was in the way of the Americans’ freedom and rights. The ideas that all men were created…

    • 437 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence present many ideas which can be traced back to the time of classical antiquity. Many of the concepts within the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence can be linked to ideas that were present in ancient Greece and Rome. These ideas and concepts have helped form our society into what it is today. In Article 1 of the Constitution it states that, the House of Representatives and the Senate have all legislative powers. They have the power to pass the laws that control and influence our society. In history, the Romans had a system similar to this. Their government consisted of an Assembly, Senate and a Consul which controlled their society. A second concept can be found within the first amendment in the Bill of Rights, it states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” (amend. I). This grants United States citizens religious freedom. Despite of the fact that the Roman Empire was not religiously tolerant until the reign of Constantine the Great, there was a point where Roman citizens had religious freedom. Another parallel between America’s government and the worlds of classical Greece and Rome would be in the Writ of Habeas Corpus. It is a common idea that was first instituted by Emperor Justinian can be found in the sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Another idea found within the Declaration of Independence, the idea that, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness,” (line 7, Declaration of Independence) also finds its roots in the classical world. The concepts within this quote mirror some of the component of Greek Stoicism. They believed that all men were created equal and because of that we are all brothers. The last concept deals with the right of the people to alter or…

    • 1581 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    -one nation under God; description of the republic of which we are in which is what the flag stands for; Thomas Jefferson articulated in independence: all men created equal that are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; God gave us our rights not government; our country was established to secure those God given rights; saying one nation under God is fundamental to our liberties; Abraham Lincoln: Gettysburg address dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal; we are in a great civil war testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived; nation under God shall have new birth from freedom that government of the people; Martin Luther King Jr.; Have a Dream; promisary note hold truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal;…

    • 596 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the first and last paragraphs of the declaration the authors establish their ethical standing through the use of ethos. Jefferson uses ethos mainly to appeal to the citizens of the United States. He references to “the Laws of Nature” and “God” multiple times to show the common foundation of which the colonists believe in. One instance in which he mentions religion is the statement, “that they are endowed by their Creator.” Jefferson creates a deep bond between the citizen’s and author’s common religious beliefs. The authors point out to the colonists, “Our…

    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted to declare the independence of the American colonies from English rule. On the Fourth of July, they approved the final edited version of the Declaration of Independence. The members of the Continental Congress made only two minor changes in the opening paragraphs of Jefferson's draft declaration. Most scholars today believe that Jefferson derived the most famous ideas in the Declaration of Independence from the writings of English philosopher John Locke. Locke wrote that all individuals are equal in the sense that they are born with certain inalienable natural rights. That is, rights that are God given and can never be taken or even given away. Among these fundamental natural rights, Locke said they are life, liberty and property. Locke believed that the most basic human law…

    • 492 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    America is a country that was based on many solid beliefs with many sacrifices. The Declaration of Independence is a paper that has become real for people who truly want to have a better life. Freedom was not free and it was not easy for everyone to have a good life. Not everyone had a good quality of life, better work and good education. America has always been a country that has good opportunities.Those beliefs were for the people that lived in the borders of this country to have what is believed to be rights. This great place has always had a lot of possibilities for people who want them. Within the Declaration of Independence it states that people have rights to be equal, rights to have liberty and rights to seek happiness.…

    • 325 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In brief, the United States was not founded upon Christian principles. The Declaration of Independence expresses how unhappy the Colonies are with British rule and the separation is necessary. The Virginia Statue of Religious Freedom maintains this idea by giving the people the chance to choose their faith. The Constitution also expresses the right to freedom of religion. The United States was founded upon the principle of freedom and improving the lives of its…

    • 562 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”. This quote was written by Thomas Jefferson and played a major part in the Declaration of Independance. The Declaration of Independance was a document that explained to the world why Great Britain's thirteen American colonies declared themselves to be "free and independent states". The document also consisted of the five main ideals Americans were to be guided or inspired by: equality, rights, liberty, opportunity,…

    • 1356 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Declaration of Independence, in 1776, written by Thomas Jefferson was the document that declared America wanted nothing to do with Great Britain and desired to be their own country. In the video, Jefferson includes key arguments about why the colonies needed to separate from the British. Jefferson believes that all people are born with the unalienable rights, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. He says that when these rights are not given, the people have the right to abolish the government, and institute a new one. Also, it is a right of the people to provide new guards for future security if the unalienable rights are to be broken.…

    • 282 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.”- Declaration of Independence, 1776. God is the one who gave us our rights and that everyone is created equal, no matter what gender or color you are. No one can take our rights according to God and the Declaration of Independence. “Whenever any form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new forms of government.”- Declaration of Independence, 1776. If the Government does not obey God’s laws and the Peoples freedom, the Peoples can get rid of the Government and make a new one, as long as they believe they could do better. King George III did not respect God’s rules and took the freedom from the People of the Colonies. He had British soldiers live in people’s houses and made their lives terrible. After the Colonists won the war, people finally got…

    • 635 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Declaration of Independence addresses natural rights of man as well as man’s consent to be governed.…

    • 793 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    is wrong. Modern interpretations of the Declaration of Independence have affected the way our country has grown, is currently growning, and will continue to grow throughout a new age of understanding. The statement, "...that all men are created equal..." now encompases every sex, every race, every walk of life living in these United States of America. No longer do Americans fight the oppression from some distant kingdom. We are free to reach for the goals of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". A document whose meaning has withstood the test of time is our motivating force to grow and face…

    • 463 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays