Founding Fathers have near-mythical status in the US: Why?

Exonerate · Post by **Exonerate** » 2003-03-08 12:10am

Just saw http://www.channelonenews.com/articles/ ... ap_pledge/

Channel One is a news program for middle/high schools during the morning, and my school happens to show it. Anyways, I check out the site, and what do I see? People insisting the US was founded on "Christian beliefs" and how the "Founding Fathers" were Christians, etc, and other BS.

Why are the Founding Fathers worshipped like they are?

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2003-03-08 12:15am

Most of them were deists, iirc.

Now greatly respecting them is good cause they deserve every bit of it. I think these guys you're talking about are kinda twisting the facts toward their favor most likely.

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-03-08 02:36am

Near-mythical status?? Come on. They might respect their founding fathers and see them as good people, but they don't worship them like dictators are worshipped by their henchmen.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2003-03-08 02:40am

I would just like to say that Channel One is about as much a news source in my eyes as the National Inquirer. It's just fluff and human intrerest shit.

UltraViolence83 · Post by **UltraViolence83** » 2003-03-08 03:00am

The Founding Fathers are Great Men. George Washington was offered to be the King of the U.S.A. You would have to be a great man indeed to pass up such power and make yourself look hypocritical. Any praise these men get is never enough.

*Cult of Ben Franklin* lol.

DarkPrimus: Channel One is also a good source of U.S. propaganda.

desertjedi · Post by **desertjedi** » 2003-03-08 05:47am

Has anyone seen the Founding Fathers series on the History Channel? They are not bad and talk about the men as though they were men and not in any type of "mythical stature".

DarthBlight · Post by **DarthBlight** » 2003-03-08 09:21am

Yeah, I saw it. Was pretty good.

Post by **Colonel Olrik** » 2003-03-08 10:13am

Our founding father wore mail and handled a big sword, declared war to castela, defeated an army ten times its force and imprisioned his mother.

Beat that

Post by **Alyrium Denryle** » 2003-03-08 10:28am

I did of course reply to their stupidity

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-03-08 11:13am

desertjedi wrote:Has anyone seen the Founding Fathers series on the History Channel? They are not bad and talk about the men as though they were men and not in any type of "mythical stature".

Ugh. Founding Fathers is the equivalent of a historical tabloid.

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-03-08 11:32am

Durran Korr wrote:
Ugh. Founding Fathers is the equivalent of a historical tabloid.

The entire History Channel falls under that category.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-03-08 11:47am

Vympel wrote:
Durran Korr wrote:
Ugh. Founding Fathers is the equivalent of a historical tabloid.
The entire History Channel falls under that category.

I will commend the History Channel, however, for setting aside the time to broadcast something other than something about Hitler.

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2003-03-08 01:01pm

I'm guessing fundies think that the Founding Fathers were Christian because of a few select quotes they misinterpreted or ignorance of what they were actaully like, and the willingness to find an excuse for establishing a theocracy. If we're going to tell kids that the founding fathers were Christians, we might as well tell them that the US got it's independence from Germany, the Revolutionary War took place in 1615, and say the Constitution was written by Shakespeare.

Jadeite · Post by **Jadeite** » 2003-03-08 02:47pm

Channel One is a news program for middle/high schools during the morning, and my school happens to show it. Anyways, I check out the site, and what do I see? People insisting the US was founded on "Christian beliefs" and how the "Founding Fathers" were Christians, etc, and other BS.

Ugh, I hated Channel One in middle school, it was often really behind in current events, they ran their first story about the Kursk sinking, two weeks after it happened. Thankfully my high school doesn't make us watch it.

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2003-03-08 03:56pm

To anwser the origional question, the founding fathers were only human. They had their flaws, and they did some stupid things, but what they did right turned a backward grabass collection of British colonist into the most powerful nation and largest democracy on earth. What they accomplished was no small feat, and that is why they are remembered.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-03-08 04:00pm

Wicked Pilot wrote:To anwser the origional question, the founding fathers were only human. They had their flaws, and they did some stupid things, but what they did right turned a backward grabass collection of British colonist into the most powerful nation and largest democracy on earth. What they accomplished was no small feat, and that is why they are remembered.

That's the problem with "history" programs like Founding Fathers; they're more interested in exploring the "human side" of the Founders than they are in dealing with their accomplishments.

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2003-03-08 04:05pm

Durran Korr wrote:That's the problem with "history" programs like Founding Fathers; they're more interested in exploring the "human side" of the Founders than they are in dealing with their accomplishments.

Perhaps this is a good thing, as when people find out that these "American gods" where only human, they themselves will realize that they too could change the world with enough drive and vision, despite their mere mortal failings.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-03-08 04:31pm

Wicked Pilot wrote:
Durran Korr wrote:That's the problem with "history" programs like Founding Fathers; they're more interested in exploring the "human side" of the Founders than they are in dealing with their accomplishments.
Perhaps this is a good thing, as when people find out that these "American gods" where only human, they themselves will realize that they too could change the world with enough drive and vision, despite their mere mortal failings.

In the case of the history channel, exploring the "human side" of the fathers basically means delving into their personal lives and sex lives as much as possible. By all means, deal with things like Jefferson's slave ownership, he and Hamilton's dislike of one another, and John Adams' sleazy conduct when he was voted out of office. But leave their personal lives out of it.

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2003-03-08 05:02pm

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi wrote:I'm guessing fundies think that the Founding Fathers were Christian because of a few select quotes they misinterpreted or ignorance of what they were actaully like, and the willingness to find an excuse for establishing a theocracy. If we're going to tell kids that the founding fathers were Christians, we might as well tell them that the US got it's independence from Germany, the Revolutionary War took place in 1615, and say the Constitution was written by Shakespeare.

And the sad thing is, you could probably get a surprisingly large fraction of American high school students to buy that.

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-03-08 05:20pm

GrandMasterTerwynn wrote:
Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi wrote:I'm guessing fundies think that the Founding Fathers were Christian because of a few select quotes they misinterpreted or ignorance of what they were actaully like, and the willingness to find an excuse for establishing a theocracy. If we're going to tell kids that the founding fathers were Christians, we might as well tell them that the US got it's independence from Germany, the Revolutionary War took place in 1615, and say the Constitution was written by Shakespeare.
And the sad thing is, you could probably get a surprisingly large fraction of American high school students to buy that.

"That's the Wright Brothers' plane. At Kitty Hawk in 1903, Charles Lindbergh flew it fifteen miles on a thimbleful of corn oil. Singlehandedly won us the Civil War, it did." - Abraham Simpson

Trytostaydead · Post by **Trytostaydead** » 2003-03-08 05:23pm

The founding fathers were more than likely not Christians. Though when America was growing up, especially during the Civil War era you will have many of the leaders expressing a deep profound faith.

Admiral Johnason · Post by **Admiral Johnason** » 2003-03-08 06:00pm

Well, at least they weren't fundies.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-03-08 06:09pm

Keep in mind that some politicians were smart enough to profess faith even while secretly despising religion. When you look at personal correspondence of men like Lincoln and Jefferson, it's quite obvious that they are not religious and in some cases, they may even be openly HOSTILE to religion (Jefferson's comments are particularly harsh).

If someone says something like "May God watch over us our nation" in public but "the Christian religion is a ridiculous myth" in personal correspondence, would you think he's a Christian, or just a politician?

Andrew J. · Post by **Andrew J.** » 2003-03-08 08:56pm

Durran Korr wrote: I will commend the History Channel, however, for setting aside the time to broadcast something other than something about Hitler.

That's not fair!

Sometimes they talk about other Nazis, too.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2003-03-08 09:35pm

UltraViolence83 wrote: DarkPrimus: Channel One is also a good source of U.S. propaganda.

By the time I was starting high school, I had trained myself to not hear a single word said during the program.