Quote:
Originally Posted by markj
Yeah it's a real shame that a Supreme Court justice would ever base his opinions on The Book upon which most, if not all of the constitution was written. Crazy right? Hate much?
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In the hundreds of pages comprising Madison’s notes on the constitutional convention (and those of the others who kept notes), there is no mention of biblical passages/verses in the debates/discussions on the various parts and principles of the Constitution. They mention Rome, Sparta, German confederacies, Montesquieu, and a number of other sources — but no Scripture verses.
In The Federalist Papers, there is no mention of biblical sources for any of the Constitution’s principles, either... that's among 85 total essays on the subject. The word “God” is used twice in the Constitution, and one of those is a reference to the pagan gods of ancient Greece. “Almighty” is used twice and “providence” three times... but neither is ever used in connection with any constitutional principle or influence. The Bible is not mentioned.
In a May 8, 1825 letter to Henry Lee, Jefferson identifies his sources for the Declaration’s principles. He names as sources: Aristotle, Cicero, Locke, and (Algernon) Sidney — he does not mention the Bible.