Tom DeLay: People keep forgetting that God ‘wrote the Constitution’

[kpete]

Tom DeLay: People keep forgetting that God ‘wrote the Constitution’
By David Edwards
Thursday, February 20, 2014 16:23 EST



Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) this week warned Americans to remember that God “wrote the Constitution” based on the Bible.

During an appearance on John Hagee Ministries’ Global Evangelism Television (GETV) network on Wednesday, host Matt Hagee asked the Texas Republican where the country had gone wrong.

“I think we got off the track when we allowed our government to become a secular government,” DeLay explained. “When we stopped realizing that God created this nation, that he wrote the Constitution, that it’s based on biblical principles.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/02/20/tom-delay-people-keep-forgetting-that-god-wrote-the-constitution/

[CJCRANE]

1. God told me he didn't write it.

Show me proof he told you otherwise.

[CTyankee]

18. Yep, me too!

God was annoyed that I even asked...

[rhett o rick]

35. Wait just a minute. What channel did you get God on? nm

[CTyankee]

47. I dunno...she just "tunes in" to me...

She likes me but doesn't want to answer too many questions...

[rhett o rick]

58. Tell me you didnt give her your credit card info. nm

[CTyankee]

66. She already has it. She has yours, too...

[They_Live]

103. Goddess made credit cards

for real.

[CTyankee]

104. Naw, she just knows everything...I guess that makes god a "busybody"!

[Jefferson23]

2. Second story I read today that should be from The Onion.

Tom Delay should be in jail.

[jsr]

3. Says the exterminator who gave it to his termites in Congress

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Hey Tom, your fantasy does not make it fact!!!!

Now get back into the hot tub... you ethics challenged person you. By the way, God did write Though shall not steal or bear false witness (for the moment let's assume god did) You are now bearing false witness to God no less.

[A HERETIC I AM]

5. What a nitwit. n/t

[jberryhill]

6. Yeah, God was really big on "freedom of religion"

Unless of course you believe in another god, in which case you'll have all kinds of bad things happen to you.

[exboyfil]

7. James Madison is God?

We have had quite a few theocracies based on the Christian god. They usually end up with someone getting burned.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

41. You beat me to it. First though that entered my mind.

[ProfessorGAC]

53. Same Here

Well, anyway i was taught that James Madison wrote it. Who knew?
GAC

[kentauros]

72. No, but James Mason is!

At least according to Eddie Izzard

(pertinent part not until 4:45, but worth watching up to that mark at least)

[yellowcanine]

75. No, God was a committee with Gouverneur Morris as chair.

Madison was just a helper elf.

[Caretha]

92. Gouverneur

is the half brother to my 5th great grandfather Lewis, and he channeled that he thinks that Bug Man is bat shit crazy....


honest to God....he did.

PS I was named after Gouverneur's wife

[FiveGoodMen]

8. Tom Delay keeps forgetting to go to prison

And our legal system keeps forgetting to press the matter.

[IggleDoer]

9. Wait! Didn't She also write the Qur'an?

n/t

[Zambero]

10. Looks like he forgot to sign off on it

At least God was not on a big ego trip, since he never even bothered to reference himself OR the Bible in the text of said document. OR....can we simply blame it on those pesky Deist Founding Fathers for neglecting to include the God part?

[jmowreader]

11. There'd be a few differences if God would have written it

The part about establishment of religion would have been different, there wouldn't be anything about guns in it, there would have been a very long list of capital crimes enumerated ("conspiracy to violate elections law" would have been on it - sorry, Tom) and the only allowable forms of execution would have been stabbing, beheading and stoning.

[merrily]

98. The people insisted on the Bill of Rights.

The people had a lot of clout then, having just fought and won one revolution.

[spanone]

12. in what language tommy boy?

dumb. fuck.

[colsohlibgal]

13. This Fiction Has Gotten Out Of Hand

The U.S. was not founded as any kind of religious nation - we came here to get away from that. Anyone selling this nonsense has to be challenged hard.

[Arkana]

14. He's right--if by "God" he means "James Madison".

[JDPriestly]

39. Actually ---

Q. Who actually wrote the Constitution?
A. In none of the relatively meager records of the Constitutional Convention is the literary authorship of any part of the Constitution definitely established. The deputies debated proposed plans until, on July 24, 1787, substantial agreement having been reached, a Committee of Detail was appointed, consisting of John Rutledge, of South Carolina; Edmund Randolph, of Virginia; Nathaniel Gorham, of Massachusetts; Oliver Ellsworth, of Connecticut; and James Wilson, of Pennsylvania, who on August 6 reported a draft which included a Preamble and twenty-three articles, embodying fifty-seven sections. Debate continued until September 8, when a new Committee of Style was named to revise the draft. This committee included William Samuel Johnson, of Connecticut; Alexander Hamilton, of New York; Gouverneur Morris, of Pennsylvania; James Madison, of Virginia; and Rufus King, of Massachusetts, and they reported the draft in approximately its final shape on September 12. The actual literary form is believed to be largely that of Morris, and the chief testimony for this is in the letters and papers of Madison, and Morris's claim. However, the document in reality was built slowly and laboriously, with not a piece of material included until it has been shaped and approved. The preamble was written by the Committee of Style.

Q. Who was the penman who, after the text of the Constitution had been agreed on, engrossed it prior to the signing?
A. Jacob Shallus who, at the time, was assistant clerk of the Pennsylvania State Assembly, and whose office was in the same building in which the Convention was held.

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_q_and_a.html

At the convention he gave more speeches than any other delegate, a total of 173. As a matter of principle, he often vigorously defended the right of anyone to practice his chosen religion without interference, and he argued to include such language in the Constitution.[9]

Gouverneur Morris was one of the few delegates at the Philadelphia Convention who spoke openly against domestic slavery. According to James Madison who took notes at the Convention, Morris spoke openly against slavery on August 8, 1787:

He [Gouverneur Morris] never would concur in upholding domestic slavery. It was a nefarious institution. It was the curse of heaven on the states where it prevailed. Compare the free regions of the Middle States, where a rich & noble cultivation marks the prosperity & happiness of the people, with the misery & poverty which overspread the barren wastes of Va. Maryd. & the other States having slaves. ... Proceed southwardly, and every step you take, through the great regions of slaves, presents a desert increasing with the increasing proportion of these wretched beings.

. . . .
The admission of slaves into the Representation when fairly explained comes to this: that the inhabitant of Georgia and S. C. who goes to the Coast of Africa, and in defiance of the most sacred laws of humanity tears away his fellow creatures from their dearest connections & damns them to the most cruel bondages, shall have more votes in a Govt. instituted for protection of the rights of mankind, than the Citizen of Pa. or N. Jersey who views with a laudable horror, so nefarious a practice.[10]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gouverneur_Morris

Gouverneur was Morris' first name. He was no god. He believed that only property owners should vote.

[merrily]

100. Madison was by far not the only drafter.

He just took it upon himself to write a lot of the Federalist Papers.

[Arkana]

110. I'm well aware.

However, I think that saying Madison wrote the Constitution is far more correct than saying that God wrote it.

[merrily]

111. Both statements are wrong.

[earthside]

15. That would explain why slavery is allowed in the original Constitution.

Leviticus 25
Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can will them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly.

Ephesians 6:5
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ.

[SamKnause]

16. It is extremely difficult

to forget something that NEVER happened.

Is Tom Delay professing that he was at the signing of the Constitution ?

It certainly sounds like he is stating it as a fact that he witnessed.

Would his "God" be proud of his criminal record and destructive political past ?

It appears many corrupt people certainly like hiding behind their religion.

[Blue Owl]

17. This is what happens when you huff bug spray

n/t

[trusty elf]

57. ...........

[IMG][/IMG]

[Coyotl]

65. DUzy!

[sheshe2]

19. Sorry Tommy.

The Goddess told me you are wrong. She also said you were a tad~

[eShirl]

20. he's confusing it with the 15 commandments

make that 10

[hatrack]

21. And that whole "3/5ths of a person" thing? Not God's best moment, IMHO

[napkinz]

22. Time To Disabuse Mr. DeLay --->

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

29. + a whole bunch!

[YOHABLO]

38. It's unbelievable how ridiculous these religious right wingers are!

[Enthusiast]

44. Well done, napkinz!

Religious extremists do not understand that it does not further their cause to coerce people to believe in their particular brand of religion.

[maddiemom]

90. I was several years too young to vote when Goldwater ran. My liberal parents thought he was

"scary." At the beginning of the "Sixties," so did almost all my friends. We were still reeling from the JFK experience and not so crazy about LBJ, but thought him safer than Barry. NOW, all these years later, I wish someone as sane as Goldwater was in charge of the GOP.

[napkinz]

23. Furthermore ...

[Enthusiast]

45. +1 a whole bunch!

[stevenleser]

24. You have got to be effing kidding me.

[Enrique]

25. he might be thinking of Canada

the Canadian Constitution says ""Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law".

The U.S. Constitution by contrast has zero references to God.

[Deep13]

26. Imagine Madison's surprise. nt

[edbermac]

27. And God sent me an email saying that Tom DeLay was a clueless asshole.

I swear!!

[Enthusiast]

46. I believe that.

I do!

[WinkyDink]

28. Those Enlightenment Deists would be amused by this claim.

[PumpkinAle]

30. DeLay Criminal and Schizophrenic..............

"If you talk to God, you are praying;
If God talks to you, you have schizophrenia.
If the dead talk to you, you are a spiritualist;
If God talks to you, you are a schizophrenic."
--The Second Sin, by Thomas Szasz, (Anchor/Doubleday,
Garden City, NY. 1973, Page 113.)

[Nanjing to Seoul]

43. I was wondering who said that

I am sort of misquoting it then when I say "when you speak to God, it's called praying. When God speaks to you, it's called insanity."

[butterfly77]

31. Why isn't this mfker in jail?

Kiss our asses Delay!

[JI7]

32. bobblehead of God

[Sarah Ibarruri]

33. Somebody needs to tape this criminal's mouth shut.

If that's religion, they must worship Satan.

[3catwoman3]

34. Oh...

...gawd!!!

[The Wielding Truth]

36. God spoke. "Tom, thou shall not bear false witness! I did not write the US Constitution!"

Last edited Fri Feb 21, 2014, 08:46 PM - Edit history (1)

You think this will filter into those voices he hears in his head?

[Coyotl]

64. I knew God wasn't as infallible as some claim.

"bare" witness ... She really messed up her grammar that time.

[OilemFirchen]

37. He's right. I DO keep forgetting that!

[Cha]

40. God said Tom Delay is full of shit.

[ananda]

42. And people don't keep forgetting that Tom Delay is a criminal.

..

[idendoit]

48. She forgot to even mention herself in it.

[deutsey]

49. I'm old enough to remember a time when this would have been laughed off the national stage

assuming it had somehow managed to make it there in the first place.

Now shit like this is the norm. So much for progress.

Devo was right...we are in the midst of mass devolution.

[Caretha]

93. I remember too

so I must be old..heh

These cretins were not only laughed at they were totally irrelevant and we didn't even ponder if their stupidity should be considered or discussed.

[tanyev]

50. Yep, with a #2 pencil. Amiright, Tom?

[Botany]

51. So God was in support of slavery and women not voting?

n/t

[merrily]

99. That was certainly what male clergy had long been saying.

[Gore1FL]

52. It begs the question why He didn't write it correctly first time.

Humans have said "We need to change this thing" 27 times. i'd have thought God would have done it in one take.

[deathrind]

54. Tom must have missed.

Art. 11 in the treaty with Tripoli.

Art. 11. As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

[Eleanors38]

55. Gotta e-mail from Zeus, and he holds the copyright

On the joint, but Thor put a lein on it. Caveat emptor.

[kelliekat44]

56. Explains a lot about what is wrong with this nation. nt

[Le Taz Hot]

59. "become a secular government"

The Founding Fathers MADE SURE it was a secular government. It WAS a secular government until the religious mental cases got their greasy little fingers into it (thank you, Reagan, for giving what used to be the fringe element legitimacy).

Do these people ever actually crack a history book? Ever? And to think this country is infected by MILLIONS of these pod people. Our "Democratic" president, given that he invited Rick Warren to his inaugural, is no less guilty. He can find time for homophobic preachers like Warren but not one minute for progressives.

[freebrew]

60. Ted Cruz' dad told him that...nt

[CrispyQ]

61. "It ain't getting any smarter out there, people." ~Frank Zappa --nt

[Initech]

62. So does that mean James Madison is god?

[yellowcanine]

74. No, Gouverneur Morris. Madison was just a helper elf.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_wrote_the_US_Constitution?#slide=2

[Coyotl]

63. And the Devil wrote the Republican Party rule book!

[NastyRiffraff]

67. Funny, I never thought god was the shy retiring type

Particularly that evil old reprobate, Yahweh. If he/she/it wrote the constitution, why is god not mentioned even once in the document? Ditto the Bible, not a word about the "good" book.

[Rozlee]

68. If he had, he would have written it on stone tablets.

[sakabatou]

69. Wut?

[malaise]

70. Men wrote both the constitution and the bible

I detest ignorance

[mwooldri]

105. Just like people who think that the King James Bible...

... is truly the one and only infallible word of God. Who wrote that Bible anyway? And the misprints in earlier printings (one printing had in their Ten Commandments "Thou shalt commit adultery&quot ? ? ? Humans wrote the Bible.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

71. Did God also write Roe v Wade, which has been found constitutional?

[yellowcanine]

73. Gouverneur Morris was GAWD?

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_wrote_the_US_Constitution?#slide=2

Who knew?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

76. God also created Twister...

[Gothmog]

77. According to Juanita Jean, Tom DeLay is planning on returning to Congress

I live in the same congressional district as Juanita Jean http://www.juanitajean.com/2013/11/15/some-rumors/

The World’s Most Dangerous Beauty Salon, Inc., used to be represented by the most arrogantly evil man in Congress, Tom DeLay. Now it is led by the most sadly pathetic man in Congress, Pete Olson. Honestly, they call him “Furniture” because his desk is smarter than he is. Add to that the fact that he has a speech impediment and you cannot understand a word he says. He’s goofy looking and we’re not entirely certain that he dresses himself. But, he is, and always will be a place holder. He’s Phil Gramm’s puppet.

Within days of Tom DeLay’s conviction reversal by Republican judges, Tom began talking about running for his old seat again. He’s decided it’s too soon this time since the filing deadline in Texas for the 2014 election is December 9th, but he wants to run as a vindicated persecuted hero in two years.

No, seriously, my phone has been ringing like a bad handbell choir with people anxious to tell me that Tom is doing a Reunion Tour. He wants to go back to Congress. I saw him get handcuffed and hauled off myownself. I was there having a party the night before and the day after. I never wanted to see him again.

Tue current congresscritter for my district, Pete Olson, is an idiot and will fight this effort.

[silvershadow]

78. Did he ever have to report to prison? Or was that conveniently avoided? I never heard. nt

[Jim Lane]

94. No, he did no time.

He was free on bail pending the outcome of his appeal. His appeal succeeded, so he's off the hook.

[Token Republican]

79. Stupid claims like this

put the token in my name and helped bring me here.

[2pooped2pop]

80. it's true

then sent them down the mountain with Moses to present them to the peoples.

Thou shalt speaketh when one wishes. You remember, that stuff.

[Blue_Tires]

81. So should one of us tell DeLay that God is black?

or do we let the surprise simmer just a little longer?

[napkinz]

82. couple of things ...

[valerief]

83. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams are rolling over in their graves. nt

[stuartsdesk1]

84. Why Didn't God Sign the Document?

Have you read the constitution Mr. Tom Delay? There were 39 signers and one witness.

But God's name isn't among them.

How did these people dare to sign if God was the real author? Is this a monumental
case of plagiarism?

Have you read the first amendment Mr. Delay? It says-

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

But you say that the constitution itself is law based on religion, a particular religion (Judeo-Christian) at that.

How does your belief square with a constitutional amendment demanding that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion...".

Is the constitution itself unconstitutional and the product of 39 plagiarists and law-breakers?

Or, did the devil make them do it?

For a lighter take on religion in politics please go to http://stuartsdesk.com/Oldies_But_Goodies.html

[RoccoR5955]

85. Tom DeLay forgot

That his two remaining brain cells are wanting to defecate, as they were originally programmed to. So now the stuff is coming out of his mouth!

[ladym55]

86. Step away from the Johnny Walker, Tom

We know that in addition to being lying, unethical scumbag that you tend to hit the sauce just a bit.

Hard for people to "forget" what never occurred ...

Just another dumb Republican who was busy drinkin' and partyin' when American history was being taught. The sad thing about us is that we permit this level of STOOPID to represent us in government.

[JaneyVee]

87. Was it in pencil or pen, perhaps iPad?

[maddiemom]

88. I was recently wondering "whatever happened to the charming Tom Delay?"

Then this came out. Most of the founding fathers, with less years of scientific experience than we have today, were far more thoughtful and skeptical than our present leaders (at least pretend) to be. If any of them materialized today, they'd likely kick the shit (verbally) out of Delay and his ilk. What nerve from a proven shyster. Are the citizens he believes swallow this stuff still out there and TSTL when it comes to Delay?

[Warren DeMontague]

89. people keep forgetting it because you just

made it right the fuck up.

[Agony]

91. wow

relying on the supernatural to explain reality is wrong no matter who does it...

[npk]

95. Did god write the constitution on the 5th or 6th day?

[davidpdx]

96. I think someone needs to send the paddy wagon without de-lay

to pick him up and put him in a padded cell. He's obviously hearing voices again.

[NYtoBush-Drop Dead]

97. Tom DeLay... just trying to be relevant among the...

wack jobs...

[cheapdate]

101. It's surprising to me how dumb he is.

Not that I ever thought he was an intellectual giant. I know I shouldn't be surprised by how dumb he is, but it's still surprising sometimes.

[father founding]

102. keep the cap on

I think Delay is sniffing the bug juice again.

[napkinz]

106. a must read ...

http://freethought.mbdojo.com/foundingfathers.html


One of the many attacks on our country from the Religious Right is the claim that our country is a Christian Nation...not just that the majority of people are Christians, but that the country itself was founded by Christians, for Christians. However, a little research into American history will show that this statement is a lie. Those people who spread this lie are known as Christian Revisionists. They are attempting to rewrite history, in much the same way as holocaust deniers are. The men responsible for building the foundation of the United States were men of The Enlightenment, not men of Christianity. They were Deists who did not believe the bible was true. They were Freethinkers who relied on their reason, not their faith.

If the U.S. was founded on the Christian religion, the Constitution would clearly say so--but it does not. Nowhere does the Constitution say: "The United States is a Christian Nation", or anything even close to that. In fact, the words "Jesus Christ, Christianity, Bible, Creator, Divine, and God" are never mentioned in the Constitution -- not even once. Nowhere in the Constitution is religion mentioned, except in exclusionary terms. When the Founders wrote the nation's Constitution, they specified that "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." (Article 6, section 3) This provision was radical in its day -- giving equal citizenship to believers and non-believers alike. They wanted to ensure that no religion could make the claim of being the official, national religion, such as England had.

The Declaration of Independence gives us important insight into the opinions of the Founding Fathers. Thomas Jefferson wrote that the power of the government is derived from the governed. Up until that time, it was claimed that kings ruled nations by the authority of God. The Declaration was a radical departure from the idea that the power to rule over other people comes from god. It was a letter from the Colonies to the English King, stating their intentions to seperate themselves. The Declaration is not a governing document. It mentions "Nature's God" and "Divine Providence"-- but as you will soon see, that's the language of Deism, not Christianity.

snip

None of the Founding Fathers were atheists. Most of the Founders were Deists, which is to say they thought the universe had a creator, but that he does not concern himself with the daily lives of humans, and does not directly communicate with humans, either by revelation or by sacred books. They spoke often of God, (Nature's God or the God of Nature), but this was not the God of the bible. They did not deny that there was a person called Jesus, and praised him for his benevolent teachings, but they flatly denied his divinity. Some people speculate that if Charles Darwin had lived a century earlier, the Founding Fathers would have had a basis for accepting naturalistic origins of life, and they would have been atheists. We'll never know; but by reading their own writings, it's clear that most of them were opposed to the bible, and the teachings of Christianity in particular.

read more: http://freethought.mbdojo.com/foundingfathers.html

[DallasNE]

107. So DeLay Would Have Fought On The Side Of The British In The Revolutionary War

Our Founding Fathers were adamant about forming a secular government because religious freedom, not religious domination, was the unifying force behind the revolution. In that day people like Tom Delay would have taken up arms with British forces and fought against the revolution.

[napkinz]

108. ...

[jorgebob28]

109. Treaty of Tripoli

As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Tripoli