Why did fiunding fathers use the word "creator" in the Declaration of Independen

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   chapbetsyposted 15 years ago

   Why did fiunding fathers use the word "creator" in the Declaration of Independence?

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   davidwpaposted 15 years ago

   My thought it was because they did not want the document to favor one religion over another but still acknowledge there is a power that is supreme to any person who created all of us and we are granted fundamental rights as beings of this creation that should not be abridged by any one.
   
   If you think about the melting pot of our country and the sheer numbers of cultures and religions that live here today, it was genius on behalf of our founders to not use "GOD" in the document simply because Creator implies the same thing yet is non-denominational and can be a synonym for practically any religious beliefs.

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   cjhunsingerposted 15 years ago

   Although Thomas Jefferson was the primary author of the D of I there was a Committee of Five charged with the task of writing the document, Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, Robert R. Livingston and Roger Sherman. It was Jefferson that drafted the document with, Adams and Franklin making some adjustments to the second draft, which was submitted to Congress.  It is interesting to note that in Jefferson’s draft the word, ‘god’ is not capitalized this. I think, speaks to Jefferson’s respect and value for theistic belief, as is shown in many of his quotes. Also the concept of a natural order of rights that are inherent in the human character and mentioned in Jefferson’s draft can be traced to the ancient societies of Greece and Rome.
   The final draft, which contains the word Creator and is capitalized, was the added by Congress. It is difficult to say, with any great certainty, why it was added, as the primary contributors to this document were Deists (Agnostics) and, I would think closet Atheists. There were many attempts by several members of Congress to insert Christianity into the D of I and into the Constitution; obviously they were blocked. The Christian chorus was loud however, as too, the overall population of the country held to some form of theistic belief, mostly Christian.  The document, if it was to survive, and if the desired results were to be achieved some concession was obvious. “Creator” was simply an ambiguous appeasement and concession to achieve that end.

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