Forgot, here is the link to the complete picture.

jcgadfly beat me to it. I was going to point out that Jefferson and Franklin weren't Christians. Check out "the Professor" and "Mr. Hollywood" on the right. "The Immigrant" on the left with his hand up in shock that Jesus is the source of America's power is hilarious. Thomas Paine is in there! He wrote "The Age of Reason!" He wrote an incridible attack on Christianity! This painter has to be clueless or is trying to rewrite history to make our founding fathers devote Christians. This is comedy gold. This may actually be true art in a way. Perhaps not in the way the painter meant it, but in a way.

I don't get the caption for the WWI soldier. The soldiers who fought in WWI were not fighting for our freedom. Everyone was just trying to seize land for their own selfish ambitions in WWI. We were not a freedom loving savior in that war. We were just foreign meddlers that got caught up in Europe's self-destructive land-grabbing war.

Is it just me, or is Jesus wearing the symbol to Gondor (the human kingdom from the Lord of the Rings) on his chest? Aragorn is going to be pissed when he sees that Jesus stole his shirt.

This painting is pretty fun to mess around with. People online have already made improved versions of it:

I don't see a Confederate soldier. Are you thinking of the one of the Revolutionary, WWI or Vietnam soldiers?

Lets not give the theocrats any fuel by implying that Ben or Thomas were atheists, they were not. They could hardly be called right wingers, nor did they buy into the superstitious magical claims of the bible, especially Jefferson.

We can never truly know their real beliefs because a politician still has to maintain some semblance of appearance of agreement with the voting public otherwise they wouldn't get elected.

BUT, make no mistake about it. Considering that even Washington said in a letter that he didn't care who built Mt Vernon, be it a Muslim or an atheist, as long as they were good workers, destroys the bigoted propaganda that has been successfully and falsely sold by the right wing.

They all had some degree of belief, from Jesus to mere deism, but all of them knew the dangers of mixing politics and religion. It wasn't the only reason they started the Revolution, but it certainly was a big part.

Our Constitution was never written for the sole perpose of maintaining a Christian monopoly of power. It was written to maintain the ability to compete in the open market and in politics, FOR ALL. Being that some of them were abolitionists, and being that they criticized pulpit politics and being that Jefferson AND Washington mentioned that atheists could be decent people, combined with no mention of the Christian god or Jesus anywhere in the Constitution, their intent was clear, FREEDOM OF RELIGION was by no means an entitlement for Christians to hoard the drivers seat.

But like all politicians, they had to word the Constitution to appeal to people while leaving the door open for the long term future. Jefferson especially would be happy to see us competing and being open. I cant say that he wouldn't still be a deist today like he was then, but he certainly would despise the attempts of the likes of Robertson to turn America into a Christian Taliban.

Whatever you want to argue about the beliefs of the founders, they were not ever the theocrats that Pat Robertson would have you believe. They wouldn't have wanted non-Christians to sit at the back of the bus, regardless of the politics they were forced to play at the time.

If there intent was for only Christians to hold office, it would have been wise for them to put Jesus in the oath of office. It would have been wise for them to say, "The litmus test to hold office is some sect of Christianity"

It wasn't a failure to do so. It was a deliberate avoidance of theocratic politics. They didn't want to outlaw religion of course, which believers falsely accuse us of, but they wanted a government NEUTRAL on the issue so that common ground could be focused on.

The spin has finally been exposed, but to avoid any backslide, it is up to all reading this to KNOW your history and repeat it and spread the reality of the diversity and neutrality the founders promoted.

I am glad to see this subject come up. BUT don't stop here. Every time you hear some dip wad on national media, or read a local paper, respond to the theocrats and expose their lies.

It is a lie that "Freedom of Religion" means freedom to monopolize power while excluding others from competing. Christians are allowed to compete BUT SO ARE ALL OTHER CITIZENS. The Constitution forbids inclusion or exclusion on the bases of religion. "No Religious Test"

There is no law preventing a Muslim or Jew or atheist from applying and competing for votes for ANY OFFFICE, even that of president.

Expose the lie and free OUR pluralistic country from the clutches of theocrats.