>>The Declaration of Independence has four references to God called Supreme Being and Creator in other places.
Yet Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of independence, had this to say:
"Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed by inserting "Jesus Christ," so that it would read "A departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion;" the insertion was rejected by the great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohammedan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination."
-Thomas Jefferson, Autobiography, in reference to the Virginia Act for Religious Freedom
This quote you keep referring to was with reference to the establishment of a state religion in Virginia and had everything to do with “coercion” of religious beliefs. This had nothing to do with the Declaration of Independence in 1776. I don’t think that you’d find among the 56 signers of the Declaration anyone who was a Hindu, Moslem, or Buddhist.
Indeed, among the so-called “Founding Fathers,” the following is a rough breakdown: It is fair to conclude that they had in mind a “Christian” God as their Supreme Being.
Religious Affiliation
of U.S. Founding Fathers
# of Founding Fathers
% of Founding Fathers
Episcopalian/Anglican 88 54.7%
Presbyterian 30 18.6%
Congregationalist 27 16.8%
Quaker 7 4.3%
Dutch Reformed/German Reformed 6 3.7%
Lutheran 5 3.1%
Catholic 3 1.9%
Huguenot 3 1.9%
Unitarian 3 1.9%
Methodist 2 1.2%
Calvinist 1 0.6%
TOTAL 204