At the time of its Founding, the United States seemed to be an infertile ground for religion. Many of the nation's leaders—include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin—were not Christians, did not accept the authority of the Bible, and were hostile to organized religion. The attitude of the general public was one of apathy: in 1776, only 5 percent of the population were participating members of churches."-- Ian Robertson, Sociology, 3rd edition, New York: Worth Publishing Inc., 1987, p. 410.
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