[Al Skierkiewicz]

Tristan,
Remember that I/we was/were discussing the founding of this country and the choice of words "under God" and the various other references in the early documents in the later half of the 1700's. Virtually all colonists were from religious backgrounds and/or countries. Atheistic views were simply not expressed by those people settling the colonies. As you point out there are some remarkable examples of people who profess to be atheist or perhaps more accurately agnostic.
As to the separation of church and state, again we must turn to those times and realize that a major reason settlers came to this continent was to escape the religious persecution they endured in their own countries. It is pretty clear the first ammendment addresses this "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;" Let us also not forget that our government is an establishment to not rule over the people but to have a representative government of the people. Abraham Lincoln spoke to this fact nearly one hundred years later in the Gettysburg address, "government of the people, by the people, for the people". Now since the majority of "We, The people" believe in a supreme being, it follows that the majority expect our leaders to believe also and we also can tell as a majority when the government would step over the line in establishing a religion. I think that this country has done an outstanding job preventing religious persecution and allowing the "free exercise therof" without establishing a religion.
Finally, I disagree with your opinion that my statement is broadly worded. In examining world history and government, those who instituted changes that make us what we are today, in the majority, have believed in a supreme being. That being said, representative governments, this one in particular, have taken great strides at making laws that are not influenced by religious views. I think that you and I can make a decision of what is just and that decision would be void of religious definition. It is right irrespective of what a religious leader may say to the contrary.