This isn't really the whole story. Many of the founders were Deist and/or practically irreligious. The other important distinction is that the Church of Englan

This isn't really the whole story. Many of the founders were Deist and/or practically irreligious. The other important distinction is that the Church of England is essentially a state church. In many ways the U.S. Constitution, on which Nonconformists had far more influence, is its antithesis. [1] Puritanism/Nonconformism views religion as a personal or at most a local matter. One of the references you shared has an interesting quote to this effect stating that when England tried to impose it's unelected colonial official rule, Puritan officials "were of opinion that God would never suffer me to land again in this country, and thereupon began in a most arbitrary manner to assert their power higher than at any time before." [2] A much more accurate picture of what the U.S. started out as and has become today would be a mosaic or a patchwork of various religions and/or philosophies where one always has a choice whether to participate (or abstain). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonconformist_(Protestantism) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonconformist_(Protestantism) [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominion_of_New_England#Dudley_administration https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominion_of_New_England#Dudley...