You're right about tolerance, just ask the Catholic church. I suppose it's better to be a murderer, then to be tolerant. Most europeans were Christian back then, mostly because they didn't have a choice. For a very long time, if you went against the Catholic doctrine, you were dead or imprisoned.

But yes, the founders were of Christian beliefs, but not the beliefs that fundamentals or evangelicals follow today. And yes, the first settlers were very religious, that's why they came here, nobody else wanted to put up with their freaking crazy ideas.