Evidence of the Founders' Christian faith

Jamie Waldrop
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Roanoke Times

In response to Frederick Fuller's commentary on the 'Deist' Founding Fathers of our country, I thought I might do a little extra research to refresh my memory of history. Truth is important here, not the manipulated views of those who want history to coincide with their own religious beliefs. So let's start with the facts:

Of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention, 93 percent were Christian. Twenty-eight were Episcopalians, eight were Presbyterians, seven were Congregationalists, two were Lutherans, two were Dutch Reformists, two were Methodists, two were Roman Catholics. Three were Deists. This at a time when to be a member meant giving a sworn confession of faith. (Granted, not all politicians giving sworn testimony hold true to what is sworn.)

Given that, we could look at some of the statements of our Founding Fathers.

One of the 'Deists' ('those who believe that the universe was created by a God and then abandoned by that God'), Benjamin Franklin, stated: 'The longer I live, the more convinced I become that God governs in the affairs of men. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend or do we imagine we no longer need his assistance?'

At another time, he states to the convention, "If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground unseen, be it improbable that an empire could arise without His aid ... that without it, we shall be in this political building not better than the builders of Babel." And his denouncement of ThoÂmas Paine's "Age of Reason" went like this: " ... if men are so wicked with religion, what would they be without it?" (He, John Adams and other Founding Fathers blasted Paine publicly for his printing "Age of Reason.")

Patrick Henry, aware that some thought he was a Deist, was "pained" at this thought, and said of being a Christian himself, "that in that is a character which I prize far above that I have or can boast." His last will and testament says regarding his family, "There is one thing more I wish I could give them and that is faith in Jesus Christ. If they had that and not one shilling, they would be rich; and if I had not given them that, and had given them all the world, they would be poor indeed".

George Washington, in his private papers from his younger years, professed faith in Christ. In his latter years, he still attended church and stated to Delaware Indian chiefs in a speech in 1779 that they "do well to learn our arts, ways of life, in all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a great happier people than you are. Congress will do everything to assist you in this wise intention."

In his 1789 declaration of Nov. 26 to be a Day of Thanksgiving, he states that "it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection, aid and favors." He calls God "that great glorious Being, who is the Beneficient Author of all the good that was, is and shall be...." His stepdaughter, Nelly Custis Lewis, defended his faith saying, "his writings prove he is a Christian. He was not one of those who act or pray that it be seen of men. He communed with his God in secret." (Lewis quoting Matthew 6:5, 6.)

James Madison believed that religious liberty was important. Not wanting it under governmental control, he stated: "the Christian faith was solid enough doctrinally, theologically, morally and intellectually that it didn't need the support of civil government."

And though basically a Unitarian, John Adams in 1816 stated that "Jesus is Benevolence personified, an example for all men." He wrote in his diary in 1756, "Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the bible as their only law-book ... what a Utopia; what a paradise would this region be!" In 1813, to Jefferson, he wrote that the general principles of Christianity were "the only principles in which the Fathers who achieved independence could unite."

Though it doesn't make us a Christian nation, I believe that Christianity did have a positive influence on these men and many other of the Founding Fathers. And though I disagree with Fuller's idea that these men were Deists (Thomas Paine excepted), I will compromise in truth that some of them may have been Theists as opposed to Orthodox Christian. After all, the Constitution does mention God "In the Year of Our Lord, 1787." In any case, he presented quotes from one side of the scale. These are from the other - fair and balanced.



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