The founding fathers on religion
“If I could conceive that the general government might ever be so administered as to render the liberty of conscience insecure, I beg you will be persuaded, that no one would be more zealous than myself to establish effectual barriers against the horrors of spiritual tyranny, and every species of religious persecution."
George Washington, letter to the United Baptist Chamber of Virginia (1789)
“Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, then that of blindfolded fear."
Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr (1787)
“In regard to religion, mutual toleration in the different professions thereof is what all good and candid minds in all ages have ever practiced, and both by precept and example inculcated on mankind.”
Samuel Adams, The Rights of the Colonists (1771)
“Persecution is not an original feature in any religion; but it is always the strongly marked feature of all religions established by law. Take away the law-establishment, and every religion re-assumes its original benignity."
Thomas Paine, The Rights of Man (1791)
“Congress has no power to make any religious establishments."
Roger Sherman, Congress (1789)
“The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.”
Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanack (1758)
“I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people build a wall of separation between Church & State.”
Thomas Jefferson, letter to the Danbury Baptists (1802)
“To argue with a man who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.”
Thomas Paine, The American Crisis No. V (1776)
Note: You can read Paine’s whole pamphlet, where he expresses his atheistic beliefs, here.
“Our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, any more than our opinions in physics or geometry."
Thomas Jefferson, A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom (1779)
“Christian establishments tend to great ignorance and corruption, all of which facilitate the execution of mischievous projects.”
James Madison, letter to William Bradford, Jr. (1774)
“There is nothing which can better deserve our patronage than the promotion of science and literature. Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness.”
George Washington, address to Congress (1790)
“During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What has been its fruits? More or less, in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution.”
James Madison, General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia (1785)
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From the wiki on Benjamin Franklin here] Virtue, religion, and personal beliefs
Necessity for organized religion:
Franklin felt that organized religion was necessary to keep men good to their fellow men, but rarely attended religious services himself. When Franklin met Voltaire in Paris and asked this great apostle of the Enlightenment to bless his grandson, Voltaire said in English, "God and Liberty," and added, "this is the only appropriate benediction for the grandson of Monsieur Franklin."
Respect, tolerance and promotion of all churches:
One of Franklin's notable characteristics was his respect, tolerance and promotion of all churches. Referring to his experience in Philadelphia, he wrote in his autobiography, "new Places of worship were continually wanted, and generally erected by voluntary Contribution, my Mite for such purpose, whatever might be the Sect, was never refused." "He helped create a new type of nation that would draw strength from its religious pluralism."
Bold added by me.
Belief in deism:
Although Franklin's parents had intended for him to have a career in the Church, Franklin as a young man adopted the Enlightenment religious belief in deism, that God's truths can be found entirely through nature and reason. "I soon became a thorough Deist."
Proponent of religion in general:
According to David Morgan, Franklin was a proponent of religion in general. He prayed to "Powerful Goodness" and referred to God as "the infinite". John Adams noted that Franklin was a mirror in which people saw their own religion: "The Catholics thought him almost a Catholic. The Church of England claimed him as one of them. The Presbyterians thought him half a Presbyterian, and the Friends believed him a wet Quaker." Whatever else Franklin was, concludes Morgan, "he was a true champion of generic religion."
Several years ago I was spurred on to investigate this topic as so much at that time was being touted about the Founding Fathers intending America to be a Christian Nation. I read many of the things written by Thomas Paine (not surprisingly as one looks at my icon) to include The Age of Reason, Jefferson’s Bible, a number of biographies and a few selected works on both sides of the fence of the Separation of Church & State.
All of this led me to conclude that only an ignorant person could believe that the Founding Fathers intended America to be a Christian Nation or that they did not intend there to be a separation of Church & State. But then, as now, many Americans take great pride in their ignorance. :-S
Several years ago I was spurred on to investigate this topic as so much at that time was being touted about the Founding Fathers intending America to be a Christian Nation. I read many of the things written by Thomas Paine (not surprisingly as one looks at my icon) to include The Age of Reason, Jefferson’s Bible, a number of biographies and a few selected works on both sides of the fence of the Separation of Church & State.
All of this led me to conclude that only an ignorant person could believe that the Founding Fathers intended America to be a Christian Nation or that they did not intend there to be a separation of Church & State. But then, as now, many Americans take great pride in their ignorance. :-S
They probably didnt intend it - at least in the sense that Europe had been, but they must have known that continued European immigration would make a society that is at least culturally Christian.
IMO, it doesn't matter at this point what the founding fathers thought about religion. That said, they were not atheists, they were likely Theistic Rationalists - which was a fashionable thing among NW European thinkers at that time.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theistic_rationalism
IMO, it doesn’t matter at this point what the founding fathers thought about religion. That said, they were not atheists, they were likely Theistic Rationalists - which was a fashionable thing among NW European thinkers at that time