Posted on 03/24/2015 2:25:33 PM PDT by Kaslin
Let’s hope so.
This would be pretty obvious from behavior. I’m not getting all microscopic here.
I agree with you that it was not a substantial number of Americans who were deists. But some pretty important founders were. I read something recently about Washington not being that devout, in addition to the ones you listed.
It was in a discussion of that myth about the angel appearing to him. Supposedly, he wasn’t that big on going to church. He was clearly Christian, and he was profoundly moral in his beliefs and character. But I am curious, why, in a post that I made that said that America would not be America without a Christian foundation, you choose to nitpick on the exact percentage of the original founders who were deists. I said “many”. You said “few”. Then you listed Franklin, Jefferson and Paine. I am sure there were many others prominent in the revolution, as the ideas of the European philosophers were the source of so many of their political ideals. But who cares? It was not the point by any means, it was the opposite of the point, of my little comment.
Sorry, it wasn’t you that was replying to my original post, you were just replying to my reply to Pelham. So it wasn’t you that was nitpicking.
I plan on revisiting it later.
precisely
nope! Conservatives did not, do not, and will not attack Ted.
“I read something recently about Washington not being that devout,”
That’s because our current disbelievers would love to claim him. They ought to be satisfied with Lincoln, whose friends insisted that he was a mocker and skeptic like themselves.
I think Washington would have to have spoken and written in a fashion identical to a modern TV preacher for some to admit that he believed in Christ. Yet Washington held a lay position in his local church. He was known to pray while General of the Continental army, that isn’t just something made up by painters. Franklin and Jefferson were skeptics and we have their writings as evidence. Washington left behind nothing of the sort, which would be natural for someone who wasn’t rejecting the faith of the church he attended his whole life.
” I said “many”. You said “few”. Then you listed Franklin, Jefferson and Paine.”
That indeed was me, and one reason is because I’ve read Bernard Bailyn’s ‘Ideological Origins of the American Revolution’, Mel Bradford’s ‘A Worthy Company’, and the Liberty Press edition of ‘Political Sermons of the American Founding Era’. I’d suggest you delve into those a bit, you might be surprised.
Glad you were able to bring this knowledge of yours to bear on the discussion.
No problem.
I think all the issues I referenced are found in these two major newspaper links.
Google has many more links on Cruz and immigration.
For instance, Cruz claims to be against “Chain Migration” which allows an infinite number of family members to get legal USA residency. But, Cruz has never campaigned in Texas against that issue. And, Cruz has never campaigned in Texas to reduce our current massive levels of LEGAL immigration and new citizens.
From the New York Times and the Houston Chronicle Blog:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/us/cruz-tries-to-claim-the-middle-ground-on-immigration.html?_r=1
You might enjoy the Bailyn and the Bradford books. ‘Political Sermons’ was a bit dry for my taste but it does provide an idea of how closely interrelated churches and the politics of independence were if you care to wade through it.
Another excellent historian of the founding era is Forrest McDonald, although I don’t recall him addressing the deism issue. But anything he has written is worth reading.
I have several Bailyn books. The starting point for such research is Albion’s Seed, by Fischer.
“The starting point for such research is Albion’s Seed, by Fischer.”
Have it. Great book. Especially interesting when you have cavalier and scots irish ancestors.
David Hackett Fischer’s “Paul Revere’s Ride” is an outstanding book as well if you haven’t seen that one.
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