Posted on 06/10/2022 7:43:24 AM PDT by Perseverando
Lots more great graphics and info at the source.
I love Federer productions. Unabashedly American.
And John Wesley was unabashedly Christian ... unlike the today’s leaders of the Methodist church he founded.
England, generally, better than continental Europe, was always sort of one-off.
America generally hit the notes England did not.
If John Wesley was alive today, he’d burn down the Methodist Church and start again.
What the Methodist church has become is the antithesis of what Wesley preached.
If you want to know what real Religion is, read his book of 44 sermons.
In 1739 arriv’d among us from England the Rev. Mr. Whitefield, who had made himself remarkable there as an itinerant Preacher. He was at first permitted to preach in some of our Churches; but the Clergy taking a Dislike to him, soon refus’d him their Pulpits and he was oblig’d to preach in the Fields. The Multitudes of all Sects and Denominations that attended his Sermons were enormous and it was [a] matter of Speculation to me who was one of the Number, to observe the extraordinary Influence of his Oratory on his Hearers, and how much they admir’d and respected him, notwithstanding his common Abuse of them, by assuring them they were naturally half Beasts and half Devils. It was wonderful to see the Change soon made in the Manners [behavior] of our Inhabitants; from being thoughtless or indifferent about Religion, it seem’d as if all the World were growing Religious; so that one could not walk thro’ the Town in an Evening without Hearing Psalms sung in different Families of every Street.
And it being found inconvenient to assemble in the open Air, subject to its Inclemencies, the Building of a House to meet in was no sooner propos’d and Persons appointed to receive Contributions, but sufficient Sums were soon receiv’d to procure the Ground and erect the Building, which was 100 feet long and 70 broad, about the Size of Westminster Hall, and the Work was carried on with such Spirit as to be finished in a much shorter time than could have been expected. Both House and Ground were vested in Trustees, expressly for the Use of any Preacher of any religious Persuasion who might desire to say something to the People of Philadelphia, the Design [purpose] in building not being to accommodate any particular Sect, but the Inhabitants in general, so that even if the Mufti of Constantinople were to send a Missionary to preach Mahometanism [Islam] to us, he would find a Pulpit at his Service
Wesley was really one of the most important and vital religious figures in England and, by extension, in the United States. Asbury and the other circuit riders had a big impact on shaping the religious and social climate in the United States. It’s a tragedy what a large part of Methodism has become.
President Calvin Coolidge unveiled an Equestrian Statue of Francis Asbury in Washington, D.C., 1924,
stating: "Francis Asbury, the first American Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church ... made a tremendous contribution ...
"Our government rests upon religion. It is from that source that we derive our reverence for truth and justice, for equality and liberty, and for the rights of mankind. Unless the people believe in these principles they cannot believe in our government ...
"Calling the people to righteousness (was) a direct preparation for self-government. It was for a continuation of this work that Francis Asbury was raised up ...
"The government of a country never gets ahead of the religion of a country. There is no way by which we can substitute the authority of law for the virtue of man ...
"Real reforms which society in these days is seeking will come as a result of our religious convictions, or they will not come at all. Peace, justice, humanity, charity - these cannot be legislated into being. They are the result of a Divine Grace ..."
"Frontier mothers must have brought their children to [Francis Asbury] to receive his blessings! It is more than probable that Nancy Hanks, the mother of Lincoln, had heard him in her youth. Adams and Jefferson must have known him, and Jackson must have seen in him a flaming spirit as unconquerable as his own ...
He is entitled to rank as one of the builders of our nation. On the foundation of a religious civilization which he sought to build, our country has enjoyed greater blessing of liberty and prosperity than was ever before the lot of man. These cannot continue if we neglect the work which he did.
"We cannot depend on the government to do the work of religion. I do not see how anyone could recount the story of this early Bishop (Asbury) without feeling a renewed faith in our own country."
Who have once again betrayed the traditionalist branch by reneging on the Protocol for Separation that they supported when they thought it wouldn’t pass.
Adams was raised a Congregationalist, but ultimately rejected many fundamental doctrines of conventional Christianity, such as the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus, becoming a Unitarian. In his youth, Adams' father urged him to become a minister, but Adams refused, considering the practice of law to be a more noble calling. Although he once referred to himself as a "church going animal," Adams' view of religion overall was rather ambivalent: He recognized the abuses, large and small, that religious belief lends itself to, but he also believed that religion could be a force for good in individual lives and in society at large. His extensive reading (especially in the classics), led him to believe that this view applied not only to Christianity, but to all religions.
https://www.god-and-country.info/JohnAdams.html
The religious views of Thomas Jefferson diverged widely from the traditional Christianity of his era. Throughout his life, Jefferson was intensely interested in theology, religious studies, and morality.[1][2] Jefferson was most comfortable with Deism, rational religion, Theistic rationalism, and Unitarianism.[3] He was sympathetic to and in general agreement with the moral precepts of Christianity.[4] He considered the teachings of Jesus as having "the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man,"[5] yet he held that the pure teachings of Jesus appeared to have been appropriated by some of Jesus' early followers, resulting in a Bible that contained both "diamonds" of wisdom and the "dung" of ancient political agendas.[6]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_views_of_Thomas_Jefferson
Jackson was brought up in a Presbyterian family. Although he had little interest in religion early on, Jackson became increasingly religious, eventually joining the Presbyterian church in 1838.
https://www.god-and-country.info/AJackson.html
Somehow or other God used all three, as flawed as they were, to help shape the greatest nation maybe ever.
We ARE a nation of Christians despite what the former Liar in Chief said/says.
Ping!
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