Divining W : Inside the God that George Washington Worships ( Was he Deist or Christian ?)

National Review ^ | 02/20/2006 | Michael and Jana Novak

[SirLinksalot]

In remembrance of President's Day :

This Q&A and the book on which the answers are based on cuts through the claptrap of historical revisionists to tell us about George Washington's faith.

[wideawake]

The proof that Washington was not a Deist was that he very publicly called for prayers that God might intervene in human events.

By definition, a Deist does not accept the notion of an interventionist deity.

[Skooz]

Regardless of whatever evidence is presented here or anywhere else, the "All Our Founders Were Deists" crowd will ignore it all.

[stuartcr]

If we agree that there is only one God, then what does it matter how any person or religion, views God? When they speak of God, or pray to God, then they can only be speaking of the same God. All roads must lead to the same God, regardless of what one believes.

[massgopguy]

Only Ben Franklin was a self described Deist. All of the other signers of the Declaration of Independence were of Christian denomoniations including two Catholics.

[Paradox]

From what I have read, he was something of a Deist Christian, as this article states. I think it is significant that at his last moments were upon him, he did not have a priest or preacher at his side, didn't apparently make any religious remarks, just that he was "ok" with his death.

He certainly was no evangelical like we have today.

Also, the guy was called "King George" by his political enemies, which included members of his own Cabinet, like Jefferson. He resigned during his second term partially to prove that he did not want to be something of a king.

As I read one of his biographies, it struck me how similar things are today. The more things change....

[mnehring]

Regardless of whatever evidence is presented here or anywhere else, the "All Our Founders Were Deists" crowd will ignore it all.

Very true... from my understanding, only Franklin and Jefferson described themselves as Deists, and in Franklin's case at least, it still rung of Christian overtones, just a rejection of popular Churchanity.

[MeanWestTexan]

Same crowd that claims freemasons are "Deists" (being that basically all the founders, save Jefferson, were freemasons).

Freemasons are taught to pray (to the God of Abraham, in the name of the Lion of Judah, to the honor of John the Baptist and John the Apostle) before embarking on any undertaking, great or small (which is similarly incompatible with being a Deist).

But, hey, believers in blood liable are idiots.

[mnehring]

Also, Freemasons hold many beliefs polar opposite of Deists, including a Deity that intervenes in the world- in all the teachings, the 'Great Architect' has influence over our lives. We're closer to Gnostic Christians than Deists.

[Servant of the 9]

The quintessential Deist was Voltaire, yet he built a church on his estate and employed a priest to say mass in it. He served as Godfather to many children. He used the coloquialisms of the day that spoke of God's grace and God's will though he was one of the most precise users of language to ever live.

He also made clear to associates that he did it because he thought it helped keep the lower classes in line, and religious bigots off his back, not because he believed any of it himself. It's a matter of noblesse oblige

So9

[Skooz]

Yeah.

Washington was just as much a bullsh*** artist as Voltaire, huh?

[stuartcr]

Franklin just believed in God, no religion? Is that bad? I'm not very familiar with Deists.

[Servant of the 9]

Washington was just as much a bullsh*** artist as Voltaire, huh?

No, Washington had nowhere near the talent of Voltaire. The only contemporary who did was Franklin.

I'm not saying Washington wasn't a Christian, I'm saying we don't know and can't know from the material that has come down to us just what his faith was.

So9

[Skooz]

Desim is basically the belief that once God created the universe, He put everything in place and did such a perfect job that nothing would ever require His intervention.

This is sometimes called the master clockmaker scenario. A master clockmaker makes such superb clocks, that he doesn't stand over it night and day waiting for something to go wrong so he can fix it. He knows that the clock is of such excellent construction that it will never need to be fixed, so he just goes on and ignores the clock from then on.

So, Deists believed in God as a Creator, but differed with Christians in that they believed God would never, under any circumstance, intervene in any situation.

[Skooz]

I'm saying we don't know and can't know from the material that has come down to us just what his faith was.

I would say the evidence is overwhelming.

[stuartcr]

Thanks. Some of what I read here, made it look like being a Deist was a bad thing.

Since no one really knows, how does it matter?

[GreyFriar]

ping

[presidio9]

Also, Lincoln was gay. Gore Vidal said so.

[SirLinksalot]

So, Deists believed in God as a Creator, but differed with Christians in that they believed God would never, under any circumstance, intervene in any situation.

This implies then that if George Washington prayed to God (and he did) and encouraged others to do the same ( and he did ), then he MOST DEFINITELY IS *NOT* A DEIST.

[MeanWestTexan]

"I'm saying we don't know and can't know from the material that has come down to us just what his faith was."

No-one knows the heart of any man, but God.