To: jstone78
I'm afraid that there are a whole lot of other quotes from a great number of the founding fathers that would make a very strong case for them being Deists, at best.
The fairest argument that can be made is that these men were, like all men, a product of their time. They lived in a very religious time, towards the tail end of the era when your religion was usually defined by who your king was.
There is really no question that these men were motivated by many different influences, some religious but also some not religious, such as the belief in "natural law" and the innate right of individuals to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". The Bible had been around for centuries, it took the vision of men like Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Paine, and many other great men to forge this new creation called "The United States of America".
To argue that the founding fathers were devout believers is as dishonest as claiming that they were all athiests. The truth is that they were men of their era, a era deeply influenced by religion and religious practices. Their writings, thoughts and comments reflect that reality.
Their primary intent was not to create a nation that was Christian, their primary intent was to create a nation that was free, where men could choose to believe or not believe however they wished without being molested by the state.
To: Billy_bob_bob
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
7 posted on
08/29/2002 6:00:40 PM PDT by
Shermy
To: Billy_bob_bob
Their primary intent was not to create a nation that was Christian, their primary intent was to create a nation that was free, where men could choose to believe or not believe however they wished without being molested by the state. agreed
12 posted on
08/29/2002 7:32:13 PM PDT by
tomkat
To: Billy_bob_bob
The people that were in America 100 years before Washington were profoundly Christian. Church attendance was a requirement.One of my ancestors spent several nights in jail for missing church.I have been humbled and amazed at the faith that George Washington had. Schools were started for one reason, so that people could read the bible.
To: Billy_bob_bob
There is really no question that these men were motivated by many different influences, some religious but also some not religious, such as the belief in "natural law"
Small point, but despite natural law not being religious, it still jibes well with religion. What I mean is that it isn't secular or humanist, as we know those terms today.
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