Non-responsive, Sir. You can misrepresent my objections all you want, it doesn’t change the fact that you are either unwilling or unable to define what Old Ben meant by “Deist,” and you seem equally unwilling to come to grips with the fact that without defining the meaning of “Deist” you then become free to change the meaning of the term at your discretion, as often as a mother changes diapers, while misrepresenting every switch as infallibly the very last word on the wisdom of Dr. Franklin himself. All done in the finest Liberal tradition of ignoring the crucial question and shifting the burden to a more comfortable subject.
I do not need to define the term in order to say that Franklin considered himself a Deist, said he was a Deist, and, according to himself, held a Deist philosophy. I am not free to Define what “Old Ben” meant by Deist, only that according to HIS definition, he was one.
Franklin said he was a thorough Deist. You may disagree with him about his own beliefs if you want, but you don't need me for that particular conversation, try a Ouija Board.