Chapter 11: The Founding Fathers
America: Not Founded as a Christian Nation
Meet America's Most Famous Deists
Adams, John
It will never be pretended that any persons employed in that service (the formation of the American governments) had interviews with gods, or were in any degree under the influence of Heaven, more than those at work upon ships or houses, or laboring in merchandise or agriculture; it will forever be acknowledged that these governments were contrived merely by the use of reason and the senses.
-John Adams, A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America
As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion
-Treaty of Tripoli, Article 11, signed by President Adams and ratified unanimously by the Senate in 1797
Jefferson, Thomas
Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear.
-Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Peter Carr
The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme Being as his father in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter.
- Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Adams
The clergy believe that any portion of power confided to me, will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly: for I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.
-Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Benjamin Rush
History I believe furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance, of which their political as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purpose.
-Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Alexander von Humboldt
"Nothing can be more exactly and seriously true than what is there stated; that but a short time elapse after the death of the great reformer of the Jewish religion (Jesus), before his principles were departed from by those who professed to be his special servants, and perverted into an engine for enslaving mankind, and aggrandizing their oppressors in Church and State; that the purest system of morals ever before preached to man, has been adulterated and sophisticated by artificial constructions, into a mere contrivance to filch wealth and power to themselves; that rational men not being able to swallow their impious heresies, in order to force them down their throats, they raise the hue and cry of infidelity, while themselves are the greatest obstacles to the advancement of the real doctrines of Jesus, and do in fact constitute the real Anti-Christ."
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Samuel Kercheval
Madison, James
Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise
-James Madison, Letter to William Bradford
During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less, in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in laity; in both, superstition, bigotry, and persecution.
-James Madison, Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments, Section 7
What influence in fact have ecclesiastical establishments had on Civil Society? In some instances they have been seen to erect a spiritual tyranny on the ruins of the Civil authority; in many instances they have been seen upholding the thrones of political tyranny: in no instance have they been seen as the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers who wished to subvert the public liberty, may have found an established Clergy convenient auxiliaries.
- James Madison, Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments, Section 8
Mr. Madison said he apprehended the meaning of the words to be, that congress should not establish a religion, and enforce the legal observation of it by law, not compel men to worship God in any manner contrary to their conscience.
-Remarks in Congress on Proposed Constitutional Amendments
Who does not see that the same authority which can establish Christianity, in exclusion with all other religions, may establish with the same ease any particular sect of Christians, in exclusion of all other sects? That the same authority which can force a citizen to contribute three pence only of his property for the support of any one establishment, may force him to conform to any other establishment in all cases whatsoever?
- James Madison, Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments, Section 3
Because the Bill exceeds the rightful authority, to which Governments are limited by the essential distinction between Civil and Religious functions, and violates, in particular, the Article of the Constitution of the United States which declares, that Congress shall make no law respecting a Religious establishment. Because the Bill vests in the said incorporated Church, an authority to provide for the support of the poor (it) would be a precedent for giving to religious Societies as such, a legal agency in carrying into effect a public and civil duty.
-James Madison, Veto Message, February 21, 1811
I observe with particular pleasure the view you have taken of the immunity of Religion from civil jurisdiction, in every case where it does not trespass on private rights or the public peace. This has always been a favorite principle with me; and it was not with my approbation, that the deviation from it took place in Cong[ress], when they appointed Chaplains, to be paid from the Nat[ional] Treasury. It would have been a much better proof to their Constituents of their pious feeling if the members had contributed for the purpose, a pittance from their own pockets. As the precedent is not likely to be rescinded, the best that can now be done, may be to apply to the Const[itution] the maxim of the law, de minimis non curat.
-James Madison, letter to Edward Livingston
Washington, George
If I could conceive that the general government might ever be so administered as to render the liberty of conscience insecure, I beg you will be persuaded, that no one would be more zealous than myself to establish effectual barriers against the horrors of spiritual tyranny, and every species of religious persecution.
-George Washington, letter to the United Baptist Churches of Virginia
The Constitution
U.S. Federal Constitution, Amendment 1
Freedom of Religion, Speech and Press; Rights of Assembly and Petition
Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.
- U.S. Constitution, Article VI, Section 3
The Declaration of Independence
This document refers to God four times. Are they necessarily Christian references?
- the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them
- endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights
- appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions
- a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence
The first two are clearly deistic terms for God. No Christian would ever say Natures God. Such a term is clearly used by one whose idea of God comes from observation of nature rather than scripture. Similarly, deists are fond of the terms Creator or First Cause as ways to refer to God.
The third reference is unusual for deism but not completely inconsistent. For all we know, God may judge us.
The fourth reference, Providence, was a term George Washington was especially fond of using when he spoke of God. Judging from the views he expressed, Washingtons deism featured a God that did have a hand in worldly events.
Nowhere in the declaration is the Supreme Being addressed by the name Jesus or the Lord. These terms for God would have leant credibility to the idea that America was founded as a Christian nation. As it stands, the references to a generic Creator-god are quite consistent with deism and cant be assumed to be the Christian god.
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