Pick up a book about George Washington written during the nineteenth century, and you will probably see that he is described as being a Christian. However, if you pick up a book written in the last seventy years, it will describe him as a Deist.
George Washington and Deism
The turning point seems to be a study by historian Paul F. His conclusion can be summarized in a single sentence: Deism is the belief that God is merely a watchmaker God who started the universe but is not involved in the affairs of humans and human history. Was George Washington a Deist? It is worth noting that even historian Paul Boller admitted that religion was important to Washington as a leader. This is important since many historians even go further than Boller and assert that Washington did not even attend church as a mature adult.
Michael Novak admits that some of the names Washington often used for God sound Deist, but that does not mean that he was a Deist. Washington used more than eighty terms to refer to God, among them: If we look at the history of the eighteenth century, there were many with orthodox religious beliefs who sometimes used the philosophical language of the enlightenment.
Washington was a Christian, even though he often used terms for God associated with Deists. There has been some dispute about how religious America was during the Revolutionary War. There was a shortage of churches and clergy especially along the paths of westward migration. At the first meeting of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia September , the first motion from the floor was for prayer to seek guidance from God.
But there was resistance, not because of the prayer, but because of the theological disagreements among the members Anabaptist, Quakers, Congregationalists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians. Sam Adams settled the dispute by saying he was no bigot and could pray along with any minister as long as he was a patriot. At the second meeting, they proposed that Washington be appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army. He did not think he was equal to the command but accepted it. To the British, he was the supreme traitor, in open rebellion to the King. His neck was at risk, and the American independence depended on him.
Washington and his men were trapped on Brooklyn Heights, Long Island. The British were poised to crush the American army the next day and that would have been the end of the rebellion. Washington planned a bold move and began evacuating his troops under the cover of darkness using everything from fishing vessels to rowboats. But there was not enough time to accomplish the task. When morning came, the fog of night remained and only lifted in time for the British to see the last American boat crossing the East River beyond the reach of their guns. Washington also required chaplains for the Continental Army, and personally took time for prayer.
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- George Washington and Religion - A Christian Not a Deist;
- Le Clan Pasquier, 1900-1913: Tome 2 (FICTION FRANCAI) (French Edition)?
He forbade his troops under pain of death from uttering blasphemies, even profanity. He called upon them to conduct themselves as Christian soldiers because the people demanded it. He brought together very diverse groups to fight the Revolutionary War by bridging ethnic and social divisions. This ranged from the regiment from Marblehead, Massachusetts that included men of mixed race, blacks, and Indians , to the Virginian and southern aristocrats to the yeomen in hunting shirts from western Virginia. The commander in chief expects an exact compliance with this order, and that it be observed in future as an invariable rule of practice—and every neglect will be consider not only a breach of orders, but a disregard to decency, virtue and religion.
Washington grew even more explicit as the war dragged on: To the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of a Christian. Washington lost a great deal of money during the war by paying for things out of his own pocket and by refusing a salary. He happily returned to Mount Vernon and spent happy years with his wife.
But the constitutional convention in brought him to elective office. He was elected as president by unanimous vote in Every step, by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation, seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency. Those who believe that George Washington was a Deist and not a Christian usually make the following observations.
First, Washington never took communion at Sunday services.
Second, he refused to declare his specific beliefs in public. Third, he rarely used the name of Jesus Christ in private correspondence and in public utterances. Finally, while he believed in God and had an awareness of Providence in his life, it all seems more like a Greek or Roman view of fate.
One Nation Under A Clockwork God?
It is not at all unusual for public men in pluralistic American life to maintain a notable reserve about their private convictions. They do not burden the public with declarations of their deepest beliefs, whose general force they trust their actions will sufficiently reveal. What are some of the reasons to believe Washington was a Christian?
First, he religiously observed the Sabbath as a day of rest and frequently attended church services on that day. Second, many report that Washington reserved time for private prayer. Third, Washington saved many of the dozens of sermons sent to him by clergymen, and read some of them aloud to his wife. Fourth, Washington hung paintings of the Virgin Mary and St.
John in places of honor in his dining room in Mount Vernon. Fifth, the chaplains who served under him during the long years of the Revolutionary War believed Washington was a Christian. Sixth, Washington unlike Thomas Jefferson was never accused by the press or his opponents of not being a Christian.
It is also worth noting that, unlike Jefferson, Washington agreed to be a godparent for at least eight children. This was far from a casual commitment since it required the godparents to agree to help insure that a child was raised in the Christian faith. The following is his account of Washington's death. Have me decently buried; and do not let my body be put into the vault in less than three days after I am dead. He then looked at me again and said, 'Do you understand me? I saw his countenance change.
I spoke to Dr. Craik who sat by the fire; - he came to the bed side. The General's hand fell from his wrist - I took it in mine and put it into my bosom. Craik put his hands over his eyes and he expired without a struggle or a sigh! Like other Deists such as Paine, Jefferson, Voltaire, Franklin, and Allen, Washington did not fear death but looked at it as just another part of nature.
Though he didn't speculate much on an after-life, he was comfortable to look at his own death as part of God's design. George Washington offers us a tremendous example of altruism and positive action. His actions tell us stronger than any words could possibly do to persevere in the face of all obstacles. To never give up and to always combine our sincerely held beliefs with action.
The Founding Fathers, Deism, and Christianity
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News of Interest to Deists.
History.org: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's Official History and Citizenship Website
A recent survey on religion shows there are 34 million Americans who are classified as "Nones", that is they do not embrace any of the "revealed" religions and the vast majority of them are not Atheists. In actuality, the vast majority of the "Nones" are actually Deists! The survey shows a giant step forward for Deism in the fact that it actually uses the word "Deist" and for the very significant raw numbers it shows as representing the number of people who are Deists.
In reality, the number of Deists is actually higher than the survey shows because the survey uses an outdated definition of Deist.
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For a more accurate definition please see our Deism Defined page. Click here to read the actual survey. Astronomers report a recent study strongly indicates the Universe is infinite.
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One of the reasons the freethinker Giordano Bruno was tortured and murdered by being burned alive by the Catholic Church during the Inquisition was that he said the Universe is eternal and infinite which violates the superstitions in the Bible found in Genesis. This new study vindicates Bruno. Obama is making the mixing of church and state worse than ever before. Obama supporters forget that when all is said and done, Obama is just another politician.