The Faith of our Fathers?

• Deist?• Anglican?• Episcopal?• Unitarian?• Puritan?• Calvinist?• Atheist?

SourcesThis study of our Founding Father’s religion comes from three books…..

• The Faith of our Fathers by Alf J. Mapp, Jr., (Mapp is Eminent Scholar Emeritus at Old Dominion University)

• The Religion of the Founding Fathers, by David L. Holmes, (Holmes is Professor of Religion at the College of William and Mary).

• Washington’s God, by Michael and Jana Novak (Michael is a former U.S. ambassador and holds the George Frederick Jewett Chair in Religion, Philosophy and Public Polity at the American Enterprise Institute while his wife Jana is a writer and poet).

• Wikipedia (various subjects).

What is Deism?• Reason and observation of the natural world. • Existence of a Creator.• Rejection of revelation and authority as a source of religious

knowledge.• Gained prominence in the 17th and 18th centuries during the

Age of Enlightenment--especially in Britain, France, Germany and the United States.

• Deism was the religion among intellectuals raised as Christians.

• Belief in one God, but found fault with organized religion• Did not believe in the supernatural biblical events such as

miracles, the inerrancy of scriptures or the Trinity.

• Jefferson considered himself a Deist. • Reason would be his only dependable guide. • Priests and Kings he considered enemies of individual freedom.• Believed Jesus was the greatest preacher.• His beliefs lead him to separate Church from State

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

• Ben had his own religion but was also considered a prominent Deist.• “It seems required of me, and my duty, as a man, to pay divine regards to

something”. • Study what Jesus taught us and continue the moral reform of humanity.• Be good and you will be happy….. be happy and you will be good.• Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

• Weak and frail man who grew strong from his passion for freedom.• Faith centered in Anglican Orthodoxy changed at Princeton.• Drafted the Constitution and Federalist Papers.• Authored the Bill of Rights to prohibit the government from establishing a state

religion.

James Madison (1751-1836)

• A Puritan or Unitarian.• Very ambitious man.• Co-authored the Declaration with Jefferson.• Adams had faith in aristocracy as almost a religious tenet.• “The human understanding is a revelation from its maker, and can never be

disputed or doubted.”

John Adams (1735-1826)

• A vestryman responsible for the poor.• He would pray and was not adverse to worship. • A warm Deist?• No communion, why?• The will of Heaven is not to be controverted or scrutinized by the children of this

world. • Washington was influenced by two systems of thought—Christianity and

Freemasonry.

George Washington (1732-1799)

Summary and Questions?

We hope that from studying the religious views of our founding fathers, you could be better able to understand other “revolutionaries” and how their faiths shape new and old governments in today’s world. And most important, we might be able to better understand where we came from in the pathways of religion in America. Deism grew from the Age of Enlightenment. It certainly was a belief system that influenced our Founding Fathers in separating Church and State and helped them form the American idea of freedom and justice. Discussion: How do you account for religious beliefs that influenced our Founding Fathers in decisions of government?Why did Washington not wish to take communion?Was Ben Franklin telling the truth about his faith or just being political?If Adams was a Puritan/Unitarian, how did his faith clash with Jefferson and was that set of beliefs that set them apart?