History dude jumping in again because I’m seeing a lot of out of context fragments. The Founders wrote the 1st amendment to prohibit the government from favoring or punishing a on the basis of religion. This doesn’t mean the US was or wasn’t a Christian nation. Suggesting either is absurd and collectivizes an entire nation while alienating anyone who is or isn’t part of said group.
I’ll just jump right in to the quotes
Jefferson
The full quote from Thomas Jefferson is:
“…those who live by mystery & charlatanerie, fearing you would render them useless by simplifying the Christian philosophy, the most sublime & benevolent, but most perverted system that ever shone on man, endeavored to crush your well earnt, & well deserved fame.” - Thomas Jefferson to Joseph Priestley, Washington, March 21, 1801 (1)
With context we can clearly see Jefferson is using the verb form of Perverted, not the adjective. Saying that it is, in his opinion, the most sublime and benevolent.
Franklin
I searched for 30 minutes for a source on the Ben Franklin quote, found nothing. It looks to be made up. However, I did find a letter from Franklin to Ezra Stiles, then president of Yale college., regarding Franklin’s religious beliefs.
You desire to know something of my Religion. It is the first time I have been questioned upon it. But I cannot take your Curiosity amiss, and shall endeavour in a few Words to gratify it. Here is my Creed. I believe in one God, Creator of the Universe. That he governs it by his Providence. That he ought to be worshipped. That the most acceptable Service we render to him is doing good to his other Children. That the soul of Man is immortal, and will be treated with Justice in another Life respecting its Conduct in this. These I take to be the fundamental Prin- ciples of all sound Religion, and I regard them as you do in whatever Sect I meet with them. As to Jesus of Nazareth, my Opinion of whom you par- ticularly desire, I think the System of Morals and his Reli- gion, as he left them to us, the best the World ever saw or is likely to see ; but I apprehend it has received various cor- rupting Changes, and I have, with most of the present Dis- senters in England, some Doubts as to his Divinity; tho’ it is a question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an Opportunity of knowing the Truth with less Trouble. I see no harm, however, in its being believed, if that Belief has the good Consequence, as probably it has, of making his Doctrines more respected and better observed ; especially as I do not perceive, that the Supreme takes it amiss, by distinguishing the Unbelievers in his Government of the World with any peculiar Marks of his Displeasure.
So clearly while Benjamin Franklin undoubtedly was a Christian, he was also critical of organized religion (2).
Adams
The full quote from a letter to Thomas Jefferson,
Twenty times, in the course of my late Reading, have I been upon the point of breaking out, “This would be the best of all possible Worlds, if there were no Religion in it”!!! But in this exclamation, Start insertion,on, End,] I Should have been as fanatical as Bryant or Cleverly. Without Religion this World would be Something not fit to be mentioned in polite Company, I mean Hell
Again, this was a digression of Adams which is why he places it in quotation in his letter, he also references Bryant and Cleverly, two figures from earlier in his life.
At that Period Lemuel Bryant was my Parish Priest; and Joseph Cleverly my Latin School Master. Lemuel was a jolly jocular and liberal Schollar and Divine. Joseph a Scollar and Gentleman; but a biggoted episcopalian of the School of Bishop Saunders and Dr Hicks, a down right conscientious passive Obedience Man in Church and State The Parson and the Pedagogue lived much together, but were eternally disputing about Government and Religion. One day, when the Schoolmaster had been more than commonly fanatical, and declared “if he were a Monark, He would have but one Religion in his Dominion” The Parson coolly replied “Cleverly! You would be the best Man in the World, if You had no Religion.”
Here you can see that while, like many founders, Adams was wary of entanglement between church and state, that didn’t stop him from being a religious man (3).
Washington
This quote simply has nothing to do with religion (4).
Without a predilection for my own judgment, I have weighed with attention every argument, which has at any time been brought into view.
1. Jefferson, Thomas. The Best Letters of Thomas Jefferson. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1926.
2. Franklin, Benjamin. “Letter to Ezra Stiles, March 9, 1790.” Franklin, B: Writings. New York: Library of America 1179 (1987).
3. Cappon, Lester J., ed. The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams. UNC Press Books, 2012.
4. Washington, George, William Wright Abbot, Dorothy Twohig, Philander D. Chase, Beverly H. Runge, and Frank E. Grizzard. The Papers of George Washington. Vol. 1. University Press of Virginia, 1983.
I’ve grown tired of the weird obsession with those on the left, and even on the right, to claim that the Founding Fathers were not Christian or that they somehow intended to make this a secular country. That could not be further from the truth.
If you read some of the speeches, correspondence, and notes from the debates it is abundantly clear that the overwhelming majority of the Founders were very pious men and they discussed religion quite a bit. After all, most of them came from generations of people who came to America in search of religious liberty. They all had different varying opinions and practiced different denominations, and yes a few were deists, but they all read the Bible and believed the morality found therein was more valuable to the morality, civility, and individual prosperity of man than any other source.
Putting George Washington on this list out of all people is quite possibly the most asinine of the bunch considering he spoke fondly of the importance of religion in his famous farewell address:
Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked: Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice ? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.
It is substantially true that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule, indeed, extends with more or less force to every species of free government. Who that is a sincere friend to it can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric?
But here are some choice quotes from each of the individuals above:
“I would give you my views of it [Christian religion]. They are the result of a life of inquiry & reflection, and very different from that anti-Christian system imputed to me by those who know nothing of my opinions. To the corruptions of Christianity I am indeed opposed; but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian, in the only sense he wished any one to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines, in preference to all others; ascribing to himself every human excellence; & believing he never claimed any other. .” - Thomas Jefferson, letter to Benjamin Rush, April 21, 1803. [1]
“I believe in one God, creator of the universe. That he governs it by his Providence. That he ought to be worshiped. That the most acceptable service we render to him is doing good to his other children. That the soul of man is immortal, and will be treated with justice in another life respecting its conduct in this. These I take to be the fundamental principles of all sound religion, and I regard them as you do in whatever sect I meet with them. As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals, and his religion, as he left them to us, the best the world ever saw, or is likely to see; but I apprehend it has received various corrupting changes, and I have, with most of the present dissenters in England some doubts as to his divinity; tho’ it is a question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now.” - Benjamin Franklin, letter to Ezra Stiles, March 9, 1790. [2] (Sorry, to repeat it.)
“Now I will avow, that I then believed, and now believe, that those general Principles of Christianity, are as eternal and immutable, as the Existence and Attributes of God: and that those Principles of Liberty, are as unalterable as human Nature and our terrestrial, mundane System. I could therefore Safely Say, consistently with all my then and present Information, that I believed they would never make Discoveries in contradiction to these general Principles.” - John Adams, letter to Thomas Jefferson on June 28, 1813. [3]
“You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are.” - George Washington, speech to the Delaware Indians, May 12, 1779. [4]
