Our Values: Were America's founding fathers Christians?
Why is this such a timely question? We Americans debate our values so strongly because values matter — values help us understand who we are, what we have in common, and where we are going. Our history is a part of the story of our values. That’s why debates about the founding of the nation are relevant today. With the 2012 elections looming, this debate about the founders’ story is heating up once again.
“Was America founded as a Christian nation?” Historian John Fea has tackled this question in a thoughtful new book by that title.
One angle he takes is focused on the religious beliefs and practices of the founding fathers. Liberals and conservatives alike can cherry pick quotations from our founding fathers and offer them as proof that our founders were (or weren’t) Christians.
Fea’s book is a warning of the hazards of doing so.
The reality of our founders’ beliefs and practice is more complex and often more ambiguous. The founders were, in Fea’s words, “an eclectic religious group.” Washington regularly attended church services, for example, but seemed to do so more because it was an opportunity to meet and discuss political matters. His true religious beliefs are a mystery.
Others, like Jefferson, were followers of Jesus but rejected central Christian doctrines like the divine inspiration of the Bible. He considered the four traditional Gospels to include irrational stories about miracles and resurrection. Jefferson, like John Adams, had little use for any doctrine that could not be explained by reason.
Franklin was a mighty moralist who rejected most Christian doctrines and is best known as a promoter of the religion of virtue — and the virtue of getting ahead. John Jay and Samuel Adams were the closest to the idea of Christian statesmen — devout Christians who worked hard to align their belief in Christian doctrine to their behavior. But the behavior that betrayed many founders (like Jefferson) who claimed to be Christian was slave ownership. Washington freed his slaves upon his death; Jefferson did not.
The one belief that unites our founders is the conviction that religion was the moral backbone of the new republic. Only religion — whatever that religion might be — could get people to rise above their narrow self-interest and become citizens who cared about others.
Regardless of the complexities of the founding fathers’ religious beliefs and practices, we still want our elected leaders in Washington to profess religious affiliations. Only 1 percent of our seated Senators and Representatives do not specify a faith tradition, according to a new Pew Research Center study. This means that a large segment of the American population — those who do not profess any religious affiliation — are virtually unrepresented.
So what do you think:
Do you think elected officials should believe in God?
Should our leaders practice some religious faith?
And, how important is the faith of our founding fathers?
Dr. Wayne E. Baker is a sociologist on the faculty of the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Baker blogs daily at Our Values and can be reached at ourvaluesproject@gmail.com.
Comments
REBBAPRAGADA
Sat, Feb 19, 2011 : 5:58 p.m.
I understand the human person based upon my understanding of human anatomy(the structure) and human physiology(function) and the religious beliefs of that person are of no consequence. I am saying that this human person is a created being and he exists in this physical world by his ability to acquire energy and he maintains this ability by operation of what I describe as God-Connection. Even if all religions are abolished, man would continue to seek his connection with his Creator as man by his very nature exists as a spiritual being.
John B.
Sun, Feb 20, 2011 : 9:28 p.m.
Wait, let me get my crystals lined up properly.....
Karen
Sat, Feb 19, 2011 : 4:02 a.m.
It's completely irrelevant what our Founding Fathers believed in, vis a vis Christianity They gave us a Constitution that endorsed religious freedom for everyone.
maallen
Wed, Feb 16, 2011 : 11:10 p.m.
"In God We Trust" may have officially became the "official motto" in 1956, however it has been on our coin currency since the 1860's. In 1957 it was put on our paper currency. In 1868, Florida put "In God We Trust" on its state seal. However, even before that, in the final stanza of The Star Spangled Banner (our national anthem) written in 1814 it has the phrase "...And this be our motto: In God is our trust." In 1864 the two cent coin had the motto "In God We Trust" then in 1866 the nickel adopted it (until 1883) followed by the quarter dollar, half dollar, silver dollar and gold dollars. Now you know the rest of the story!
Garrett
Thu, Feb 17, 2011 : 2:50 p.m.
Thank 'God' for wikipedia!
Garrett
Wed, Feb 16, 2011 : 6:28 p.m.
@REBBAPRAGADA "The Official Motto of the United States of America has been described as "IN GOD WE TRUST"" -Not until the 1950s was that the motto. "Americans have to come to an understanding about the term GOD and man's spiritual connection or relationship with God, the Creator." -Really? Because last I checked American's disagree about God constantly. What about the Hindus in the country? The Buddhists? Muslims? Jews? Who's God have we come to an understanding on? The Catholic? Presbyterian? Baptist? Unitarian? Scientology? Mormon? Jehovah's Witness? Lutheran? Episcopalian? Orthodox? Amish? Quakers? Seventh Day Adventist?
bedrog
Wed, Feb 16, 2011 : 8:34 p.m.
or those native americans who may still be attached to Wakan tanka, gitchi manitou or huitzilopochtli. for myself, i'm a zeus kinda guy.
REBBAPRAGADA
Wed, Feb 16, 2011 : 5:59 p.m.
The Official Motto of the United States of America has been described as "IN GOD WE TRUST". I had arrived in Ann Arbor during 1986 placing my trust in God. Americans have to come to an understanding about the term GOD and man's spiritual connection or relationship with God, the Creator. It is not surprising to note that in this vast universe that exists, that we know and understand, planet Earth is the only known blue dot that supports Life and God has chosen to send His Son to reestablish man's connection to his Creator.
maallen
Wed, Feb 16, 2011 : 5:37 p.m.
Ah, but our constitution does say "...done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven..."
Karen
Sat, Feb 19, 2011 : 4:03 a.m.
Big deal.
Rork Kuick
Wed, Feb 16, 2011 : 3:22 p.m.
Makes me glad they didn't place any such muddle in our constitution.
maallen
Wed, Feb 16, 2011 : 2:18 p.m.
The Constitution of each of the 50 states acknowledges and calls upon the Providence of God for the blessings of freedom. In 1787 James Madison said: "We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of gov't, far from it. We have staked the future..upon the capacity of each & all of us to govern ourselves, according to the Ten Commandments of God." April 30, 1789 Washington's First Inaugural Address "My fervent supplication to that Almighty Being Who rules over the universe, Who presides in the council of nations, & Whose providential aid can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties & happiness of the people of the U.S. a gov't instituted by Himself for the essential purposes." March 11, 1792 Washington: "I am sure that never was a people who had more reason to acknowledge the Divine interposition in their affairs than those of the United States; & I should be pained to believe that they have forgotten that agency which so often manifested in the Revolution." On July 4th 1821 John Quincy Adams: "The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected, in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil gov't with the principles of Christianity. From the day of Declaration...they (the American people) were bound by the laws of God, which they all, & by the laws of the Gospel, which they nearly all, acknowledged as the rules of their conduct." In 1891 the U.S. Supreme Court said: "Our laws & our institutions must necessarily be based upon & embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian...this is a religious people. This is historically true. From the discovery of this continent to the present hour, there is a single voice making this affirmation...we find everywhere a clear
Ignatz
Wed, Feb 16, 2011 : 3:39 p.m.
They were wrong about slavery and lack of women's sufferage, too.
maallen
Wed, Feb 16, 2011 : 1:52 p.m.
America is not a Christian nation anymore, but it was founded as a Christian nation. It's easy to rewrite history now-a-days, but if one would take the time and do their own research, one would find that America was founded as a Christian nation. How does one explain that 11 of the first 13 states required faith in Jesus Christ and the bible as qualifications for holding public office? How does one explain in the Summer of 1775 the Continental Congress issued a call to all citizens to fast and pray so that the Lord might bless the land: "And it is recommended to Christians of all denominations, to assemble for public worship, and to abstain from servile labor and recreation on said day." How does one explain the Declaration of Independence "We hold these truths...that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights...appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world...And for the support of this Declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence..." As the Declaration was being signed Samuel Adams said "We have this day restored the Sovereign to Whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven, and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let his kingdom come." Harvard University was founded in 1636 as a Christian University. Yale University's charter said "Whereas several well disposed and Publick spirited Persons of their sincere Regard to and zeal for upholding and propagating of the Christian Protestant Religion youth may be instructed in the Arts and Sciences who through the blessing of Almighty God may be fitted for Publick employment both in Church and Civil State." In addition to Harvard and Yale, 106 out of the first 108 schools in America were founded on the Christian faith.
Macabre Sunset
Wed, Feb 16, 2011 : 3:40 a.m.
Let's see... there are basically ten major rules in Christianity. As opposed to thousands in our legal system. Of those ten, only two (killing someone and stealing from someone) are felonies. The other eight range from completely ignored to misdemeanors. Someone has to be on some fairly potent hallucinogenics to conclude that our legal system is based on any bible.
Ellen
Wed, Feb 16, 2011 : 12:33 p.m.
Oh M.S., I don't think DonBee is drugging. ;) I just think that for some Christians, thier faith is **everything** to them, and that is how they view their world.
DonBee
Wed, Feb 16, 2011 : 12:03 a.m.
But...most of our criminal legal system is based on Christian teachings. Most of the "Thou Shall Not's" of the Bible have been set as cornerstones in our criminal code. The question is, if the founding fathers and the early congressmen were not Christians, why are so many of the moral characteristics of the Christian faith so deeply buried in our legal code? Inquiring minds want to know.
Lola
Wed, Feb 16, 2011 : 2:38 a.m.
Don, I'm sure there were laws similar to many that we have today long before Christianity existed. Do you seriously think Christians invented the idea that murder was a bad thing?
Ellen
Wed, Feb 16, 2011 : 12:17 a.m.
I'm thinking that a lot of the 'thou shall nots' in the legal system are not based only on Christian teaching, it's human nature not to steal or kill (well, except for the criminals!) I don't believe that *only* Christian teachings are moral ... I'm going to wager that most people (of religious background or not) hold certain morals that are probably very similar to the commandments and thou shall nots.
David Briegel
Tue, Feb 15, 2011 : 10:47 p.m.
builder, So does everyone else here. You must be extremely distressed!
David Briegel
Tue, Feb 15, 2011 : 9:14 p.m.
It is refreshing to note the absence of the doctrinaire pseudo-Christian crowd here. Since man created his god in his own image, it doesn't really matter much! Ignatz nailed it in the very first post. Real men and women have fought for centuries against every type of tyrant, thug, dictator, potentate, royalty and pope to GAIN Freedom! Freedom from those who believe that some mythological character GAVE them their freedom! I cringe every time I hear someone say that god gave us freedoms. If we allow religioustity to dominate our culture, we are much less FREE! Religous does NOT equate to goodness. Atheism does not equate to anything evil. Good and evil exist independent of all other variables.
sbbuilder
Tue, Feb 15, 2011 : 10:19 p.m.
Wow, Mr Briegel You seem to have the whole god/man thing figured out all by yourself. How brilliant. How prideful.
bugjuice
Tue, Feb 15, 2011 : 8:03 p.m.
Maybe they were Christian by the definitions of their day... maybe not. But they were not bible thumping, self righteous, fundamentalists who judged then condemned to hell anyone who did not identify as a Christian.
Macabre Sunset
Tue, Feb 15, 2011 : 8:03 p.m.
One thing the Founding Fathers agreed upon was that everyone was free to choose or not choose a faith. What confuses people like Baker is that many people during that time were "deists", meaning they assumed there was some sort of force governing nature, but they did not necessarily believe in what we would consider religion today. They did not pray or seek to anthropomorphize this deity. In many ways, they were far more enlightened than any political figure today. We have a governor in Alabama who refuses to consider non-Christians his constituents. We had a recent president who said he did not consider atheists to be proper citizens of America. Politicians are encouraged today to wear religion on their sleeves. And I believe that's why we're mistrusted around the world. In Europe, because their elected leaders consider religion private. And in the Muslim world, because they consider it a declaration of war.
bedrog
Tue, Feb 15, 2011 : 7:53 p.m.
Thomas Paine...a deist, like benjamin franklin and thos jefferson...referred to the idea of a divine jesus as "obscene humbug' and noted that since God had created infinite worlds in the universe he would never have sent a putative son to "save' just this one. He also noted the insubstantialness and trivialness of narrow christianity when measured against the vastness of the universe. So no...the founding fathers , while sometimes "religious' in their own individual ways , were absolutely NOT christians as defined by the current doctrinaire crop on the "religious right".
maallen
Wed, Feb 16, 2011 : 3:41 p.m.
Deism definition is belief in a God who created the universe and then abandoned it, assuming no control over life, or influence. While it is true that Benjamin Franklin's life when he was young was leaning toward deism, he didn't hold onto that belief as he became older. Franklin in his later years said this: "The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?" Likewise with Thomas Jefferson, he was not a deist. In multiple letters he states he is a Christian. In a letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush in 1803 he says: "...the Christian religion was sometimes our topic; and I then promised you, that one day or other, I would give you my views of it. 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...I am a Christian, in the only sense he wished anyone to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines, in preference to all others." In another letter to a friend, Charles Thomas in January 9, 1816, he says "A more beautiful or precious morsel of ethics I have never seen; it is a document in proof that I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus."
Garrett
Tue, Feb 15, 2011 : 7:25 p.m.
So the question is answered... and just so there is no confusion: George Washington: "...true religious beliefs are a mystery." Thomas Jefferson: Did not believe in the Gospel. John Adams : Did not believe in the Gospel. Benjamin Franklin: "...rejected most Christian doctrines." It is a resounding "NO!!!" America was not founded as a Christian nation. Unless by "Christian" you meant not devout, lack of belief in the Bible, and rejecting most Christian doctrines.
David Paris
Tue, Feb 15, 2011 : 7:02 p.m.
" Only religion — whatever that religion might be — could get people to rise above their narrow self-interest and become citizens who cared about others." The Irony. That today, those that scream the loudest about religion in government have the narrowest of minds, and the grandest of self-interest!
Lola
Tue, Feb 15, 2011 : 7:26 p.m.
Well said, David. I couldn't agree with you more. The self righteous seem to be the biggest hypocrites in our society. I have never understood why some people need an imaginary friend to tell them to care about others and do the right thing.
Rork Kuick
Tue, Feb 15, 2011 : 6:48 p.m.
I think Wayne E. Baker is a low-brow baiter of non-Christians.
limmy
Tue, Feb 15, 2011 : 6:16 p.m.
It is difficult to compare then and now. Many of the religious values that we hear constantly about today were not issues when our nation was founded -- abortion, gay marriage, birth control, female clergy, acceptance of Islam and Jusaism, etc. The word "religious" has a different connotation today.
Ignatz
Tue, Feb 15, 2011 : 6:13 p.m.
Do you think elected officials should believe in God? No, I prefer they did not believe in a god, but rather believe in the rights of man. Should our leaders practice some religious faith? I don't care if they do or don't, just as long as they don't foist their beliefs upon the citizens. And, how important is the faith of our founding fathers? It's not, unless it's their faith in their fellow countrymen to guide the republic in a sane manner through the travails of time.
bedrog
Tue, Feb 15, 2011 : 6:50 p.m.
excellent post ,ignatz.