Categories: History

Our Founding Fathers Were Not Deists

The writings of several of the most notable Founding Fathers indicates they believed in God and were promoters of Christianity. For purposes of this article, just three will be discussed: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin.

By dictionary definition, deists, atheists, and agnostics are synonymous and include those who believe there is no God at all; those who believe there is no way to know if God exists; and those who believe in a distant, impersonal creator of the universe.

George Washington. According to David Barton, author and historian, Washington was an open promoter of Christianity. During a five-year period, between 1778 and 1783, there are no less than three significant events in which he openly referred to his belief in Christ or support of Christianity. On May 2, 1778, at Valley Forge he told his soldiers that in addition to having the character of patriots, “it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.” In a speech on May 12, 1779, he said that what children needed to learn was the “religion of Jesus Christ,” which would make them “greater and happier than they already are.” And on June 8, 1783, when he resigned as commander in chief of the military, he said that “without a humble imitation” of “the Divine Author of our blessed religion” we “can never hope to be a happy nation.

Thomas Jefferson. Although many claim Jefferson was a deist, David Barton has found otherwise. In an article he wrote for WallBuilders, Barton reports that Jefferson said of himself: “I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus Christ.” It’s true that when Jefferson drew up a collection of scripture passages entitled “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth,” he left out all miraculous events of Jesus in this so-called bible. However, Jefferson did not intend this work to be a bible, but a primer for the Indians on the teachings of Christ. In compiling this work, Jefferson took the “red letter” parts of the New Testament and published them as a means of introducing the Indians to Christian morality. And it was Jefferson who, as the president of the U.S., signed a treaty with the Kaskaskia Indians that made it possible to send Christian missionaries to the Indians.

Benjamin Franklin. According to Barton, Franklin is far from the definition of a deist. In his article, Barton says that in Franklin’s 1749 plan of education for public schools in Pennsylvania, he insisted that the schools teach “the necessity of a public religion…and the excellency of the Christian religion above all others, ancient or modern.” In 1787, Franklin helped found a college, which was dedicated as “a nursery of religion and learning” built “on Christ, the Corner-Stone.” Barton’s article also states: Consider that “Franklin proposed a biblical inscription for the Seal of the United States; that he chose a New Testament verse for the motto of the Philadelphia Hospital; and that he was one of the chief voices behind the establishment of a paid chaplain in Congress.

David Barton is an author and historian who has extensively studied the beliefs of our Founding Fathers. As a result of his studies, he says that anyone who believes our Founding Fathers were deists is mistaken and hasn’t spent enough time reading the writings of the Fathers to accurately understand their religious beliefs.