November 12, 2007
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The "Founding Fathers" and Religion
The Founding Fathers of the United States: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founding_Fathers_of_the_United_States#Religion
There were 56 signers of The Declaration of Independence. There were 48 signers of The Articles of Confederation. All 55 delegates who participated in the Constitutional Convention of 1787, are regarded as The Founding Fathers, in fact, they are often regarded as The Founding Fathers because it is this group that actually debated, drafted and signed the U.S. Constitution, which is the basis for the country's political and legal system. Of all 56 signers of the Constitution only two (Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin) were considered Deists however, a large majority were active members of their church, and firm believers in the Christian Religion.
Read more about Deism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deist
Read the Constitution of the United States of America:
http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution_transcript.html
Read the Bill of Rights:
Amendment I of the Bill of Rights:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Read the Articles of Confederation:
http://www.usconstitution.net/articles.html
Signer of The Constitution / State / Religious Denomination
1.Charles Carroll Maryland Catholic 2.Samuel Huntington Connecticut Congregationalist 3.Roger Sherman Connecticut Congregationalist 4.William Williams Connecticut Congregationalist 5.Oliver Wolcott Connecticut Congregationalist 6.Lyman Hall Georgia Congregationalist 7.Samuel Adams Massachusetts Congregationalist 8.John Hancock Massachusetts Congregationalist 9.Josiah Bartlett New Hampshire Congregationalist 10.William Whipple New Hampshire Congregationalist 11.William Ellery Rhode Island Congregationalist 12.John Adams Massachusetts Congregationalist; Unitarian 13.Robert Treat Paine Massachusetts Congregationalist; Unitarian 14.George Walton Georgia Episcopalian 15.John Penn North Carolina Episcopalian 16.George Ross Pennsylvania Episcopalian 17.Thomas Heyward Jr. South Carolina Episcopalian 18.Thomas Lynch Jr. South Carolina Episcopalian 19.Arthur Middleton South Carolina Episcopalian 20.Edward Rutledge South Carolina Episcopalian 21.Francis Lightfoot Lee Virginia Episcopalian 22.Richard Henry Lee Virginia Episcopalian 23.George Read Delaware Episcopalian 24.Caesar Rodney Delaware Episcopalian 25.Samuel Chase Maryland Episcopalian 26.William Paca Maryland Episcopalian 27.Thomas Stone Maryland Episcopalian 28.Elbridge Gerry Massachusetts Episcopalian 29.Francis Hopkinson New Jersey Episcopalian 30.Francis Lewis New York Episcopalian 31.Lewis Morris New York Episcopalian 32.William Hooper North Carolina Episcopalian 33.Robert Morris Pennsylvania Episcopalian 34.John Morton Pennsylvania Episcopalian 35.Stephen Hopkins Rhode Island Episcopalian 36.Carter Braxton Virginia Episcopalian 37.Benjamin Harrison Virginia Episcopalian 38.Thomas Nelson Jr. Virginia Episcopalian 39.George Wythe Virginia Episcopalian 40.Thomas Jefferson Virginia Episcopalian (Deist) 41.Benjamin Franklin Pennsylvania Episcopalian (Deist) 42.Button Gwinnett Georgia Episcopalian; Congregationalist 43.James Wilson Pennsylvania Episcopalian; Presbyterian 44.Joseph Hewes North Carolina Quaker, Episcopalian 45.George Clymer Pennsylvania Quaker, Episcopalian 46.Thomas McKean Delaware Presbyterian 47.Matthew Thornton New Hampshire Presbyterian 48.Abraham Clark New Jersey Presbyterian 49.John Hart New Jersey Presbyterian 50.Richard Stockton New Jersey Presbyterian 51.John Witherspoon New Jersey Presbyterian 52.William Floyd New York Presbyterian 53.Philip Livingston New York Presbyterian 54.James Smith Pennsylvania Presbyterian 55.George Taylor Pennsylvania Presbyterian 56.Benjamin Rush Pennsylvania Presbyterian James Madison - 4th President of the United States - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Madison
"We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future ...upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to sustain ourselves, according to the Ten Commandments of God." -James Madison-"We hold it for a fundamental and undeniable truth, that religion, or the duty we owe our Creator and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence. The religion then of every man must be left to the conviction and conscience of every man; and it is the right of every man to exercise it as these may dictate. This right is in its nature an unalienable right." -James Madison-"Freedom arises from a multiplicity of sects, which pervades America, and is the best and only security for religious liberty in America." -James Madison-Alexander Hamilton - General/Lawyer/Politician - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Hamilton#_note-74"Men give me credit for some genius. All the genius I have is this. When I have a subject in mind. I study it profoundly. Day and night it is before me. My mind becomes pervaded with it... the effort which I have made is what people are pleased to call the fruit of genius. It is the fruit of labor and thought." -Alexander Hamilton-"The voice of the people has been said to be the voice of God; and, however generally this maxim has been quoted and believed, it is not true to fact. The people are turbulent and changing, they seldom judge or determine right." -Alexander Hamilton-"This is the constitution... Now, mark my words. So long as we are a young and virtuous people, this instrument (The Holy Bible) will bind us together in mutual interests, mutual welfare, and mutual happiness. But when we become old and corrupt, it will bind no longer." -Alexander Hamilton-"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything." -Alexander Hamilton-
Comments (5)
:goodjob: Wow! Excellent research! :goodjob:
:heartbeat::heartbeat::heartbeat: Love you! :heartbeat::heartbeat::heartbeat:
Gee wiz. Not a Baptist in the bunch. LOL.
What exactly is your point? Christians have dibs on america? And you neglect that the author of the declaration was one of the "two deists". Bear in mind also that in the days of the american colonies people were still publicly beaten for not attending services and a lot of people attended church out of tradition and what went far beyond the peer pressure we know today. Many men like abraham lincoln were atheists, but we only know so now by their private correspondence.
@agnophilo -
Deist does not mean that they were not Christians, but merely that their view of God was more like that of a clockmaker who created everything and just sat back not intervening or interfering in the lives of Men.
@agnophilo -
Abraham Lincoln was not an atheist. Abraham Lincoln was deeply religious, he prayed daily and he is quoted of saying "If we do right, God will be with us, and if God is with us we cannot fail."
Mary Todd Lincoln his wife said this about him "He never joined a church; but still, as I believe, he was a religious man by nature."
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