Founding Fathers and Religion

By Douglas V. Gibbs

I recently received by Email a list of quotes by The Founding Fathers that seemed to be anti-religious.

"Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise" - James Madison

"Can a free government possibly exist with the Roman Catholic religion?" - John Adams

"This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it." - John Adams

"In every country and every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot ... they have perverted the purest religion ever preached to man into mystery and jargon, unintelligible to all mankind, and therefore the safer engine for their purpose." - Thomas Jefferson

"On the dogmas of religion, as distinguished from moral principles, all mankind, from the beginning of the world to this day, have been quarreling, fighting, burning and torturing one another, for abstractions unintelligible to themselves and to all others, and absolutely beyond the comprehension of the human mind." - Thomas Jefferson

"I do not find in orthodox Christianity one redeeming feature." - Thomas Jefferson

"I think vital religion has always suffered when orthodoxy is more regarded than virtue. The scriptures assure me that at the last day we shall not be examined on what we thought but what we did." - Ben Franklin

"When a religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself so that its professors are obliged to call for the help of the civil power, 'tis a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one." - Ben Franklin

What accompanied the quotes was a message from the sender that stated the quotes, and many more like them, was evidence that the Founding Fathers desired a secular government, and that they were anti-religion, therefore they did not want any kind of religiosity to be a part of our American government.

To clarify for him, I wrote him back, and told him that he was right, the Founding Fathers did not like religion, but that does not mean they did not believe in God, or that the founding documents were not founded upon Biblical principles and inspiration.

The biblical principles that resonate throughout the documents are glaringly clear. Organized religion, however, had been a problem for the Founding Fathers, and their ancestors. In Europe the State Church ran amok. In Europe, organized religion had seized power and partnered with the aristocracies. And it was this kind of abuse of religion by men that the Founding Fathers had a problem with.

So, I agree, they did not like religion. I am not too fond of organized religion either, for that matter. Religion is man-made, but Faith in Christ is God-made.

It is not a contradiction that the Founding Fathers had a problem with religion, yet founded this nation on Biblical principles. In fact, it is a confirmation that anytime humans have a position of power, and have control of any organization, be it a government, or a religious denomination, men will tend to screw it up because of his natural lust for power, status, and money.

As long as we focus on ourselves, or an organization, corruption is sure to creep in. And the Founding Fathers knew that. Religion can be dangerous, and that is why in the First Amendment they prohibited the establishment of a state religion by Congress. But, in the same Amendment, the free exercise of religion could not be infringed. They understood the importance of us being, for lack of a better word, religious.

If we so desired, we could be a very Godly people. But in this free country, we also have the option to not be Godly, and that's okay. That is one of the reasons the word "Creator" was used in the Declaration of Independence. Not everyone looked upon the Creator as being the Christian God. This is why in the Constitution there is the option to give an oath, or affirmation. An Oath is to God. Affirmation was for those that felt an Oath was sacrilegious, and for those who did not believe in God.

When a Conservative says the nation was founded on Biblical principles, it is not a suggestion that this country be a theocracy. A theocracy is as dangerous as any other oligarchy-type of system. We are simply saying that we believe those Biblical influences are the guiding principles that the Founders used. It was about their faith in God, not religion.

By the way, here's some quotes that the secularists ignore:

"The highest glory of the American Revolution was this - that it connected, in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity." - John Quincy Adams
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"The Bible is the cornerstone of liberty. A student's perusal of the sacred volume will make him a better citizen, a better father, a better husband." - Thomas Jefferson
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"The Bible is the rock on which our Republic rests." - Andrew Jackson
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"In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government, ought to be instructed." - Noah Webster
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"We have staked the future of American civilization upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God." - James Madison
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"He who shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive Christianity will change the face of the world." - Benjamin Franklin
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"It can not be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions but on the gospel of Jesus Christ." - Patrick Henry
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"The religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and His apostles...to this we owe our free constitutions of government." - Noah Webster
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"Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed the conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?" - Thomas Jefferson
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"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly implore His protection and favor." - George Washington
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"Suppose a nation in some distant Region should take the Bible for their only law book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited.... What a utopia, what a paradise would this region be." - John Adams
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"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." - John Adams
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-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary