George Washington: "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 labour to subvert these great Pillars of
human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and
citizens."
"[Washington] said anyone who tries to remove religion and morality
from public life, I don't even let them call themselves a patriot
because they are trying to destroy the country...
...We are responsible to our posterity…We are the stewards of the
country and we have to remember that we have a responsibility to
preserve the foundations and they are religion and morality
(Historian David Barton)."
Barton is the Founder and President of
Wallbuilders, a
national pro-family organization that presents America's forgotten
history and heroes.
Related:
Is America a Christian Nation? (right click, open) David
Barton guest speaker for Charles Stanley In Touch Ministries
The Bible in American History--A Discussion (right click,
open)
Charles Stanley and historian David Barton
Response to comment [from a Satanist]: "Barton's a revisionist more brazen in his dishonesty than most. If all you want to do is indulge in a quote war, you can glance at my signature for a taste of what some founders really thought."
I couldn't wait for the ad hominem.
Too bad you did not listen to the whole discussion (I'm sure you have bat heads to bite off). When he turned to the back of the book that the secular authors had written--they had no sources! They did away with that pesky task. It is their hope that readers will believe what their revisionist history because they are too lazy to check up on their work.
"If all you want to do is indulge in a quote war..."
Then consider what they believed. Remember--you are no patriot (I wouldn't say that--the father of our country would):
George Washington: "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 labour to subvert these great Pillars of
human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and
citizens."
"[Washington] said anyone who tries to remove religion and morality
from public life, I don't even let them call themselves a patriot
because they are trying to destroy the country...(Barton)"
"Washington had a very clear confidence in
God's providence. As they explain, "From his days as a 22-year-old
lieutenant thrust into leadership on the western frontier, through
his experiences as the commander in chief of a rag-tag but
determined army facing the strongest army and largest navy of his
time, Washington learned invaluable lessons about the character of
men and the nature of God. These experiences proved to him that an
intervening force was at work in American history and in his life.
That knowledge sustained him..."
...In his private letters and public statements as commander in
chief and president, Washington seldom missed an opportunity to give
praise to Providence and to beg God to continue favoring this
nation. In his farewell address, Washington considered his legacy to
our young nation and wrote these words:
"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
labour 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."
Washington's religious behavior, especially as a public official,
might displease those today who argue against religion in the public
square. Yet it was his trust in Providence that allowed him to be
the man that he was, and to achieve what he did. Washington's God,
who is active in human affairs, was there at the darkest days of our
founding...
...[W]e can take strength from Washington's certainty that God
always favors liberty.
We are wise to avoid the rush to remake George Washington in our own
image, whether ardent secularist or fervent evangelical Christian.
Washington, like all of us, was a man of his times. His expressions
of Christian belief must be placed within the context of his
Anglican experience in Virginia -- a tradition not given to flowery
expressions of personal belief.
This much is clear: Washington was no secularist, nor was he what we
would now describe as an Evangelical believer. Most likely, he was a
traditional Anglican believer whose trust in divine providence
shaped every moment of his illustrious life. What George Washington
believed about the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not fully clear. That
Washington believed in a God who ruled over the nations and
intervened in human affairs is clear -- and Washington was confident
that God favored the cause of justice and liberty...
...Peter A. Lillback, President of Westminster Theological Seminary
in Philadelphia, argues that we should understand Washington as a
devout Christian who embedded references to his personal faith in
his many writings and public statements. In his article, "Why Have
Scholars Downplayed George Washington's Faith?," Lillback argues:
Within this vast collection of Washington's own words and writings,
we now have a remarkable ability to uncover what earlier scholars
were unable to access. And when we let Washington's own words and
deeds speak for his faith we get quite a different perspective than
that of most recent modern historians. Washington referred to
himself frequently using the words "ardent," "fervent," "pious," and
"devout." There are over one hundred different prayers composed and
written by Washington in his own hand, with his own words, in his
writings. He described himself as one of the deepest men of faith of
his day when he confessed to a clergyman, "No Man has a more perfect
Reliance on the alwise, and powerful dispensations of the Supreme
Being than I have nor thinks his aid more necessary."
Rather than avoid the word "God," on the very first national
Thanksgiving under the U.S. Constitution, he said, "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 to
implore his protection and favor." Although he never once used the
word "Deist" in his voluminous writings, he often mentioned
religion, Christianity, and the Gospel. He spoke of Christ as "the
divine Author of our blessed religion." He encouraged missionaries
who were seeking to "Christianize" the "aboriginals." He took an
oath in a private letter, "on my honor and the faith of a
Christian." He wrote of "the blessed religion revealed in the Word
of God." He encouraged seekers to learn "the religion of Jesus
Christ." He even said to his soldiers, "To the distinguished
Character of Patriot, it should be our highest Glory to add the more
distinguished Character of Christian." Not bad for a "lukewarm"
Episcopalian!
Historians ought no longer be permitted to do the legerdemain of
turning Washington into a Deist even if they found it necessary and
acceptable to do so in the past. Simply put, it is time to let the
words and writings of Washington's faith speak for themselves..."
Full text:
George Washington’s God — Something Interesting for Presidents Day
[John Adam's quote] " ...[Y]ou can glance at my signature for a taste of what some founders really thought."
Yes, John Adams (our second
president) hated God.
"The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: 'It
connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil
government with the principles of Christianity." President Adams,
July 4, 1821
"The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence
were.... the general principles of Christianity." -- John Adams in
letter to Thomas Jefferson, June 28, 1813
"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with
human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice,
ambition, revenge, or gallantry would break the strongest cords of
our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was
made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate
to the government of any other." John Adams from his Oct. 13, 1789
address to the military.
"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 contained! Every member would be obliged in
conscience to temperance, frugality and industry: to justice,
kindness and charity towards his fellow men: and to piety, love and
reverence toward Almighty God....What a Eutopia, what a Paradise
would this region be." John Adams diary entry Feb. 22., 1756.
"The Christian religion is, above all the Religions that ever
prevailed or existed in ancient or modern times, the religion of
Wisdom, Virtue, Equity, and Humanity. Let the Blackguard Paine say
what he will; it is Resignation to God, it is Goodness itself to
man." John Adams retorting to Thomas Paine in his diary, July 26,
1796.
"A patriot without religion, in my estimation, is as great a paradox
as an honest man without the fear of God. Is it possible that he
whom no moral obligations bind, can have any real Good Will towards
Men? Can he be a patriot who, by an openly vicious conduct, is
undermining the very bonds of Society? ...The Scriptures tell us
righteousness exalteth a Nation." Abigal Adams, wife of President
John Adams in letter to husband John Adams 1776.
"...a true American Patriot must be a religious man...He who
neglects his duty to his maker, may well be expected to be deficient
and insincere in his duty towards the public." Abigal Adams, wife of
President John Adams in letter to husband John Adams 1776.
"The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; but the
God of Israel is He that giveth strength and power unto His people.
Trust in Him at all times, ye people, pour out your hearts before
Him; God is a refuge for us." Abigal Adams, wife of President John
Adams in letter to husband John Adams 1776.
"Statesmen, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for liberty, but it
is religion and morality alone, which can establish the principles
upon which freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free
Constitution is pure virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our
People in a greater Measure than they have it now, they may change
their rulers and the forms of government, but they will not obtain a
lasting liberty." John Adams, The Works of John Adams, Second
President of the United States, Charles Francis Adams, editor
(Boston: Little, Brown, 1854), Vol. IX, p. 401, dated June 21, 1776.
"The general principles, on which the Fathers achieved independence,
were . . . the general principles of Christianity." John Adams, in a
letter to Thomas Jefferson, June 28, 1813, The Adams-Jefferson
Letters,ed. Lester J. Cappon (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North
Carolina Press, 1959), vol 2, pp. 339-40." Source:
Quotes
by Presidents
