It's not necessary to dig through the diaries, however, to determine which faith was the Founder's guiding light. There's an easier way to settle the issue.
The phrase "Founding Fathers" is a proper noun. It refers to a specific group of men, the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention. There were other important players not in attendance, like Jefferson, whose thinking deeply influenced the shaping of our nation. These 55 Founding Fathers, though, made up the core.
The denominational affiliations of these men were a matter of public record. Among the delegates were 28 Episcopalians, 8 Presbyterians, 7 Congregationalists, 2 Lutherans, 2 Dutch Reformed, 2 Methodists, 2 Roman Catholics, 1 unknown, and only 3 deists--Williamson, Wilson, and Franklin--this at a time when church membership entailed a sworn public confession of biblical faith.
This is a revealing tally. It shows that the members of the Constitutional Convention, the most influential group of men shaping the political foundations of our nation, were almost all Christians, 51 of 55--a full 93%. Indeed, 70% were Calvinists (the Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and the Dutch Reformed), considered by some to be the most extreme and dogmatic form of Christianity.
1 comment:
I am a born again Christian, but still am proud of my Jewish roots. Of course, I realize, our founders were predominantly Christian. However, our republican system of government is very much derived from the system that Moses and his people derived.
Therefore, I think it is fair to say, we are a Judeo-Christian nation. And, as The Jewish people rightly point out: Christ was Jewish! It wasn't until after Christ was crucified that Christianity was created.
I'm sure our founders knew this, and I hope our country doesn't forget that. Had there been no Jewish faith, we would have never had a Christian faith!
Of course, as we know, this was/is all part of God's plan!
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