Thursday, April 17, 2014
Thursday, March 6, 2014
America & Religion - Statements by Leaders
These statements, each from unique citizens of
the United States of America, reflect some beliefs and sentiments present at
the founding of the United States of America.
George
Washington (FF, 1st President, Commander-in-Chief of the
Continental Army)
-“It
appears to me, then, little short of a
miracle, that the delegates from so many different states (which states you
know are also different from each other in their manners, circumstances, and
prejudices) should united in forming a system of national Government, so little
liable to well-founded objections.” Letter to Lafayette (February 17, 1788).
- “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 labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness,
these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.” George Washington’s Farewell
Address (September 19, 1796), first drafted by James Madison, re-drafted by
Alexander Hamilton, and edited by George Washington.
John Adams (FF,
2nd President, Father of 6th President John Quincy Adams)
- “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 . . .” Letter to Zabdiel Adams
while a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress (June 21, 1776).
-“Our constitution was made only for a moral
and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the
government of any other.” Letter to the First Brigade of the Third
Division of the Militia of Massachusetts while the President of the United
States (October 11, 1798).
Thomas
Jefferson (FF, 3rd President, Principal Author of the
Declaration of Independence, Author of the Statute of Virginia for Religious
Freedom)
-"The God who gave us life, gave us liberty
at the same time; the hand of force may destroy but cannot disjoin
them" A Summary View of the Rights of British America (1774).
-Began
attending Sabbath church services in the House of Representatives two days
after the 1802 Danbury Baptist Association letter was sent, according to the
Library of Congress.
James
Madison (FF, 4th President, Father of the Constitution,
Key Author of the Bill of Rights, Author of Memorial and Remonstrance Against
Religious Assessments)
-“That Religion or the duty we owe our
Creator, and the manner of discharging it, being under the direction of reason
and conviction only, not of violence or compulsion, all men are equally entitled to the full and free exercise of it
according to the dictates of Conscience.” Amendments to the Virginia
Declaration of Rights, Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia (June 1776).
-“It is
the duty of every man to render to the Creator such homage and such only as he
believes to be acceptable to him. This duty is precedent, both in order of
time and in degree of obligation, to the claims of Civil Society.” Memorial
and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments (circa June 20, 1785).
-Attended
Sabbath church services in the House of Representatives while President,
according to the Library of Congress.
-“The belief in a God All Powerful wise and good,
is so essential to the moral order
of the world and to the happiness of men, that arguments which enforce it
cannot be drawn from too many sources nor adapted with too much solicitude to
the different characters and capacities to be impressed with it.” Letter to
Rev. Frederick Beasley (November 20, 1825).
Benjamin
Franklin (FF, Governor of Pennsylvania, U.S. Ambassador to
France)
-“[T]he
longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this Truth-that God governs in the Affairs of
Men.” “I also believe,” he continued, that “without his concurring Aid, we shall succeed
in this political Building no better than the Builders of Babel.”
Address to the Continental Convention (July 28, 1787), recorded by James
Madison.
John Jay (FF,
President of the Continental Congress (1778-1779), Chief Justice of the U.S.
Supreme Court, Governor of New York, U.S. Ambassador to Spain)
-“Providence has given to our people the
choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and
interest of our Christian nation, to select and prefer Christians for their
rulers.” Letter to John Murray (October 12, 1816).
-President
of the American Bible Society (1821-1827).
Samuel
Huntington (FF, President of the Continental Congress (1779-1781),
Governor of Connecticut)
-"The
state governments, I think, will not be endangered by the powers vested by this
constitution in the general government. While I have attended in Congress, I
have observed, that the members were quite as strenuous advocates for the
rights of their respective states, as for those of the union. I doubt not but
this will continue to be the case, and hence I infer that the general
government will not have the disposition to encroach upon the states. But still the people themselves must be the
chief support of liberty. While the great body of the freeholders are
acquainted with the duties which they owe to their God, to themselves, and to
men, they will remain free. But
if ignorance and depravity should prevail, they will inevitably lead to slavery
and ruin. Upon the whole view of this constitution, I am in favour of it, and
think it bids fair to promote our national prosperity." Speech at the
Connecticut Convention (January 9, 1788).
Samuel
Adams (FF, Governor of Massachusetts)
-"We have this day restored the
Sovereign to whom alone men ought to be obedient. He reigns in Heaven, and with
a propitious eye beholds his subjects assuming that freedom of thought and dignity of self-direction which He bestowed
on them. From the rising to the setting sun, may His kingdom come!"
Oration at the State-House in Philadelphia (August 1, 1776).
Patrick
Henry (FF, Governor of Virginia)
-"Three
millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country
as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send
against us. Besides, sir, we shall not
fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the
destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles
for us. . . give me liberty or give me death!” Speech at St. John’s Church (March 23, 1775).
William Livingston (Governor
of New Jersey, Father-in-Law of Chief Justice John Jay)
-“May
the great and the equal Father of the
human race, who has expressly declared His abhorrence of oppression, and
that He is no respecter of persons, succeed a design so laudably calculated to
undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke.” Letter to New York Manumission Society (June
26, 1786).
These statements, each from Presidents of the
United States of America, reflect some beliefs and sentiments present at the
inaugurations of those Presidents of the United States of America.
Abraham
Lincoln (16th President)
- “Those
who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule
of a just God, cannot long retain it.” Speech at the First Republican State
Convention (May 29, 1856).
-"Intelligence,
patriotism, Christianity, and a firm reliance on Him who has never yet
forsaken this favored land are still competent to adjust in the best way all our present difficulty."
Inaugural Address (March 4, 1861).
-“The
Almighty has His own purposes. . . Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty
scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue
until all the wealth piled by the bondsman’s two hundred and fifty years of
unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the
lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand
years ago, so still it must be
said “the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”” Second Inaugural Address (March 4,
1865).
Franklin
D. Roosevelt (32nd President)
-“Almighty
God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a
struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to
set free a suffering humanity . . .” D-Day Prayer, Americans joined in prayer
at that "poignant hour" (June 6, 1944).
Harry S.
Truman (33rd President)
-“We believe that all men are created equal,
because they are created in the image of God” Inaugural Address
(January 20, 1949).
John F.
Kennedy (35th President)
-“[T]he
same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue
around the globe- the belief that the rights of man come not from the
generosity of the state but from the hand of God.” Inaugural Address
(January 20, 1961).
Ronald Reagan (40th
President)
-“We are a nation under God, and I believe God
intended for us to be free. It would be fitting and good, I think, if on each
Inaugural Day in future years it should be declared a day of prayer.” He continued, “[B]elieve that together with God's help we can and will
resolve the problems which now confront us. And after all, why shouldn't we believe that? We are Americans. God bless
you, and thank you.” Inaugural Address (January 20, 1981).
George H. W. Bush (41rd
President)
-“And if
our flaws are endless, God’s love is
truly boundless.” Inaugural Address (January 20, 1989).
George W. Bush (43rd
President)
- “We go
forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom. Not
because history runs on the wheels of inevitability; it is human choices that
move events. Not because we consider ourselves a chosen nation; God moves and chooses as He wills. We
have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in
dark places, the longing of the soul.” Second Inaugural Address (January
20, 2005).
Barack Obama (44th
President)
-“[T]o say
that men and women should not inject their ‘personal morality’ into public policy debates is a practical
absurdity.” Keynote Address at the Call to Renewal’s Building a Covenant for a
New America conference (June 28, 2006).
-“For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they’ve never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth.” Second Inaugural Address (January 21, 2013).
-“For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they’ve never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth.” Second Inaugural Address (January 21, 2013).
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Supreme Court Justice Thomas on Faith
“I quite frankly don’t know how you do these hard jobs without some faith. I don’t know. Other people can come to you and explain it to you. I have no idea. I don’t know how an oath becomes meaningful unless you have faith. Because at the end you say, ‘So help me God.’ And a promise to God is different from a promise to anyone else."
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Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Selected Books on U.S. Constitution, Presidents, and Religious History
Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and the War Years - Carl Sandburg
America's Constitution - Akhil Reed Amar
Christianity: Lifeblood of America's Free Society (1620-1945) - John A. Howard
John Adams - David McCullough
Washington: A Life - Ron Chernow
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