What was the Founders’ attitude toward religion in the country?
Public virtue was seen as necessary for a republic, and most believed that virtue was produced by religion. There was a strong view that religion was necessary to turn out good citizens.
Many of the Founders were well versed in religious and theological matters. How did this affect their work as architects of the republic?
They could quote Scripture. Jefferson and others were tutored by ministers. They were an extremely biblically literate generation. This certainly shaped their view of Providence. The extent to which they believed in Providence would be unimaginable today.
Adams and folks like that continually quoted [Jesus’] statement that a swallow cannot fall without God’s knowledge. Washington talks about the invisible hand of Providence. Their biblical knowledge convinced these people that there was an invisible hand of God, and that there was a moral government of the universe.
Short, clear, and balanced. This is a fine summary of a complex topic. Thanks for posting this helpful little article from Christianity Today, Kendall. It’s worth recalling that the Continental Congress took it for granted that they should be served by a Christian chaplain, who was none other than the prominent Rector of Christ Church, Philadelphia, the influential Anglican leader William White+, later Bishop of Pennsylvania.
Of course, the Founding Fathers were men of their age, which was the beginning of “the Age of Reason.” Sure, some of the leading architects of our Republic were not orthodox Christians, but they would be appalled at the modern attempt to exclude religion from the public square.
Two facts that I’d add here. During colonial times, and in the early years after 1776, the Big Three denominations were clearly the Congregationalists (dominant in New England), the Presbyterians (especially strong in the middle colonies or Mid-Atlantic), and not least by any means, the Anglicans (dominant in the South). All three were predominantly Reformed in theology, even the Anglicans (except in New England and occasionally in scattered places elsewhere). And there were hardly any Roman Catholics back then. Even in Maryland, established as a safe haven for Catholics, they were a minority. Outside Maryland, they were practically non-existent. On the other hand, Quakers like the famous William Penn were a much more significant minority then than they are now.
Fast forward to today. The Big Three denominations, like the big three American automakers (GM, Ford, Chrysler), or the big three TV networks (ABC, CBS, NBC), are in steep decline and have lost their position of dominance. And now that the Presbyterians (i.e., the “mainline” PCUSA) have gone over the cliff on the homosexuality issue, joining the UCC and the Episcopal Church who committed theological suicide before them, all three groups seem determined to hasten their demise by capitulating to our increasingly secularized, post-modern, relativist culture. “How are the mighty fallen!”
David Handy+