Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire The faith of our Founders and our Constitution

I submit that there would be considerable less debate over the intent and interpretation of the Constitution if our leaders would recognize that it was given by men who saw no conflict between the exercise of personal Christian faith and the execution of their public offices. Furthermore it behooves us to recognize that it was this moral foundation in their lives which birthed the rationale for so great a document, therefore any valid interpretation must not be at odds with the faith of those who crafted it. It is also important that our current legal interpreters either share or favorably recognize a similar world view as our Founders in order to ensure that the interpretation thereof is consistent with the original intent.

The Christian faith was never intended to be made a test of public office, but neither was public office ever intended to be used to destroy the Christian morality of this nation. Early in our history it would have been difficult for anyone who publically despised both the Christian faith and morals to obtain enough votes to get elected, because the general populace knew that integrity in office flows from integrity of heart, and integrity of heart is never opposed to Christian morality.

Our problems today stem largely from a populace and government who no longer either espouse or who do not recognize the moral foundation upon which we crafted the Constitution of this country. The result is that leaders are elected who are bent on destroying the moral foundation that has birthed our nation and very fabric which held our society together. When beliefs change it is only a matter of time until the interpretation of law will change, and then finally the constitutional and legal system itself will change...and there are no exceptions to this rule.

We will never fix our national problems until we see, that we as a nation, have shifted away from our original foundation, and a house that has shifted off its foundation cannot stand!

-Thunderstick

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Thomas Jefferson

Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Third President of the United States

Give up money, give up fame, give up science, give the earth itself and all it contains rather than do an immoral act. And never suppose that in any possible situation, or under any circumstances, it is best for you to do a dishonorable thing, however slightly so it may appear to you. Whenever you are to do a thing, though it can never be known but to yourself, ask yourself how you would act were all the world looking at you, and act accordingly. Encourage all your virtuous dispositions, and exercise them whenever an opportunity arises, being assured that they will gain strength by exercise, as a limb of the body does, and that exercise will make them habitual. From the practice of the purest virtue, you may be assured you will derive the most sublime comforts in every moment of life, and in the moment of death.

(Source: Thomas Jefferson, The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Albert Bergh, editor (Washington, DC: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Assoc., 1903), Vol. 5, pp. 82-83, in a letter to his nephew Peter Carr on August 19, 1785.)

The doctrines of Jesus are simple, and tend all to the happiness of mankind.

(Source: Thomas Jefferson, The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Albert Bergh, editor (Washington, D. C.: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Assoc., 1904), Vol. XV, p. 383.)

I concur with the author in considering the moral precepts of Jesus as more pure, correct, and sublime than those of ancient philosophers.

(Source: Thomas Jefferson, The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Albert Bergh, editor (Washington, D. C.: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Assoc., 1904), Vol. X, pp. 376-377. In a letter to Edward Dowse on April 19, 1803.)


Samuel Adams
Father of the American Revolution, Signer of the Declaration of Independence
I . . . recommend my Soul to that Almighty Being who gave it, and my body I commit to the dust, relying upon the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins.

Will of Samuel Adams
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Charles Carroll
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
On the mercy of my Redeemer I rely for salvation and on His merits; not on the works I have done in obedience to His precepts.

From an autographed letter in our possession written by Charles Carroll to Charles W. Wharton, Esq., on September 27, 1825, from Doughoragen, Maryland.

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William Cushing
First Associate Justice Appointed by George Washington to the Supreme Court
Sensible of my mortality, but being of sound mind, after recommending my soul to Almighty God through the merits of my Redeemer and my body to the earth . . .

Will of William Cushing

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John Dickinson
Signer of the Constitution
Rendering thanks to my Creator for my existence and station among His works, for my birth in a country enlightened by the Gospel and enjoying freedom, and for all His other kindnesses, to Him I resign myself, humbly confiding in His goodness and in His mercy through Jesus Christ for the events of eternity.

Will of John Dickinson
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John Hancock
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
I John Hancock, . . . being advanced in years and being of perfect mind and memory-thanks be given to God-therefore calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing it is appointed for all men once to die [Hebrews 9:27], do make and ordain this my last will and testament�Principally and first of all, I give and recommend my soul into the hands of God that gave it: and my body I recommend to the earth . . . nothing doubting but at the general resurrection I shall receive the same again by the mercy and power of God. . .

Will of John Hancock
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Patrick Henry
Governor of Virginia, Patriot
This is all the inheritance I can give to my dear family. The religion of Christ can give them one which will make them rich indeed.

Will of Patrick Henry
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John Jay
First Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court
Unto Him who is the author and giver of all good, I render sincere and humble thanks for His manifold and unmerited blessings, and especially for our redemption and salvation by His beloved son. He has been pleased to bless me with excellent parents, with a virtuous wife, and with worthy children. His protection has companied me through many eventful years, faithfully employed in the service of my country; His providence has not only conducted me to this tranquil situation but also given me abundant reason to be contented and thankful. Blessed be His holy name!

Will of John Jay
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Daniel St. Thomas Jenifer
Signer of the Constitution
In the name of God, Amen. I, Daniel of Saint Thomas Jenifer . . . of dispossing mind and memory, commend my soul to my blessed Redeemer. . .

Will of Daniel St. Thomas Jenifer
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Henry Knox
Revolutionary War General, Secretary of War
First, I think it proper to express my unshaken opinion of the immortality of my soul or mind; and to dedicate and devote the same to the supreme head of the Universe � to that great and tremendous Jehovah, � Who created the universal frame of nature, worlds, and systems in number infinite . . . To this awfully sublime Being do I resign my spirit with unlimited confidence of His mercy and protection . . .

Will of Henry Knox
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John Langdon
Signer of the Constitution
In the name of God, Amen. I, John Langdon, . . . considering the uncertainty of life and that it is appointed unto all men once to die [Hebrews 9:27], do make, ordain and publish this my last will and testament in manner following, that is to say-First: I commend my soul to the infinite mercies of God in Christ Jesus, the beloved Son of the Father, who died and rose again that He might be the Lord of the dead and of the living . . . professing to believe and hope in the joyful Scripture doctrine of a resurrection to eternal life . . .

Will of John Langdon
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John Morton
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
With an awful reverence to the great Almighty God, Creator of all mankind, I, John Morton . . . being sick and weak in body but of sound mind and memory-thanks be given to Almighty God for the same, for all His mercies and favors-and considering the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the times thereof, do, for the settling of such temporal estate as it hath pleased God to bless me with in this life . . .

Will of John Morton
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Robert Treat Paine
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
I desire to bless and praise the name of God most high for appointing me my birth in a land of Gospel Light where the glorious tidings of a Savior and of pardon and salvation through Him have been continually sounding in mine ears.

Robert Treat Paine, The Papers of Robert Treat Paine, Stephen Riley and Edward Hanson, editors (Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1992), Vol. I, p. 48, March/April, 1749.

[W]hen I consider that this instrument contemplates my departure from this life and all earthly enjoyments and my entrance on another state of existence, I am constrained to express my adoration of the Supreme Being, the Author of my existence, in full belief of his providential goodness and his forgiving mercy revealed to the world through Jesus Christ, through whom I hope for never ending happiness in a future state, acknowledging with grateful remembrance the happiness I have enjoyed in my passage through a long life. . .

Will of Robert Treat Paine
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Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
Signer of the Constitution
To the eternal, immutable, and only true God be all honor and glory, now and forever, Amen!. . .

Will of Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
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Rufus Putnam
Revolutionary War General, First Surveyor General of the United States
[F]irst, I give my soul to a holy, sovereign God Who gave it in humble hope of a blessed immortality through the atonement and righteousness of Jesus Christ and the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit. My body I commit to the earth to be buried in a decent Christian manner. I fully believe that this body shall, by the mighty power of God, be raised to life at the last day; 'for this corruptable (sic) must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality.' [I Corinthians 15:53]

Will of Rufus Putnam
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Benjamin Rush
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
My only hope of salvation is in the infinite, transcendent love of God manifested to the world by the death of His Son upon the cross. Nothing but His blood will wash away my sins. I rely exclusively upon it. Come, Lord Jesus! Come quickly!

Benjamin Rush, The Autobiography of Benjamin Rush, George Corner, editor (Princeton: Princeton University Press for the American Philosophical Society, 1948), p. 166, Travels Through Life, An Account of Sundry Incidents & Events in the Life of Benjamin Rush.

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Roger Sherman
Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Signer of the Constitution
I believe that there is one only living and true God, existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. . . . that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are a revelation from God. . . . that God did send His own Son to become man, die in the room and stead of sinners, and thus to lay a foundation for the offer of pardon and salvation to all mankind so as all may be saved who are willing to accept the Gospel offer.

Lewis Henry Boutell, The Life of Roger Sherman (Chicago: A. C. McClurg and Company, 1896), pp. 272-273.

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Richard Stockton
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
I think it proper here not only to subscribe to the entire belief of the great and leading doctrines of the Christian religion, such as the Being of God, the universal defection and depravity of human nature, the divinity of the person and the completeness of the redemption purchased by the blessed Savior, the necessity of the operations of the Divine Spirit, of Divine Faith, accompanied with an habitual virtuous life, and the universality of the divine Providence, but also . . . that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom; that the way of life held up in the Christian system is calculated for the most complete happiness that can be enjoyed in this mortal state; that all occasions of vice and immorality is injurious either immediately or consequentially, even in this life; that as Almighty God hath not been pleased in the Holy Scriptures to prescribe any precise mode in which He is to be publicly worshiped, all contention about it generally arises from want of knowledge or want of virtue.

Will of Richard Stockton
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Jonathan Trumbull Sr.
Governor of Connecticut, Patriot
Principally and first of all, I bequeath my soul to God the Creator and Giver thereof, and body to the Earth . . . nothing doubting but that I shall receive the same again at the General Resurrection thro the power of Almighty God; believing and hoping for eternal life thro the merits of my dear, exalted Redeemer Jesus Christ.

Will of Jonathan Trumbull
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John Witherspoon
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
I entreat you in the most earnest manner to believe in Jesus Christ, for there is no salvation in any other [Acts 4:12]. . . . [I]f you are not reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, if you are not clothed with the spotless robe of His righteousness, you must forever perish.

John Witherspoon, The Works of John Witherspoon (Edinburgh: J. Ogle, 1815), Vol. V, pp. 276, 278, The Absolute Necessity of Salvation Through Christ, January 2, 1758.

Nice post - I like it!

Thomas Paine
All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.

The church was never "nationalized" in America, but kept free and separate in its sphere from the state.

Thomas Paine, though an influence at this time, was not one of our founders, and therefore is only as relevant to this discussion as the influence of George Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards, or Gilbert Tennent was in the Great Awakening prior to the Revolution.

As was pointed out to me the other day, we need to define the "Christian nation" idea.

The Founding Fathers were all free thinkers, liberals (in the classical definition of skeptical of government and church power), many were Unitarians, and many could be classed as Christian Deists.

If we are talking about Christianity in general way, okay but if we are talking about the Christian Church, i.e. Roman Catholic or any of the Protestant Churches than Christians are wrong about a Christian nation.

Another thing, I think based on reading a number of books on the Founding Fathers, most would not be in favor of or support modern Christianity. Christianity today is far different than what they had in their day.

I was not suggesting a "Christian nation" in an evangelical sense as that is a matter of personal faith. They did not institutionalize the "Christian Nation." They built a nation whose morality and laws were in harmony with the Christian faith and morality, but kept the organizational spheres of government and church separated. It was the religious people fleeing persecution who wanted this separation as much as anyone else, yet they were not looking for the creation of an ungodly or immoral society. Though differing personally in some respects on matters of faith, there was no strong disagreement on general public morality. There were not near as many Deists among them by the end of their lives. Benjamin Franklin significantly changed as an older man.



I agree that no denomination was to be established. The "Memorial and Remonstrance" of Madison succinctly addresses this. The Founders were diametrically opposed to the Church/State ideas in Europe. Some of the strongest supporters of the separation of these spheres were men like William Penn and Roger Williams--both deeply devout Christians.



This is somewhat speculative and arbitrary in comparison. The main tenets of Christianity are still taught today in most conservative churches the same as they were in historic America. It is liberal Christian churches which have adopted alternate thinking.

Here is the quote from Franklin which illustrates the maturity of his faith nearer the end of his life. It certainly illustrates a shift from Deism to embracing the world view of the Bible.

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I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that "except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing governments by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.

I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service.

(Source: James Madison, The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, Max Farrand, editor (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1911), Vol. I, pp. 450-452, June 28, 1787.)

I believe Jefferson was Agnostic.

There is no doubt that he was Unitarian, but I am not sure it is accurate to say He was agnostic by the end of his life. He held Jesus in high regard for His teachings, though he doubted Christ's divinity (see the first quote in my first post). The Jefferson Bible would also bear this out.

So even in Jefferson, perhaps the most liberal thinker, we see a respect for the moral teachings of Jesus. This is distinctly different from the liberal leaders of our times. Can you imagine how different our country would be if the most liberal leaders of our time honored the moral teachings of Christ?

See my sig line

I agree that no denomination was to be established. The "Memorial and Remonstrance" of Madison succinctly addresses this.

If I am not mistaken, Memorial and Remonstrance" had to do with Virginia ONLY. Massachussetts had a state supported church until 1830, (Congregationalism). New Hampshire until about 1813 or so.

The specific constitutional disabilities were on the Federal Government alone with regard to passing any law respecting religion.

I think it is almost impossible for any product of public schooling to insert himself/herself mentally into the culture of New England at that time. It was Protestantism on steroids times ten.

The Civil war broke the chains of the negro slave thank God, but destroyed the fabric of our system. It is all bastardized now. Christianity in my lifetime and soon will be all but outlawed. Enda is going to do more damage than anybody is willing to admit.

There is no getting around the fact that our laws and legal system were all intertwined in Christianity. English Common Law, and Sir William Blackstone prove this beyond a shadow of a doubt.

If there was an open documented debate at the national or state level to undo and throw out English Common Law, I would be very interested in reading about that.

Where written law was not in place English Common Law filled the void, if I am not mistaken even until into the 1900's or longer.

That Sodomite law case in Georgia prior to Lawrence vs Texas, the majority opinion quotes directly from Blackstone, "the sin that shall not be named..."

Thomas Paine in his famous work, "Common Sense" very nearly derives ALL of his arguments from scripture. Most amazing if you ask me. It was the language and coin of the realm if he wanted to reach the masses. The fact that he was a pariah after the revolution shows that the overarching ideas of most American's were not deistic. Teddy Roosevelt so many years later called Paine, "that miserable little atheist."

A secular society would have no grounds for ending slavery, nor would a secular Lincoln.

Ethics are what societies base themselves upon. Never taken a secular ethics class.

Dixie, I believe you are right on the voids of written law...

How many of them were slave owners? I'm getting sick of seeing this crap. Just because you preach the Jesus doens't mean you're better than anyone else. In fact, some of the best "Christians" I have ever met, are the ones who keep thier mouths shut about thier faith, and just treat others the way they want to be treated.

I would venture to say, that the American experiment, an evolution of English and Scottish political science, which is turn was an evolution for the better of European/Christendom, is in fact BETTER than ANYTHING anywhere ever in the entire history of the entire world.

G Washington, slave owner, warts and all was one of the greatest men that ever lived in the history of the world bar none, faithful plain vanilla, Christian.

You obviously don't know much about George Washington.

No body knows what Washington was, Christian or Deist. I have a book, "Washington's God" written by a couple of scholars with the back backing of Mount Vernon and with full access to Mount Vernon archives to prove once and for all that Washington was a Christian. All the book proved was that Washington could have been a Christian or he could have been a Deist. Washington remained ambiguous on religion right up to his death, including his burial.

If Washington was anything he was a Christian Deist. There were many who were on the borderline between Christianity and Deism.

I think most people have a hard time getting a warp around Deism.

Deist DO BELIEVE in a Deity. Deists believe in natural religion versus revealed religion. Deists believe in natural theology versus mythology theology. It is quite possible for a free thinking Christian to be a Christian Deist back in the 1700's and the 2000's. A Christian Deist could find moral value in the Bible while rejecting Bible mythology for reason, the study of nature and science.

Washington and Franklin probably fall into this category as well as others of the period.

Interesting. I've taken several - at a Catholic university no less (Gonzaga U). Ethics was taught in ancient Greece absent religion, and in many societies since. Religion is not required for ethics.