Once revered, now despised. The wisdom of our founding fathers

Founding Fathers Quotes
"The country's first two presidents, George Washington and John Adams,
were firm believers in the importance of religion for republican government." --official Library of Congress
statement
"...both the legislators and the public considered it appropriate
for the national government to promote a nondenominational, nonpolemical Christianity."--official Library
of Congress statement
Have you ever read a quote that seemed to show that our Founders weren't Christians?
Click here to see an example of a quote taken out of context, and a tutorial on examining these quotes!
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Early Years
The First Charter of Virginia (granted by King James I, on April 10, 1606)
• We, greatly commending, and graciously accepting of, their Desires for the Furtherance
of so noble a Work, which may, by the Providence of Almighty God, hereafter tend to the
Glory of his Divine Majesty, in propagating of Christian Religion to such People, as yet
live in Darkness and miserable Ignorance of the true Knowledge and Worship of God…
Instructions for the Virginia Colony (1606)
Lastly and chiefly the way to prosper and achieve good success is to make yourselves all
of one mind for the good of your country and your own, and to serve and fear God the
Giver of all Goodness, for every plantation which our Heavenly Father hath not planted
shall be rooted out.
William Bradford
• wrote that they [the Pilgrims] were seeking:
• 1) "a better, and easier place of living”; and that “the children of the group were being
drawn away by evil examples into extravagance and dangerous courses [in Holland]“
• 2) “The great hope, and for the propagating and advancing the gospel of the kingdom of
Christ in those remote parts of the world"
The Mayflower Compact (authored by William Bradford) 1620 | Signing of the Mayflower
painting | Picture of Compact
“Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and
honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of
Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one of
another, covenant and combine our selves together…”
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John Adams and John Hancock:
We Recognize No Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus! [April 18, 1775]
John Adams:
“ The general principles upon which the Fathers achieved independence were the general
principals of Christianity… I will avow that I believed and now believe that those general
principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of
God.”
• “[July 4th] ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of
devotion to God Almighty.”
–John Adams in a letter written to Abigail on the day the Declaration was approved by Congress
"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." --October 11, 1798
"I have examined all religions, as well as my narrow sphere, my straightened means, and
my busy life, would allow; and the result is that the Bible is the best Book in the world. It
contains more philosophy than all the libraries I have seen." December 25, 1813 letter to
Thomas Jefferson
"Without Religion this World would be Something not fit to be mentioned in polite
Company, I mean Hell." [John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, April 19, 1817] | photographs of this
letter: Page 2.... page 1.... page 3... page 4
.......click here to see this quote in its context and to see John Adams' quotes taken OUT
of context!
Samuel Adams: | Portrait of Sam Adams | Powerpoint presentation on John, John Quincy, and
Sam Adams
“ He who made all men hath made the truths necessary to human happiness obvious to
all… Our forefathers opened the Bible to all.” [ "American Independence," August 1, 1776.
Speech delivered at the State House in Philadelphia]
“ Let divines and philosophers, statesmen and patriots, unite their endeavors to renovate
the age by impressing the minds of men with the importance of educating their little boys
and girls, inculcating in the minds of youth the fear and love of the Deity… and leading
them in the study and practice of the exalted virtues of the Christian system.” [October 4,
1790]
John Quincy Adams:
• “Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and
most venerated festival returns on this day [the Fourth of July]?" “Is it not that, in the
chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday
of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is
it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the
foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human
government upon the first precepts of Christianity"?
--1837, at the age of 69, when he delivered a Fourth of July speech at Newburyport,
Massachusetts.
“The Law given from Sinai [The Ten Commandments] was a civil and municipal as well
as a moral and religious code.”
John Quincy Adams. Letters to his son. p. 61
Elias Boudinot: | Portrait of Elias Boudinot
“ Be religiously careful in our choice of all public officers . . . and judge of the tree by its
fruits.”
Charles Carroll - signer of the Declaration of Independence | Portrait of Charles Carroll
" Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are
decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and pure...are undermining
the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments."
[Source: To James McHenry on November 4, 1800.]
Benjamin Franklin: | Portrait of Ben Franklin
“ God governs in the affairs of man. 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 in
the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I
firmly believe this. I also believe that, without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in
this political building no better than the builders of Babel” –Constitutional Convention of 1787
| original manuscript of this speech
“In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had
daily prayers in this room for Divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they
were graciously answered… do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?”
[Constitutional Convention, Thursday June 28, 1787]
In Benjamin Franklin's 1749 plan of education for public schools in Pennsylvania, he
insisted that schools teach "the excellency of the Christian religion above all others,
ancient or modern."
In 1787 when Franklin helped found Benjamin Franklin University, it was dedicated as
"a nursery of religion and learning, built on Christ, the Cornerstone."
Alexander Hamilton:
• Hamilton began work with the Rev. James Bayard to form the Christian Constitutional
Society to help spread over the world the two things which Hamilton said made America
great:
(1) Christianity
(2) a Constitution formed under Christianity.
“The Christian Constitutional Society, its object is first: The support of the Christian
religion. Second: The support of the United States.”
On July 12, 1804 at his death, Hamilton said, “I have a tender reliance on the mercy of
the Almighty, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am a sinner. I look to Him for
mercy; pray for me.”
"For my own part, I sincerely esteem it [the Constitution] a system which without the
finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of
interests." [1787 after the Constitutional Convention]
"I have carefully examined the evidences of the Christian religion, and if I was sitting as
a juror upon its authenticity I would unhesitatingly give my verdict in its favor. I can
prove its truth as clearly as any proposition ever submitted to the mind of man."
John Hancock: | Portrait of John Hancock
• “In circumstances as dark as these, it becomes us, as Men and Christians, to reflect that
whilst every prudent measure should be taken to ward off the impending judgments, …at
the same time all confidence must be withheld from the means we use; and reposed only
on that God rules in the armies of Heaven, and without His whole blessing, the best
human counsels are but foolishness… Resolved; …Thursday the 11th of May…to
humble themselves before God under the heavy judgments felt and feared, to confess the
sins that have deserved them, to implore the Forgiveness of all our transgressions, and a
spirit of repentance and reformation …and a Blessing on the … Union of the American
Colonies in Defense of their Rights [for which hitherto we desire to thank Almighty
God]…That the people of Great Britain and their rulers may have their eyes opened to
discern the things that shall make for the peace of the nation…for the redress of
America’s many grievances, the restoration of all her invaded liberties, and their security
to the latest generations.
"A Day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer, with a total abstinence from labor and recreation.
Proclamation on April 15, 1775"
Patrick Henry: | Portrait of Patrick Henry
• This is all the inheritance I can give my dear family. The religion of Christ can give
them one which will make them rich indeed.”
—The Last Will and Testament of Patrick Henry
“It cannot be emphasized too clearly and too often that this nation was founded, not by
religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this
very reason, peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom
of worship here.”
John Jay: | Portrait of John Jay
“ 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.” Source: October 12, 1816. The Correspondence and Public Papers of John
Jay, Henry P. Johnston, ed., (New York: Burt Franklin, 1970), Vol. IV, p. 393.
“Whether our religion permits Christians to vote for infidel rulers is a question which
merits more consideration than it seems yet to have generally received either from the
clergy or the laity. It appears to me that what the prophet said to Jehoshaphat about his
attachment to Ahab ["Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord?"
2 Chronicles 19:2] affords a salutary lesson.”
The Correspondence and Public Papers of John Jay, 1794-1826, Henry P. Johnston
Thomas Jefferson:
“ The doctrines of Jesus are simple, and tend to all the happiness of man.”
“Of all the systems of morality, ancient or modern which have come under my
observation, none appears to me so pure as that of Jesus.”
"I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus."
“God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure
when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that
these liberties are a gift from God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath?
Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, and that His justice
cannot sleep forever.” (excerpts are inscribed on the walls of the Jefferson Memorial in
the nations capital) [Source: Merrill . D. Peterson, ed., Jefferson Writings, (New York:
Literary Classics of the United States, Inc., 1984), Vol. IV, p. 289. From Jefferson’s
Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVIII, 1781.]
Samuel Johnston:
• “It is apprehended that Jews, Mahometans (Muslims), pagans, etc., may be elected to
high offices under the government of the United States. Those who are Mahometans, or
any others who are not professors of the Christian religion, can never be elected to the
office of President or other high office, [unless] first the people of America lay aside the
Christian religion altogether, it may happen. Should this unfortunately take place, the
people will choose such men as think as they do themselves.
[Elliot’s Debates, Vol. IV, pp 198-199, Governor Samuel Johnston, July 30, 1788 at the
North Carolina Ratifying Convention]
James Madison
“ We’ve staked our future on our ability to follow the Ten Commandments with all of our
heart.”
“We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of
government, far from it. We’ve staked the future of all our political institutions upon our
capacity…to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.” [1778 to
the General Assembly of the State of Virginia]
• I have sometimes thought there could not be a stronger testimony in favor of religion or
against temporal enjoyments, even the most rational and manly, than for men who
occupy the most honorable and gainful departments and [who] are rising in reputation
and wealth, publicly to declare the unsatisfactoriness [of temportal enjoyments] by
becoming fervent advocates in the cause of Christ; and I wish you may give in your
evidence in this way.
Letter by Madison to William Bradford (September 25, 1773)
• In 1812, President Madison signed a federal bill which economically aided the Bible
Society of Philadelphia in its goal of the mass distribution of the Bible.
“ An Act for the relief of the Bible Society of Philadelphia” Approved February 2, 1813
by Congress
“It is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity toward
each other.”
• A watchful eye must be kept on ourselves lest, while we are building ideal monuments
of renown and bliss here, we neglect to have our names enrolled in the Annals of Heaven.
[Letter by Madison to William Bradford [urging him to make sure of his own salvation]
November 9, 1772]
At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, James Madison proposed the plan to divide the
central government into three branches. He discovered this model of government from
the Perfect Governor, as he read Isaiah 33:22;
“For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver,
the LORD is our king;
He will save us.”
James McHenry – Signer of the Constitution | Portrait of James McHenry
Public utility pleads most forcibly for the general distribution of the Holy Scriptures. The
doctrine they preach, the obligations they impose, the punishment they threaten, the
rewards they promise, the stamp and image of divinity they bear, which produces a
conviction of their truths, can alone secure to society, order and peace, and to our courts
of justice and constitutions of government, purity, stability and usefulness. In vain,
without the Bible, we increase penal laws and draw entrenchments around our
institutions. Bibles are strong entrenchments. Where they abound, men cannot pursue
wicked courses, and at the same time enjoy quiet conscience.
Jedediah Morse: | portrait of Jedediah Morse
"To the kindly influence of Christianity we owe that degree of civil freedom, and political
and social happiness which mankind now enjoys. . . . Whenever the pillars of Christianity
shall be overthrown, our present republican forms of government, and all blessings which
flow from them, must fall with them."
John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg | Statue of John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg
• In a sermon delivered to his Virginia congregation on January 21, 1776, he preached
from Ecclesiastes 3.
Arriving at verse 8, which declares that there is a time of war and a time of peace,
Muhlenberg noted that this surely was not the time of peace; this was the time of war.
Concluding with a prayer, and while standing in full view of the congregation, he
removed his clerical robes to reveal that beneath them he was wearing the uniform of an
officer in the Continental army! He marched to the back of the church; ordered the drum
to beat for recruits and over three hundred men joined him, becoming the Eighth Virginia
Brigade. John Peter Muhlenberg finished the Revolution as a Major-General, having been
at Valley Forge and having participated in the battles of Brandywine, Germantown,
Monmouth, Stonypoint, and Yorktown.
Thomas Paine:
“ It has been the error of the schools to teach astronomy, and all the other sciences, and
subjects of natural philosophy, as accomplishments only; whereas they should be taught
theologically, or with reference to the Being who is the author of them: for all the
principles of science are of divine origin. Man cannot make, or invent, or contrive
principles: he can only discover them; and he ought to look through the discovery to the
Author.”
“ The evil that has resulted from the error of the schools, in teaching natural philosophy
as an accomplishment only, has been that of generating in the pupils a species of atheism.
Instead of looking through the works of creation to the Creator himself, they stop short,
and employ the knowledge they acquire to create doubts of his existence. They labour
with studied ingenuity to ascribe every thing they behold to innate properties of matter,
and jump over all the rest by saying, that matter is eternal.” “The Existence of God--1810”
Benjamin Rush:
• “I lament that we waste so much time and money in punishing crimes and take so little
pains to prevent them…we neglect the only means of establishing and perpetuating our
republican forms of government; that is, the universal education of our youth in the
principles of Christianity by means of the Bible; for this Divine Book, above all others,
constitutes the soul of republicanism.” “By withholding the knowledge of [the Scriptures]
from children, we deprive ourselves of the best means of awakening moral sensibility in
their minds.” [Letter written (1790’s) in Defense of the Bible in all schools in America]
• “Christianity is the only true and perfect religion.”
• “If moral precepts alone could have reformed mankind, the mission of the Son of God
into our world would have been unnecessary.”
"Let the children who are sent to those schools be taught to read and write and above all,
let both sexes be carefully instructed in the principles and obligations of the Christian
religion. This is the most essential part of education”
Letters of Benjamin Rush, "To the citizens of Philadelphia: A Plan for Free Schools",
March 28, 1787
Justice Joseph Story:
“ I verily believe Christianity necessary to the support of civil society. One of the
beautiful boasts of our municipal jurisprudence is that Christianity is a part of the
Common Law. . . There never has been a period in which the Common Law did not
recognize Christianity as lying its foundations.”
[Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States p. 593]
“ Infidels and pagans were banished from the halls of justice as unworthy of credit.” [Life
and letters of Joseph Story, Vol. II 1851, pp. 8-9.]
“ At the time of the adoption of the constitution, and of the amendment to it, now under
consideration [i.e., the First Amendment], the general, if not the universal sentiment in
America was, that Christianity ought to receive encouragement from the state, so far as
was not incompatible with the private rights of conscience, and the freedom of religious
worship.”
[Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States p. 593]
Noah Webster:
“ The duties of men are summarily comprised in the Ten Commandments, consisting of
two tables; one comprehending the duties which we owe immediately to God-the other,
the duties we owe to our fellow men.”
“In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in
which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed...No truth is more
evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government
intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.”
[Source: 1828, in the preface to his American Dictionary of the English Language]
Let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers just men
who will rule in the fear of God [Exodus 18:21]. . . . If the citizens neglect their duty and
place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted . . . If our
government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the
citizens neglect the Divine commands, and elect bad men to make and administer the
laws. [Noah Webster, The History of the United States (New Haven: Durrie and Peck,
1832), pp. 336-337, 49]
“All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice,
oppression, slavery and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts
contained in the Bible.” [Noah Webster. History. p. 339]
“The Bible was America’s basic textbook
in all fields.” [Noah Webster. Our Christian Heritage p.5]
“Education is useless without the Bible” [Noah Webster. Our Christian Heritage p.5 ]
George Washington:
Farewell Address: The name of American, which belongs to you, in your national
capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism, more than any appellation
derived from local discriminations. With slight shades of difference, you have the
same religion" ...and later: "...reason and experience both forbid us to expect, that
national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle..." | photo of Farewell
address original manuscript
“ It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and Bible.”
“What students would learn in American schools above all is the religion of Jesus
Christ.” [speech to the Delaware Indian Chiefs May 12, 1779]
"To the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more
distinguished character of Christian" [May 2, 1778, at Valley Forge]
During his inauguration, Washington took the oath as prescribed by the Constitution but
added several religious components to that official ceremony. Before taking his oath of
office, he summoned a Bible on which to take the oath, added the words “So help me
God!” to the end of the oath, then leaned over and kissed the Bible.
Nelly Custis-Lewis (Washington’s adopted daughter):
Is it necessary that any one should [ask], “Did General Washington avow himself to be a
believer in Christianity?" As well may we question his patriotism, his heroic devotion to
his country. His mottos were, "Deeds, not Words"; and, "For God and my Country."
“ O Most Glorious God, in Jesus Christ, my merciful and loving Father; I acknowledge
and confess my guilt in the weak and imperfect performance of the duties of this day. I
have called on Thee for pardon and forgiveness of my sins, but so coldly and carelessly
that my prayers are become my sin, and they stand in need of pardon.”
“ I have sinned against heaven and before Thee in thought, word, and deed. I have
contemned Thy majesty and holy laws. I have likewise sinned by omitting what I ought
to have done and committing what I ought not. I have rebelled against the light, despising
Thy mercies and judgment, and broken my vows and promise. I have neglected the better
things. My iniquities are multiplied and my sins are very great. I confess them, O Lord,
with shame and sorrow, detestation and loathing and desire to be vile in my own eyes as I
have rendered myself vile in Thine. I humbly beseech Thee to be merciful to me in the
free pardon of my sins for the sake of Thy dear Son and only Savior Jesus Christ who
came to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Thou gavest Thy Son to die for
me.”
[George Washington; from a 24 page authentic handwritten manuscript book dated April 21-23, 1752]
[William J. Johnson George Washington, the Christian (New York: The Abingdon Press, New York &
Cincinnati, 1919), pp. 24-35.]
"Although guided by our excellent Constitution in the discharge of official duties, and
actuated, through the whole course of my public life, solely by a wish to promote the best
interests of our country; yet, without the beneficial interposition of the Supreme Ruler of
the Universe, we could not have reached the distinguished situation which we have
attained with such unprecedented rapidity. To HIM, therefore, should we bow with
gratitude and reverence, and endeavor to merit a continuance of HIS special favors". [1797
letter to John Adams]
James Wilson: | Portrait of James Wilson
Signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
Supreme Court Justice appointed by George Washington
Spoke 168 times during the Constitutional Convention
"Christianity is part of the common law"
[Sources: James Wilson, Course of Lectures [vol 3, p.122]; and quoted in Updegraph v. The
Commonwealth, 11 Serg, & R. 393, 403 (1824).]
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Public Institutions
Liberty Bell Inscription:
“ Proclaim liberty throughout the land and to all the inhabitants thereof” [Leviticus
25:10]
Proposals for the seal of the United States of America
• “Moses lifting his wand and dividing the Red Sea” –Ben Franklin
• “The children of Israel in the wilderness, led by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by
night.” --Thomas Jefferson
On July 4, 1776, Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John
Adams "to bring in a device for a seal for the United States of America." Franklin's
proposal adapted the biblical story of the parting of the Red Sea. Jefferson first
recommended the "Children of Israel in the Wilderness, led by a Cloud by Day, and a
Pillar of Fire by night. . . ." He then embraced Franklin's proposal and rewrote it
Jefferson's revision of Franklin's proposal was presented by the committee to Congress
on August 20, 1776.
Another popular proposal to the Great Seal of the United States was:
" Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God"; with Pharoah's army drowning in the Red
Sea
Click here for a larger image
The three branches of the U.S. Government: Judicial, Legislative, Executive
• At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, James Madison proposed the plan to divide
the central government into three branches. He discovered this model of government
from the Perfect Governor, as he read Isaiah 33:22;
“For the LORD is our judge,
the LORD is our lawgiver,
the LORD is our king;
He will save us.”
Article 22 of the constitution of Delaware (1776)
Required all officers, besides taking an oath of allegiance, to make and subscribe to the
following declaration:
• "I, [name], do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in
the Holy Ghost, one God, blessed for evermore; and I do acknowledge the Holy
Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration."
New York Spectator. August 23, 1831
“ The court of common pleas of Chester county, [New York] rejected a witness who
declared his disbelief in the existence of God. The presiding judge remarked that he had
not before been aware that there was a man living who did not believe in the existence of
God; that this belief constituted the sanction of all testimony in a court of justice: and that
he knew of no cause in a Christian country where a witness had been permitted to testify
without such belief.
New England Primer: | Photograph of The New England Primer reprint
Used in public and private schools from 1690 to 1900 second only to the Bible
Some of its contents:
A song of praise to God
Prayers in Jesus’ name
The famous Bible alphabet
Shorter Catechism of faith in Christ

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