The Founding Fathers Were Neither Deists nor Christians

There is much controversy regarding the religious and political views of the men who founded these United States of America. There are two reasons why the views of the Founding Fathers are important. First, it is an issue of national heritage and cultural history. When someone tries to claim something about these men that is perceived to be false, it seems like an attempt to steal something great and intangible.

Second, it is a question of interpretation. The meaning of the US Constitution, and various state constitutions, depends in part on what the men who shaped and sign these documents believed.

This is where the debate is centered. There are those that claim the men who founded America were Christians and some claim they were Deists. Technically, both are wrong. In order to say (rightfully) that the Founding Fathers were Deists or Christians it would be necessary for all of them to be so. The Founding Fathers were a diverse group of individuals; they held differing theological and philosophical views. However, several were Christians but few (if any) were strict Deists.

How can we know this? Well, the Founding Fathers were prolific writers. If we examine their writings, a picture comes to view. They envisioned a secular society with laws based on natural law. Most, if not all, saw these laws as coming from the Creator. They saw religion in general, and Christianity in particular, as being formative in the hearts, minds, and morals of the American people (and thus the Constitution).

At this point, many people would object. They would bring forth a quote from a Founding Father demonstrating contempt for organized religion. A few founding fathers were not professing Christians and even the ones that were , at times, said bad things about religion in general, or a particular religion. Usually, the views of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Paine are mentioned (although not always). Admittedly, these men were not Christians. However, both Jefferson and Franklin sought guidance from Providence (usually in the form of prayer) and this is hardly the act of Deist.