Like pretty much everyone else, I’ve noted the increased divisiveness in our society. The divisiveness, at least on the surface, primarily connects to politics. I think there is something deeper. To me, it seems more like people are really taking stands around values. Sometimes the various parties use the same value-laden words but differ on what those words mean, or at least the sort of actions that they believe are either supportive of or contradict those values.
One area that concerns me is how so many people have begun to denigrate those people who led our country when it wasn’t yet a country. My wife and I lived in Virginia while I worked in Washington DC for ten years. During that time, we often visited historic sites in and around the Maryland, Virginia, and DC area. I also put effort into reading books (and still do) on some of those we refer to as ‘founding fathers’. These are the same who I had heard people attacking, including defacing and tearing down statues. Much of the protesting was about how the individual lives of founding fathers didn’t seem to live up to the ideals of the documents they helped create, or the ideals they personally claimed. The problem I have holding that judgement is if we held anyone to such a standard, all of us would be found wanting, including those very protesters or negative opinion writers. I particularly noted how some were imprinting their own tendencies onto these framers of the American Revolution and the Constitution. What I mean is that historians sometimes make claims about how so many were anti-religion or anti-Christianity. From what I have read, there were early leaders who took issue with formalized religion, or more to the point the leaders of organized religions of their day. The founders making such arguments few in actuality, at least in my modest readings. Even when they took issue with organized religion, with only very few exceptions that I can find, they still united with one sect or another. I would remind commenters making such arguments that Jesus took similar issue with the sectarian leaders of His day, yet clearly was religious, even forming his own religious organization.
During our visits to historic sites, I came across a little book by Gordon Leidner titled The Founding Fathers: Quotes, Quips, and Speeches. The book is well referenced. Since their own words showed more to me about their way of thinking as opposed to the perspective of other people about those words, I began to copy some of their quotes about a year ago and posted them Face Book. I felt that perhaps some of my social media ‘friends’ might be less contentious. Most were. A few occasionally take issue and attempt to either dispute the idea or try to explain what the original author might mean by the words. It seems to me again that we can be tempted to either judge the past through a modern lens or assume how we might consider their words through our own personal proclivities. It’s a natural human thing to do so I don’t blame people for something of which I am likely equally guilty.
In terms of whether these founders were religious and Christian, Benjamin Franklin is often the target of those who would tamp down such notions. As an example of what I am talking about, here are three of my recent FB entries on the topic.
"I must submit all my hopes and fears to an overruling Providence, in which, unfashionable as the faith may be, I firmly believe." - John Adams
"All men are equally entitled to... the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience." - James Madison
"Work as if you were to live 100 years, pray as if you were to die tomorrow." - Benjamin Franklin
Many more of the quotes mention God or Jesus specifically. Though from these three specific quotes one could argue these men were speaking generically, yet there are so many others that make their statements on faith even more explicit.
If it’s not clear in my own writing, I’m so grateful to Heavenly Father to be blessed to be born in our country. Our history is so deep. The spirit of God, and Christian gospel, heavily influenced our primary documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. I have read each a few times and both seem inspired to me, but then again this may be just another example of a reader of history implanting one’s own perspective. I encourage you to read those two documents and consider for yourself.
By the way, one of the funnier restaurant names in Washington DC is a place called We the Pizza.
One area that concerns me is how so many people have begun to denigrate those people who led our country when it wasn’t yet a country. My wife and I lived in Virginia while I worked in Washington DC for ten years. During that time, we often visited historic sites in and around the Maryland, Virginia, and DC area. I also put effort into reading books (and still do) on some of those we refer to as ‘founding fathers’. These are the same who I had heard people attacking, including defacing and tearing down statues. Much of the protesting was about how the individual lives of founding fathers didn’t seem to live up to the ideals of the documents they helped create, or the ideals they personally claimed. The problem I have holding that judgement is if we held anyone to such a standard, all of us would be found wanting, including those very protesters or negative opinion writers. I particularly noted how some were imprinting their own tendencies onto these framers of the American Revolution and the Constitution. What I mean is that historians sometimes make claims about how so many were anti-religion or anti-Christianity. From what I have read, there were early leaders who took issue with formalized religion, or more to the point the leaders of organized religions of their day. The founders making such arguments few in actuality, at least in my modest readings. Even when they took issue with organized religion, with only very few exceptions that I can find, they still united with one sect or another. I would remind commenters making such arguments that Jesus took similar issue with the sectarian leaders of His day, yet clearly was religious, even forming his own religious organization.
During our visits to historic sites, I came across a little book by Gordon Leidner titled The Founding Fathers: Quotes, Quips, and Speeches. The book is well referenced. Since their own words showed more to me about their way of thinking as opposed to the perspective of other people about those words, I began to copy some of their quotes about a year ago and posted them Face Book. I felt that perhaps some of my social media ‘friends’ might be less contentious. Most were. A few occasionally take issue and attempt to either dispute the idea or try to explain what the original author might mean by the words. It seems to me again that we can be tempted to either judge the past through a modern lens or assume how we might consider their words through our own personal proclivities. It’s a natural human thing to do so I don’t blame people for something of which I am likely equally guilty.
In terms of whether these founders were religious and Christian, Benjamin Franklin is often the target of those who would tamp down such notions. As an example of what I am talking about, here are three of my recent FB entries on the topic.
"I must submit all my hopes and fears to an overruling Providence, in which, unfashionable as the faith may be, I firmly believe." - John Adams
"All men are equally entitled to... the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience." - James Madison
"Work as if you were to live 100 years, pray as if you were to die tomorrow." - Benjamin Franklin
Many more of the quotes mention God or Jesus specifically. Though from these three specific quotes one could argue these men were speaking generically, yet there are so many others that make their statements on faith even more explicit.
If it’s not clear in my own writing, I’m so grateful to Heavenly Father to be blessed to be born in our country. Our history is so deep. The spirit of God, and Christian gospel, heavily influenced our primary documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. I have read each a few times and both seem inspired to me, but then again this may be just another example of a reader of history implanting one’s own perspective. I encourage you to read those two documents and consider for yourself.
By the way, one of the funnier restaurant names in Washington DC is a place called We the Pizza.
RSS Feed