I’ve heard that the founding fathers were deists. Is this true? What is a deist?

1. 79

   Earl S. Wynnposted 13 years ago

   I’ve heard that the founding fathers were deists. Is this true? What is a deist?

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2. 81

   The Suburban Poetposted 13 years ago

   I don't know if they all were deists but I think quite a few of them were. To me a deist is a person who believes in a God or a Creator but also may believe that this God has abandoned us....

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3. 61

   Ed Kaposted 13 years ago

   A deist is one who believes in the existence of God but denies a revealed religion.  They consider themselves to be free thinkers.

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4. 57

   Beege215eposted 13 years ago

   I am a Deist; I believe in God.  I hold to God, I pray to God, I thank God. But as I have said many times, God has no religion. God doesn't need religion. I do not need some other mortal to tell me about God, I do not need some mortal to pray for me.  I do not need some mortal to translate the meaning of God for me.  That to me is the dividing factor. I will avoid religion, but I will worship God.
   And yes, several of our National Founding Fathers were Deists as well.  They believed that everyone coming to this country should be free from religious persecution that was practiced in their homelands. They believed that all people should be free to worship according to their own beliefs, be they Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Jew, muslim, or any other religion. And they tried to frame our government in such a way to protect those rights for all people.  One religion should not control our government, and our government should not control religion.

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5. 83

   Freeway Flyerposted 13 years ago

   The Founding Fathers did not share the same religious beliefs. Some of the big ones, however - Franklin, Washington, Jefferson - are often put into the deist category. My understanding is that deists believe that God created the universe, but he does not actively intervene in human affairs. He is kind of like a clockmaker who created a machine (the universe) and then lets it run. Miracles and divine revelation, therefore, are not a part of their belief system. These types of mystical occurrences contradict the natural laws of the universe that the creative force put into motion.
   
   Here is a little hub that I wrote about - among other things - the Religious Right's belief that the Founding Fathers were good Christians who built our nation on a Christian foundation. Too bad that those liberals "altered" history and turned them into deists who wanted separation of church and state.
   
   http://hubpages.com/hub/Church-State-Is … -Education

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