Founding Presidents Not Christain
by William Edelen
One of my favorite times of the year is the Presidents' month of February.
Why? Because it gives me an annual opportunity to make a dent in the
historical and religious ignorance of the political and Christian right
wingers. They spend almost full time in perverting American history,
claiming that the bible and Christianity were at the foundation of this
nation. Once a year I get to bring a few undisputed facts to their attention.
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THE ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA, 1968, vol.2, p.420, quote: "One of the
embarrassing problems for the nineteenth-century champions of the Christian
faith was the fact that NOT ONE of the first six presidents of the United
States was a Christian. They were Deists."
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In Deism there is no personal God, only an impersonal "force" or "energy" or
"nature's God" or "providence." In Deism, the bible is nothing but
literature, and bad literature at that. Jefferson and Paine both called it "a
dunghill." I will now let these men speak for themselves:
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GEORGE WASHINGTON: "Being no bigot, I am disposed to humor Christian
ministers and the church." Looking for servants, he said: "I will be happy
to have atheists, Jews, Christians or Mohammedans." In 1831, Episcopalian
minister Bird Wilson said in a sermon: "Washington is no more than a
Unitarian, if anything." Washington refused to take communion, looking upon
it as superstition. He refused to ever kneel in church, according to his wife
and minister, James Abercrombie. Under Washington, the Treaty of Tripoli,
Article 11, begins: "As the government of the United States is NOT IN ANY
SENSE founded on the Christian religion." This Treaty was ratified by the
Senate in 1797 under Adams, without a SINGLE OBJECTION.
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THOMAS JEFFERSON: Author of the Declaration of Independence. "I have
examined all the known superstitions of the world, and I do not find in our
particular superstition of Christianity one redeeming feature. They are all
alike founded on fables and mythology. Millions of innocent men, women and
children since the introduction of Christianity have been burnt, tortured,
fined and imprisoned. What has been the effect of this coercion? To make
one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. And to support
roguery and error all over the earth."
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JAMES MADISON: Author of our Constitution and Bill of Rights. "A just
government instituted to perpetuate liberty, does not need the church or the
clergy. During almost 15 centuries the legal establishment of Christianity
has been on trial. What have been its fruits? These are the fruits in all
places: pride and indolence in the clergy...ignorance and servility in the
laity...and in both clergy and laity, superstition, bigotry and persecution."
Madison passionately objected to state-supported chaplains in Congress and
the military, as well as the exemption of churches from taxation. And
rightly so. They should be taxed.
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JOHN ADAMS: "The doctrine of the divinity of Jesus has made a convenient
cover for absurdity." Adams signed the Treaty of Tripoli.
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Why are these facts of American history not being taught in our High Schools?
What forces are at work in our society to keep historical truth from our
young people? We get all hot and sweaty about censoring movies and
television. A far, far more lethal virus is at work censoring the religious
views of our first six presidents, our Founding Fathers.
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