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John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, February–3 March 1814

John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, February–3 March 1814

John Adams February 1814 Quincy Dear Sir I was nibbing my pen and brushing my Faculties, to write a polite Letter of Thanks to MrCounsellor Barton for his valuable Memoirs of Dr Rittenhouse though I could not account for his Sending it to me; when I received your favour of Jan. 24th. I now most cordially indorse my Thanks over to you. The Book is in the modern American Style, an able imitation of Marshalls Washington, though far more entertaining and…

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Thomas Jefferson Autobiography (portion on religious freedom)

Thomas Jefferson Autobiography (portion on religious freedom)

Thomas Jefferson 1821 The bill for establishing religious freedom, the principles of which had, to a certain degree, been enacted before, I had drawn in all the latitude of reason and right. It still met with opposition; but, with some mutilations in the preamble, it was finally passed; and a singular proposition proved that its protection of opinion was meant to be universal. Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of…

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Letter from John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, February 3, 1821

Letter from John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, February 3, 1821

John Adams February 3, 1821 John Adams antagonism to Catholicism reappeared in old age: “I have long been decided in opinion that a free government and the Roman Catholick religion can never exist together in any nation or Country” Dear Sir I have just read a sketch of the life of Swedenborg, and a larger work in two huge volumes of Memoirs of John Westley* by Southery, and your kind letter of January 22d came to hand in the nick…

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Liberating the Founders

Liberating the Founders

TRANSCRIPT October 30, 2008 KRISTA TIPPETT, HOST: I’m Krista Tippett. Today, “Liberating the Founders.” Americans remain divided about how much religion they want in their political life. As we elect a new president, we return to an evocative, relevant conversation from earlier this year with journalist Steven Waldman. From his unusual study of the American founders, he understands why 21st-century struggles over religion in the public square spur passionate disagreement and entanglement with politics at its most impure. MR. STEVE…

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George Washington, Defender of Catholics

George Washington, Defender of Catholics

First published in Beliefnet.com  I’ve written in the past about how some of America’s founders not only discriminated against Catholics but actively stoked anti-Catholic sentiment to advance the American cause. Yet somehow, Catholics ended up being gradually included in the American religious compact. As Pope Benedict XI said, now, “Respect for freedom of religion is deeply ingrained in the American consciousness.” What happened? I would argue that the key figure was George Washington. As the Revolutionary War began, many persisted…

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The Evangelical Founding Fathers

The Evangelical Founding Fathers

Remember the concerns of those to whom Jefferson wrote on the separation of church and state First published in Christianity Today, March 25, 2008 By Steven Waldman Much attention has been paid to the idea that evangelical Christians are, politically, in motion. Only 29 percent of “born-again” Christians now say they support Republicans, compared to 62 percent in 2004, according to Barna Research. Among those who participated in the Republican primaries, many went for John McCain, who once called certain…

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The Pious Infidel

The Pious Infidel

First appeared in First Things, March 19, 2008 By Steven Waldman Though the most Deistic of the Founding Fathers, even Jefferson was not a full-fledged Deist if we accept that philosophy as having had two fundamental tenets: a rejection of biblical revelation and a conviction that God, having created the laws of the universe, had receded from day-to-day control and intervention. Jefferson clearly did agree with the first part of Deism. But he did not agree with the second. Jefferson…

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Why The Inaugural Prayers Have Become Less Inclusive Over Time

Why The Inaugural Prayers Have Become Less Inclusive Over Time

By Steven Waldman First published in The Wall Street Journal in 2009 In 1949, the year of Harry S. Truman’s inauguration ceremony, America was a much less tolerant and diverse place. It would be another decade before Americans would be comfortable electing a Catholic president. Jews were still excluded from the upper echelons of government and business. The levers of power were held by Protestants, who made up the vast majority of the population. But there on the podium with…

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Presidential Inaugural Prayers

Presidential Inaugural Prayers

 2017 INAUGURAL OF DONALD TRUMP   Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York     Rev. Dr. Samuel Rodriguez, President of the National Hispanic Leadership Conference    God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.   God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.   God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.   God blesses those who hunger and thirst…

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William Willams’s Letter About the Godless Constitution

William Willams’s Letter About the Godless Constitution

William Williams February 11, 1788 In the American Mercury, William Williams, a signer of the Declaration of Independence from Connecticut, complains about the failure of the Constitution to invoke God’s Supremacy and protection. He proposes amending the preamble to call upon “the creator and Supreme Governour of the world.” Since the Federal Constitution has had so calm, dispassionate and so happy an issue, in the late worthy Convention of this State; I did not expect any members of that hon….

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