-America's Founding Fathers and Creationism

-America's Founding Fathers and Creationism
-By: Henry Morris, Ph.D.

As the nation celebrates American liberty on the Fourth of July each year, it would be appropriate for all Americans (including those who have come here from other nations in search of that same freedom), first of all, to reflect on the Christian foundations—including genuine creationism—on which our nation was built.

In a previous article on this theme (see the July 1996 Back to Genesis article, “Sweet Land of Liberty”), it was noted that many of the founding fathers of our country were strict creationists and that this fact was reflected in the Declaration of Independence itself. In this article, several more testimonies are cited in support of this vitally important fact.

For example, John Hancock, who was the first to sign the Declaration, had been president of the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts a year before when he issued a proclamation calling for “A Day of Public Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer,” referring to “that GOD who rules in the Armies of Heaven and without whose Blessing the best human Counsels are but Foolishness—and all created Power Vanity.”1

That same year, the Continental Congress had also passed a stirring resolution expressing “humble confidence in the mercies of the Supreme and impartial God and ruler of the universe.”2

George Washington (often called “the father of our country”) was also a strong Bible-believing Christian and literal creationist. Among other things, he once commented as follows: “A reasoning being would lose his reason, in attempting to account for the great phenomena of nature, had he not a Supreme Being to refer to: and well has it been said, that if there had been no God, mankind would have been obligated to imagine one.”3

It has long been argued as to whether or not Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin were genuine Christians, but there is no doubt that both men were convinced creationists. Franklin is especially remembered for his stirring exhortation to the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 to pray for God’s guidance and blessing in the framing of our United States Constitution. James Madison then made the motion, seconded by Roger Sherman, to open all future sessions in prayer, and this was unanimously approved by the delegates. God’s resultant blessing is a matter of history. In his autobiography, Franklin wrote as follows:

I never doubted, for instance, the existence of the Deity: that He made the world, and governed it by His providence.4
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Please continue reading this truthful, Historical article,"America's Founding Fathers and Creationism".

(Here is an article from the Institute for Creation Research: America's Founding Fathers and Creationism (http://www.icr.org/article/6898/)
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-God Bless America! In God We Trust!
-A special 'thank you' to CTD for addressing my attention to this timely article. God Bless you, my friend.

--Were the Founding Fathers of America Christians?

--FOUNDING FATHERS ~~
--Question: "Were the Founding Fathers of the United States Christians?"

--Answer: With words like God, Lord, and Creator found in the Declaration of Independence, it is easy to assume that the founders of the United States were Christians. John Adams, the nation’s second President, said, “The Christian religion is, above all the religions that ever prevailed or existed in ancient or modern times, the religion of wisdom, virtue, equity and humanity” (The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States, Charles Francis Adams, ed., Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1856, Vol. III, p. 421, diary entry for July 26, 1796).

Benjamin Franklin, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, wrote to Yale president Ezra Stiles, “I think the system of morals and [Jesus’] religion as He left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is likely to see” (Works of Benjamin Franklin, John Bigelow, ed., New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1904, p. 185). Such statements imply that Christianity was influential in the founders’ lives.

The reality is that the Founding Fathers were a diverse group of individuals. There is varied evidence as to the religious affiliation of several of the founders. George Washington is often cited as an Episcopalian. His public addresses contain many statements that support the claim that Washington was, in fact, a committed Christian. There is also evidence that Washington was only nominal in his faith.

Thomas Jefferson made statements implying he was a Christian, but his brand of Christianity was dubious, at best. Jefferson rejected the supernatural accounts of the Bible, the Trinity, and the incarnation of Christ.

James Madison was Anglican, but he is also argued to be a deist.
Thomas Paine never served in any elected capacity, but he had great influence in the early years of the country.
Paine was not a Christian; in his work The Age of Reason, he attacked the fundamental beliefs of Christianity.

There is little doubt that the principles upon which the United States was founded are indeed found in the Bible. Equality, liberty, and justice are all biblical principles. The faith of the founders, on the other hand, will continue to be debated. Did the founders respect God and the Christian religion? Absolutely. Were they influenced by the Bible? Surely. Were they all born-again believers in Jesus Christ? No.

Even in reading what the founders themselves stated and wrote for the public, none of us will ever truly know their hearts. The apostle Paul wrote, “The Lord knows those who are his” (2 Timothy 2:19).

While it is interesting to research the religious convictions of the founders, only God truly knows the ones who put faith in Jesus. More important than the heart condition of the Founding Fathers, is the spiritual condition of those presently in public office. It is our duty to pray for rulers and those in positions of authority (1 Timothy 2:2).

-References:<http://www.gotquestions.org/Founding-Fathers.html>