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Loading... The Faiths of the Founding Fathersby David L. Holmes
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Effectively pokes dozens of holes in the concept that the founding fathers somehow intended the United States to be a Christian nation. Although a handful of the framers were orthodox Christians, the tendency of most was toward Deism, Unitarianism or simply non-religious philosophy. While many of the teachings of Jesus and Christianity were broadly respected, and the founding documents contain some of that language and spirit, there's little support for the claim that the earliest Americans somehow intended this to be a uniquely Christian nation. Sadly, this meme seems to be gaining traction in the political sphere. ( ) This is a very interesting take on the faith of our founding fathers, their wives and the faiths of 20th century presidents. After reading this book, I am still confident that the majority of our founders were indeed religious and mostly Christian in their leanings at some point in their lives. I'm not saying they were angels or great Christians, but, I do think their belief systems were of a religious nature. Remember that the times were very different and religious traditions were very different from the traditions of today. Additionally, I am still convinced that America has been under the protection of a real God, without whom I don't think we could have won the Revolution. Still, the information contained in this historical reference has been very helpful and enlightening. Good, well-researched account of a selected number of important figures of the period and how they related both to church and to religion. Makes judgements based on the known behaviors, letters and speeches as well as on comments by contemporaries. Very little free-lancing or speculating. Trails off toward the end by considering minor figures in whom our interest is not so great. Written as an extract of the dense historical text for a layman and works in that regard. no reviews | add a review
It is not uncommon to hear Christians argue that America was founded as a Christian nation. But how true is this claim?. In this compact book, David L. Holmes offers a clear, concise and illuminating look at the spiritual beliefs of our founding fathers. He begins with an informative account of the religious culture of the late colonial era, surveying the religious groups in each colony. In particular, he sheds light on the various forms of Deism that flourished in America, highlighting the profound influence this intellectual movement had on the founding generation. Holmes then examines the i No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)200.973Religions Religion Religion History, geographic treatment, biography North America United StatesLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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