Religious views of George Washington
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Washington_1772.jpg/220px-Washington_1772.jpg)
The religious views of George Washington have long been debated. While some of the other
Washington attended the
Anglican affiliations
Washington's great-great-grandfather,
George Washington was baptized in infancy into the Church of England,[2][3] which, until 1776, was the established church (state religion) of Virginia.[4] As an adult, Washington served as a member of the vestry (lay council) for his local parish. In colonial-era Virginia, office-holding qualifications at all levels—including the House of Burgesses, to which Washington was elected in 1758—required affiliation with the current state religion and an undertaking that one would neither express dissent nor do anything that did not conform to church doctrine. At the library of the New-York Historical Society, some manuscripts containing a leaf from the church record of Pohick were available to Benson Lossing, an American historian, which he included in his Field Book of the Revolution; the leaf contained the following signed oath, required to qualify individuals as vestrymen:
I, A B, do declare that I will be conformable[5] to the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England, as by law established.,
1765. May 20th.—Thomas Withers Coffer, Thomas Ford, John Ford.
19th August.
— Geo. Washington, Daniel M'Carty [...][6]
Washington served as a vestryman or warden for more than 15 years. The Vestry in Virginia was the governing body of each church.[7]
As the British monarch is
Attendance at religious services
Washington paid for pews at several churches. Rev. Lee Massey, his pastor wrote, "I never knew so constant an attendant in church as Washington."[9] However, Washington's personal diaries[10] indicate that he did not regularly attend services while home at Mount Vernon, spending most Sundays writing letters, conducting business, fox-hunting, or doing other activities. Biographer Paul Leicester Ford wrote:
His daily "where and how my time is spent" tells how often he attended church, and in the year 1760 he went sixteen times, and in 1768 he went fourteen.[11]
While he was at Mount Vernon, his first parish was Pohick Church, seven miles (11 km) from Mt. Vernon; his second parish in Alexandria was nine miles (14 km) away.[7]
When traveling, particularly on political business, he was more likely to attend church services. In the seven Sundays during the
Communion
The record of Washington receiving communion was spotty.[14] Ministers at four of the churches Washington often attended wrote that he regularly left services before communion.
After the religious ceremony and Pulpit service Washington, along with the greater congregation, would exit the church, leaving wife Martha with the communicants to receive communion. In one definitive case a Pastor
In 1915 the great-grandson of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton reported that his grandmother said, when she was 97 years old (about 1854), "If anyone ever tells you that George Washington was not a communicant in the Church, you say that your great-grandmother told you to say that she 'had knelt at this chancel rail at his side and received with him the Holy Communion.'"[18]
Nonetheless, it was also not uncommon in those days for churchgoers to pass on participating in communion.[7]
Baptism
As noted above, Washington was baptized as an infant into the Church of England (Anglican Church), in April 1732.[2]
During the Revolutionary War it has been suggested that Washington was again baptized by the Baptist chaplain to the Continental Army John Gano at Valley Forge.[19] Washington biographer Rupert Hughes determined that Rev. Gano served with George Clinton's army, not with Washington's, that the location is sometimes given as Valley Forge and sometimes as the Potomac River, that there is no documentation of Gano ever being at Valley Forge, that there is nothing in Gano's own correspondence or his biography to suggest that the event took place, and that none of the 42 reputed witnesses ever documented the event.[20][21]
Washington himself was a godfather in the baptism of several children including his niece Frances Lewis, his nephews Fielding Lewis and Charles Lewis,[22] Catharine Van Rensselaer (daughter of Philip Schuyler),[23] George Washington Colfax (son of William Colfax)[24] and Benjamin Lincoln Lear (son of Tobias Lear).[25]
Public writings and speeches
Washington used the word "God" 146 times in his personal and public writings, many of which were in his public speeches[26] and while some were regularly used phrases such as "thank God," "God knows," "for God's sake," or "my God!" there are many other examples where Washington used thoughtful expressions about God and His Providence.
From his Headquarters in New York, July 9, 1776, Washington issued a General Order which read, in pertinent part, "The blessing and protection of Heaven are at all times necessary but especially so in times of public distress and danger—The General hopes and trusts, that every officer and man, will endeavour so to live, and act, as becomes a Christian Soldier defending the dearest Rights and Liberties of his country."
You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are. Congress will do every thing they can to assist you in this wise intention; and to tie the knot of friendship and union so fast, that nothing shall ever be able to loose it.[31]
Washington referenced Jesus as the "divine Author of our blessed Religion" in his "Circular Letter to the Governors" of 1783 in the following prayer:
"I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field, and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristicks of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation.[32]"
When the Continental Congress authorized a day of fasting in 1778, Washington told his soldiers:
The Honorable Congress having thought proper to recommend to The United States of America to set apart Wednesday the 22nd. instant to be observed as a day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer, that at one time and with one voice the righteous dispensations of Providence may be acknowledged and His Goodness and Mercy toward us and our Arms supplicated and implored; The General directs that this day also shall be religiously observed in the Army, that no work be done thereon and that the Chaplains prepare discourses suitable to the Occasion.[33]
Washington believed in the importance of religion for republican government. His 1796 Farewell Address, written by Alexander Hamilton and revised by himself, said that it was unrealistic to expect that a whole nation, whatever might be said of minds of peculiar structure, could long be moral without religion, that national morality is necessary for good government, and that politicians should cherish religion's support of national morality:
Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and Citizens. The mere Politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connexions with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked, Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in Courts of Justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect, that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle. It is substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule, indeed, extends with more or less force to every species of free government. Who, that is a sincere friend to it, can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric?[34]
Washington rejected an additional sentence, also written by Alexander Hamilton, with a stronger sentiment: "does [national morality] not require the aid of a generally received and divinely authoritative Religion?"[34]
For decades, Washington was credited with starting the tradition of adding the words "so help me, God" to the
In his first inaugural address, Washington stressed his belief that the new nation "was under the special agency of Providence."[42]
Washington made several statements as General of the Army which mentioned religion. Sparks quotes orders given by General Washington to his Army requiring them to attend to their religious duties and "to implore the blessing of Heaven" upon the American Army.[43]
Early in his presidency, at the request of Congress,
Private writings
In his letters to young people, particularly to his adopted children, Washington urged upon them truth, character, honesty, but said little or nothing related to specific items of religious practice.
Prayers said to have been composed by him in his later life are highly edited.[47][48] An unfinished book of Christian prayers attributed to him (as a youth) by a collector (around 1891) was rejected by Worthington C. Ford, editor of an edition of Washington's papers, and the Smithsonian Institution for lack of authenticity.[49] Comparisons to documents Washington wrote show that it is not in his handwriting.[50]
In a letter to George Mason in 1785, he wrote that he was not among those alarmed by a bill "making people pay towards the support of that [religion] which they profess", but felt that it was "impolitic" to pass such a measure, and wished it had never been proposed, believing that it would disturb public tranquility.[51]
Support of religious toleration
Washington held that all religions, and nearly all religious practices, were beneficial to humans. On some occasions, such as when he was President, he attended Sunday services at various churches.[52]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/Magnificant_Touro_Synagogue_large.6_17_15.jpg/220px-Magnificant_Touro_Synagogue_large.6_17_15.jpg)
Washington was an early supporter of
Washington was an officer in the Freemasons, an organization which, at the time Washington lived, required that its members "will never be a stupid Atheist nor an irreligious Libertine",[54] which meant that they should believe in God, regardless of other religious convictions or affiliations.[55][56]
Some biographers[57] hold the opinion that many of the American Founding Fathers (and especially Washington) believed that, as leaders of the nation, they should remain silent on questions of doctrine and denomination, to avoid creating unnecessary divisiveness within the nation; instead they should promote the virtues taught by religion in general.
Tolerance
When acquiring workmen for Mount Vernon, he wrote to his agent, "If they be good workmen, they may be from Asia, Africa, or Europe; they may be Mohammedans [
Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island
In 1790, Washington expressed his support for religious tolerance in a letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island:
The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy — a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for, happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.[58]
Washington also wrote two other letters to Jewish communities, both written in 1790.[59] One was addressed to the community in Savannah, Georgia.[60] the other was a combined letter addressing the Jewish communities in New York, Philadelphia, Charleston, and Richmond.[61]
Eyewitness accounts
Eyewitness accounts exist of Washington engaging in morning devotions. Jared Sparks recorded the following account from Washington's nephew George W. Lewis: "Mr. Lewis said he had accidentally witnessed [Washington's] private devotions in his library both morning and evening; that on those occasions he had seen him in a kneeling position with a Bible open before him and that he believed such to have been his daily practice."[62] Sparks also reports that Washington's adopted daughter, Nelly Custis-Lewis, in response to his request for information on Washington's religions views, wrote, "He attended the church at Alexandria when the weather and roads permitted a ride of ten miles (a one-way journey of 2–3 hours by horse or carriage). In New York and Philadelphia he never omitted attendance at church in the morning, unless detained by indisposition [sickness]." She continued by saying "No one in church attended to the services with more reverential respect." She added: "I should have thought it the greatest heresy to doubt his firm belief in Christianity. His life, his writings, prove that he was a Christian. He was not one of those who act or pray, that they may be seen of men." In closing, Nelly attempted to answer the question of whether General Washington was a Christian. She responded, "Is it necessary that any one should certify, 'General Washington avowed himself to me a believer in Christianity?' As well may we question his patriotism, his heroic, disinterested devotion to his country. His mottos were, 'Deeds, not Words;' and, 'For God and my Country.'"[63]
During the Revolutionary War, General Robert Porterfield stated he "found him on his knees, engaged in his morning's devotions." Alexander Hamilton corroborated Porterfield's account, stating "such was his most constant habit."[64] A French citizen who knew Washington well during the Revolutionary War and the presidency stated "Every day of the year, he rises at five in the morning; as soon as he is up, he dresses, then prays reverently to God."[65] Indeed, Washington had purchased a prayer book "with the New Version of Psalms & good plain Type" a few years before the Revolutionary War.[66]
On February 1, 1800, a few weeks after Washington's death, Thomas Jefferson made the following entry in his journal, regarding an incident on the occasion of Washington's departure from office:[67][68]
Dr. Rush tells me that he had it from Asa Green that when the clergy addressed Genl. Washington on his departure from the govmt, it was observed in their consultation that he had never on any occasion said a word to the public which showed a belief in the Xn religion and they thot they should so pen their address as to force him at length to declare publicly whether he was a Christian or not. They did so. However he observed the old fox was too cunning for them. He answered every article of their address particularly except that, which he passed over without notice. Rush observes he never did say a word on the subject in any of his public papers except in his valedictory letter to the Governors of the states when he resigned his commission in the army, wherein he speaks of the benign influence of the Christian religion. I know that Gouverneur Morris, who pretended to be in his secrets & believed himself to be so, has often told me that Genl. Washington believed no more of that system than he himself did.
In the 1840s,
Deism and scholarly views
Even during his lifetime, people were unsure of the degree to which Washington believed in Christianity. As noted above, some of his contemporaries called him a
Deism was an influential worldview during his lifetime.
Historian Fred Anderson says that Washington's Providence was, "a generally benevolent, as well as an omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient being, but He was hardly the kind of warm and loving God embraced by the evangelical Protestants."[76]
Paul F. Boller, Jr. stated "Washington was no infidel, if by infidel is meant unbeliever. Washington had an unquestioning faith in Providence and, as we have seen, he voiced this faith publicly on numerous occasions. That this was no mere rhetorical flourish on his part, designed for public consumption, is apparent from his constant allusions to Providence in his personal letters. There is every reason to believe, from a careful analysis of religious references in his private correspondence, that Washington's reliance upon a Grand Designer along
Historian and Washington specialist Frank E. Grizzard, Jr. highlights "Providence" as the central feature of Washington's religious faith, noting that "Providence" was Washington's most often-used term for God.
The qualities attributed to Providence by Washington reveal that he conceived of Providence as an "Omnipotent," "benign," and "beneficent" Being that by "invisible workings" in "Infinite Wisdom" dispensed justice in the affairs of mankind.[79]
In 2006 Peter Lillback, the president of Westminster Theological Seminary, published a lengthy book through his own non-profit organization on the subject of Washington's religious beliefs. The book, George Washington's Sacred Fire, proposed that Washington was an orthodox Christian within the framework of his time; it gained attention through promotion on Glenn Beck's show.[80] Lillback claims he disproved the deist hypothesis.[81] Lillback has explained more recently that evidence unavailable to earlier historians shows that
Washington referred to himself frequently using the words "ardent," "fervent," "pious," and "devout." There are over one hundred different prayers composed and written by Washington in his own hand, with his own words, in his writings....Although he never once used the word "Deist" in his voluminous writings, he often mentioned religion, Christianity, and the Gospel....Historians ought no longer be permitted to do the legerdemain of turning Washington into a Deist even if they found it necessary and acceptable to do so in the past. Simply put, it is time to let the words and writings of Washington's faith speak for themselves.[82]
Biographer Barry Schwartz has stated that Washington's "practice of Christianity was limited and superficial, because he was not himself a Christian. In the enlightened tradition of his day, he was a devout Deist—just as many of the clergymen who knew him suspected."[83]
Two books exploring Washington's religious beliefs—Realistic Visionary by Peter Henriques, and Faith and the Presidency by Gary Scott Smith—both categorize Washington as a theistic rationalist which is described as a hybrid belief system somewhere between strict deism and orthodox Christianity, with rationalism as the predominant element.[84] The term itself is not known to have been in use during Washington's lifetime.
The Catholic historian and philosopher Michael Novak maintains that Washington could not have been strictly a Deist, but was a Christian:
What we did prove, and quite conclusively, is that Washington cannot be called a Deist—at least, not in a sense that excludes his being Christian. Although he did most often address God in the proper names a Deist might use—such as "Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be" and "Disposer of all human events"—the actions that Washington expected God to perform, as expressed both in his official public prayers (whether as general or as president) and in his private prayers as recorded, are the sorts of actions only the God of the Bible performs: interposing his actions in human events, forgiving sins, enlightening minds, bringing good harvests, intervening on behalf of one party in a struggle between good and evil (in this case, between liberty and the deprivation of liberty), etc. Many persons at the end of the 18th century were both Christians and Deists. But it cannot be said, in the simpleminded sense in which historians have become accustomed to putting it, that Washington was merely a Deist, or even that the God to whom he prayed was expected to behave like a Deist God at all.[85]
Biographer Ron Chernow, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Washington: A Life, has acknowledged the profound role Christianity played in Washington's life through the 18th-century Virginian Anglican/Episcopalian church:
There has been a huge controversy, to put it mildly, about Washington's religious beliefs. Before the Revolutionary War he was Anglican – Church of England – which meant after the war, he was Episcopalian. So, he was clearly Christian... He was quite intensely religious, because even though he uses the word Providence, he constantly sees Providence as an active force in life, particularly in American life. I mean, every single victory in war he credits to Providence. The miracle of the Constitutional Convention he credits to Providence. The creation of the federal government and the prosperity of the early republic, he credits to Providence... I was struck at how frequently in his letters he's referring to Providence, and it's Providence where there's a sense of design and purpose, which sounds to me very much like religion... Unfortunately, this particular issue has become very very politicized.[86]
In 2012, historian Gregg Frazer argued that Washington was not a deist but a "theistic rationalist." This theological position rejected core beliefs of Christianity, such as the
Death and burial
On his death bed, Washington did not summon a minister or priest.[88] After his death, he was buried according to the rite of the Episcopal Church, with the Rev. Thomas Davis, rector of Christ Church, Alexandria, officiating.[89] Masonic rites were also performed by members of his lodge.[90]
Alleged religious conversions
Unverified stories from Catholic sources say that on his deathbed Washington converted to Catholicism.
There is also the other religious conversion that is alleged to have taken place during the American Revolution. Washington was said to have been baptized as an adult in a full-immersion baptism by John Gano, a Baptist chaplain in the Continental Army. The baptism variously either took place in the Hudson River[95] or perhaps in the Potomac River.[96] Historian Mary V. Thompson discounts both the story of the Baptist immersion and of the Catholic deathbed conversion.[97]
See also
- Bibliography of George Washington
- List of George Washington articles
- Religious affiliations of presidents of the United States
Bibliography
- Chernow, Ron (2010). Washington: A Life. Penguin Press. ISBN 978-1-59420-266-7.
- Crowder, Jack Darrell (2017). Chaplains of the Revolutionary War: Black Robed American Warriors. McFarland Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4766-7209-0.
- Washington, George (1931). Fitzpatrick, John C. (ed.). The writings of George Washington from the original manuscript sources, 1745–1799, Vol.5. Washington, U.S. Govt. Print. off.
- JSTOR 44374155.
- Grizzard, Frank E. (2005). The Ways of Providence: Religion & George Washington. Mariner Companies, Inc. ISBN 9780976823810.
- Morrison, Jeffery H. (2009). The Political Philosophy of George Washington. JHU Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-9109-0.
- ISBN 978-0-7867-2216-7.
- O'Keefe, Kieran J. "Faith before Creed: The Private and Public Religion of George Washington." Journal of Religious History 43.3 (2019): 400–418. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9809.12607
- Thompson, Mary V. "In the Hands of a Good Providence": Religion in the Life of George Washington, Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2008. ISBN 9780813927633
Further reading
- Allen, Brooke, Moral Minority: Our Skeptical Founding Fathers, Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2006, ISBN 1-56663-751-1
- Boller, Paul, George Washington & Religion, Dallas: Southern Methodist University Press, 1963, ISBN 0-87074-021-0
- Eidsmoe, John, Christianity and the Constitution (Grand Rapids, Missouri: Baker Books House Company, 1987)
- Holmes, David L., The Faiths of the Founding Fathers, Oxford University Press, 2006, ISBN 0-19-530092-0.
- Johnson, William J., George Washington the Christian, (Milford, Michigan: Mott Media 1919, 1976)
- Lillback, Peter, George Washington's Sacred Fire (Providence Forum, 2006).
- Lossing, Benson J., The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution (New York: Harper & Brothers, Franklin Square, 1859), Vol. II, p. 215.
- Muñoz, Vincent Phillip. "George Washington on Religious Liberty" Review of Politics 2003 65(1): 11–33. ISSN 0034-6705 Fulltext online at Ebsco.
- Novak, Michael On Two Wings: Humble Faith and Common Sense at the American Founding Encounter Books, 2003, ISBN 1-893554-68-6
- Peterson, Barbara Bennett. George Washington: America's Moral Exemplar, 2005, ISBN 1-59454-230-9.
- The Writings of George Washington, Jared Sparks, editor (Boston: Ferdinand Andrews, Publisher, 1838), Vol. XII, pp. 399–411
- The Religious Opinions of Washington, E. C. M'Guire, editor (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1836).
- The Messages and Papers of the Presidents, James D. Richardson, editor (Published by the Authority of Congress, 1899), Vol. I, pp. 51–57 (1789), 64 (1789), 213-224 (1796), etc.
Footnotes
- ^ Chernow 2010, pp. 3–5.
- ^ a b Chernow 2010, p. 6; Morrison 2009, p. 136.
- ^ Image of page from family Bible Archived October 5, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Colonial Williamsburg website has four articles on religion in colonial Virginia
- ^ According to Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (1961), "conformable" was a legal term meaning "conforming to the usages of the Church of England especially as prescribed by the Acts of Uniformity."
- ^ Lossing, Benson J., The Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution
- ^ a b c Novak 2007, p. 97.
- ^ http://www.fac.org/PDF/FCGchapter3.PDF A History of Religious Liberty in American Public Life by Charles C. Haynes (1991 Council for the Advancement of Citizenship and the Center for Civic Education)
- ^ The History of Truro Parish in Virginia
- ^ "George Washington Papers: Series 1 – Exercise Books, Diaries, and Surveys. 1741–99". loc.gov.
- ^ Ford, Paul Leicester. The True George Washington (Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1897), 78.
- ^ Ferling, John. The Ascent of George Washington: The Hidden Political Genius of an American Icon (New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2009), 78.
- ^ Novak 2007, p. 39.
- ^ Six Historic Americans by John Remsburg, Chapter 3.
- ^ Grizzard, 2005, pp. 2–3
- ^ Sprague, Rev. Wm. B. (1859). Annals of the American Pulpit. Vol. v. p. 394.
- ^ Neill, Rev. E.D. (January 2, 1885). "article reprinted from Episcopal Recorder" (PDF). NY Times. p. 3.
- ^ Cited by Lillback, George Washington's Sacred Fire, p 421. The event is purported to be during the time of Washington's 1789 inauguration.
- ^ Crowder 2017, p. 72.
- ^ "Rupert Hughes' rebuttal of the Gano baptism legend in Time magazine". September 26, 1932. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2009.
- ISBN 9780810862821. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
- ^ Johnstone, William Jackson (1919). George Washington the Christian. Abingdon Press. p. 21. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
george washington godfather.
- ^ "Crailo and Yankee Doodle". The Methodist Review. 96. J. Soule and T. Mason. 1914. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
- ^ Richardson, Albert Deane (1868). A Personal History of Ulysses S. Grant: And Sketch of Schuyler Colfax. American Publishing Company. p. 553. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
philip schuyler washington godfather.
- ISBN 9780230606838. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
- ^ John C. Fitzpatrick's Writings of George Washington George Washington – 2015
- ^ Fitzpatrick, 1932, Vol 5, pp.244-245
- ^ 477 instances of "providence" compared to 156 instances of "god " and 142 instances of "heaven" in Writings of George Washington by John C. Fitpatrick
- ^ Novak 2007, p. 99.
- ISBN 9780813927411.
- ^ see – George Washington speech to the Delaware Indian Chiefs (May 12, 1779); published in The Writings of George Washington (1932), Vol. XV, p. 55
- ^ Vicchio, Stephen (September 17, 2019). George Washington's Religion: The Faith of the First President. Wipf and Stock. p. 101.
- ^ Washington, "GENERAL ORDERS: April 12, 1778" in John C. Fitzpatrick, ed. The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources, 1745–1799 (1931) vol 11 p. 252.
- ^ a b "Religion and the Federal Government, Part 1 – Religion and the Founding of the American Republic – Exhibitions (Library of Congress)". loc.gov. June 4, 1998.
- ^ a b Grossman, Cathy Lynn (January 17, 2013). "'So help me God' isn't in official presidential oath". USA Today.
- ^ "Boston 1775". boston1775.blogspot.com.
- ^ "The Inauguration of George Washington, 1789". eyewitnesstohistory.com.
- ^ Griswold, The Republican Court, or, American Society in the Days of Washington.
- ^ Irving, The Life of George Washington, vol. 4.
- ISBN 9780300166323.
- ^ "Presidential Inaugurations: Some Precedents and Notable Events". loc.gov.
- ^ Grizzard, 2005, p.12
- ^ Sparks, Jared. The Writings of George Washington (Boston: Ferdinand Andrews, Publisher, 1838), Vol. III, p. 491. Sparks edited Washington's writings to conform to his own standards in spelling, punctuation, and at times phrasing, so such references should always be checked in more recent editions.
- ^ "Background events leading up to the Thanksgiving proclamation". Archived from the original on December 21, 2006. Retrieved January 11, 2007.
- ISBN 1-56663-751-1.
- James Anderson. Anderson, a Calvinist minister, may have taken the term from John Calvin who, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion (published in 1536), repeatedly calls the Christian god "the Architect of the Universe," also referring to his works as "Architecture of the Universe," and in his commentary on Psalm 19refers to the Christian god as the "Great Architect" or "Architect of the Universe."
- ^ a b "The Religious Beliefs Of Our Presidents". infidels.org.
- ^ "Six Historic Americans". infidels.org.
- ^ Steiner
- ^ Hughes, Rupert. George Washington: The Human Being & The Hero, vol. 1 (New York: William Morris, 1927)
- ^ Letter to George Mason regarding Memorial and Remonstrance
- ISBN 978-0-19-530060-4. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
During his presidency however ... Although he usually worshipped in Episcopal churches he sometimes attended Congregational, Lutheran, Dutch Reformed, German Reformed and Roman Catholic services.
- ^ "George Washington Biography". American-Presidents.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2008. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
- ^ "Ancient Charges of a Free Mason". Archived from the original on July 22, 2011., written by Rev. James Anderson for the Grand Lodge of England, 1723
- ^ Membership Archived May 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Grand Lodge of Virginia webpage
- ^ Becoming a Mason, Grand Lodge of New Hampshire web page.
- ^ Eidsmoe, John, Christianity and the Constitution (Grand rapids, Missouri: Baker Books House Company, 1987), p. 115.
- ^ Rubin, Jennifer (December 12, 2022). "Think America is a 'Christian nation'? George Washington didn't". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ^ Paul Berger (June 15, 2011). "Solving the Mystery of Washington's Famous Letter". The Forward.
- ^ "From George Washington to the Savannah, Ga., Hebrew Congregation, 14 June 1790". Founders Online. National Archives and Records Administration.
- ^ "From George Washington to the Hebrew Congregations of Philadelphia, New York, Charleston, and Richmond, 13 December 1790". Founders Online. National Archives and Records Administration.
- ^ Sparks, Jared, Life of George Washington, 522–23
- ^ [1] Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis' letter written to Jared Sparks, 1833
- ^ Meade, Bishop [William], Old Churches, Ministers, and Families of Virginia, 2:491–92
- ^ Chinard, Gilbert, ed. and trans. George Washington as the French Knew Him: A Collection of Texts, 119
- ^ "Enclosure: Invoice to Robert Cary & Co.," July 18, 1771, in GW Papers, Colonial Series, 8:509.
- ^ The Works of Thomas Jefferson, ed. Paul L. Ford (Federal Edition) (New York and London, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1904-05). 12 vols — VOLUME I: THE ANAS (1791–1806) AND VARIOUS CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PRESIDENT
- ^ Six Historic Americans by John Remsburg Remsburg also presents a very similar account from Rev. Ashbel Green, one of the members of the clergy in the group
- ^ Hayes, T. H. (May 22, 1845). "Washington's Runaway Slave". Granite Freeman. Concord, New Hampshire. as quoted in "Two 1840s Articles on Oney Judge". ushistory.org. Retrieved August 27, 2008.
- ^ a b Chase, Benjamin (January 1, 1847). "letter to the editor". The Liberator. as quoted in "Two 1840s Articles on Oney Judge". ushistory.org. Retrieved August 27, 2008.
- ^ Why I Believed: Reflections of a Former Missionary Kenneth W. Daniels – 2008
- ^ John C. Fitzpatrick's Writings of George Washington - May 12, 1779
- ^ John C. Fitzpatrick's Writings of George Washington – 2015
- ^ The American Past: A Survey of American History Joseph R. Conlin – 2011
- ^ The Freemason's Magazine. June 1794.
- ISBN 9780742533721.
- ^ "George Washington & Religion," Paul F. Boller Jr., Southern Methodist University Press: Dallas, 1963, p. 92
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica's "The Founding Fathers, Deism, and Christianity" http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9437333/The-Founding-Fathers-Deism-and-Christianity#908190.hook
- ^ Frank E. Grizzard, Jr., The Ways of Providence, Religion, and George Washington (2005), p. 5.
- ISBN 9780385533898. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
- ^ Peter Lillback, George Washington's Sacred Fire (Providence Forum, 2006).
- ^ Peter A. Lillback, Why Have Scholars Underplayed George Washington's Faith?, retrieved 2011-03-08
- ^ "The Moral Washington". virginia.edu.
- ^ "Founding Creed". The Claremont Institute. January 2005. Archived from the original on April 24, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
- ^ [2] Washington's Sun God: Reviewing a review. National Review Online, March 14, 2006
- ^ Chernow, Ron. (Guest Speaker). (2010 October 18) Ron Chernow on George Washington. We The People Stories. Podcast retrieved from http://www.podcasters.tv/episodes/ron-chernow-on-george-washington-13222862.html[permanent dead link]
- ^ Gregg L. Frazer, The Religious Beliefs of America's Founders: Reason, Revelation, and Revolution (University Press of Kansas, 2012)
- ^ "Religion in America: The faith (and doubts) of our fathers", The Economist, dated Dec 17, 2011.
- ^ "Funerals of the Famous: Washington". Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service. Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Retrieved February 20, 2008.
- ^ "The Papers of George Washington: The Funeral". Alderman Library, University of Virginia. Archived from the original on July 5, 2006. Retrieved February 20, 2008.
- S2CID 243592530. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
A certain strand of Catholic Americans even entertained the myth that ... Washington had converted to Catholicism on his deathbed." [Footnote on Page 217: See Doran Hurley, "Was Washington a Catholic?" I.C.B.U. Journal 71 (1957) 2-6; and Lengel, Inventing George Washington, 86-91]
- ^ Griffin 1900, p. 127
- ^ Griffin 1900, p. 128
- ^ Griffin 1900, p. 129
- ISBN 9780813927633. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
Chaplain Gano then accompanied Washington to the Hudson River
- ^ Staff (September 5, 1932). "Religion: Washington's Baptism". Time. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
George Washington was immersed in the Potomac;
- ISBN 9780813927633. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
Stories have circulated for the past two centuries that George Washington turned from the Anglican faith and was either baptized into the Baptist Church during the American Revolution or converted to Catholicism on his deathbed. ... Neither of these stories can be substantiated and their veracity is quite doubtful.
External links
- Was George Washington a Christian? from WallBuilders
- George Washington and Deism Archived May 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine from deist Bob Johnson
- George Washington and Religion, Peter Henriques, unpublished notes
- "George Washington and Religion" by George Tsakiridis in The George Washington Digital Encyclopedia
- Last Will and Testament of George Washington Archived October 24, 2006, at the Wayback Machine