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Tuesday, September 06, 2011

LYNN BERGMAN: THE RELIGION OF THE FOUNDERS

Religious Affiliation of the Delegates to the 
Constitutional Convention of 1787, including the 
Signers of the Constitution of the United States of America

 

http://www.adherents.com/gov/Founding_Fathers_Religion.html

There were 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 at which the U.S. Constitution was drafted and signed. All participated in the proceedings which resulted in the Constitution, but only 39 of these delegates were actually signers of the document.

Most of the [signers of the Constitution] married and fathered children. Roger Sherman of Connecticut sired the largest family, numbering 15 by two wives... Three (Abraham Baldwin of Georgia, Nicholas Gilman of New Hampshire, and Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer of Maryland) were lifetime bachelors. In terms of religious affiliation, the men mirrored the dominant Protestant character of American religious life at the time and were members of various denominations. Only two, Daniel Carroll of Maryland and Thomas  Fitzsimons of Pennsylvania, were Roman Catholics.

 

 

Some of most recognizable of the signers are listed below by state, occupation, and religious affiliation:

George Washington – Virginia – Surveyor – Episcopalian

James Madison Jr. – Virginia – Planter - Episcopalian

Alexander Hamilton - New York – Economist - Episcopalian

Benjamin Franklin – Pennsylvania – Inventor - Episcopalian

Benjamin Franklin was the only signer who, in adult life, became a confirmed Deist. Franklin, in contrast to the more militant Deist, Thomas Paine, did not attempt to "wither Christianity by ridicule or bludgeon it to death by argument."

The occasional yet persistent claim that our forefathers were mostly Diests is obviously a fabrication promoted by current day agnostics and atheists, perhaps to support their viewpoints concerning religion. Of course, if one were even remotely interested, one could ask them to perhaps present a better articulated explanation of such recurrent misinformation.

 

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Comments

Avatar for Dennis Stillings

Most interesting and useful.

Dennis Stillings on September 7, 2011 at 01:06 am
Avatar for wj

In terms of religious affiliation, the men mirrored the dominant Protestant character of American religious life at the time and were members of various denominations.

Protestant, yes, but not really representative of American religious life.  By the time of the signing of the Constitution Episcopalians were already in decline and Congregationalists were following their lead. At the same time, Baptists - who were not even represented among the signers - and Methodists had grown tremendously.  As a result, the signers were not very representative of the type of American Protestantism that would from that point on define the American religious landscape.  America’s God by Mark Noll is a good resource on this subject.

wj on September 8, 2011 at 04:50 pm

My primary intent was to dispel the myth that many or most of the signers were Deists. For those who desire more information on subsequent religious transformations in America, however, your reference will be much appreciated. Thank you!

Definitions:

Deism - The belief, based solely on reason, that God created the universe and then after setting it in motion, abandoned it, assumed no control over life, exerted no influence on natural laws, and gave no supernatural revelation.

Atheism - Disbelief in or denial of the existence of God.

So the deist believes God was powerful (created the universe) but lazy (quit the job afterwards). An obviously redundant belief system. Not surprising then that we don’t have too many “deists” around today…

Lynn Bergman on September 9, 2011 at 05:34 am
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