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Virtually all, yet major one was a Deist & one a Unitarian, associated with Deist values. While some would site articles including all or most of the Founding Fathers as Deist, the same would admit that Thomas Paine* was chastised for his Deist position by most of those who founded our nation.
The Great Awakening happened in the 1730's and 40's, just prior to the Revolution. Preachers, who were godly and fiery, such as George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, Increase Mather, John Witherspoon, a signatory of the Declaration of Independence, shaped the spiritual fervor among the colonists and the founders.
Witherspoon was a personal teacher and mentor of many of our founders, as President and head professor of Princeton College (later the University). A President, a Vice President, three Supreme Court Justices, thirty-seven judges in all, ten Cabinet officers, twelve members of the Continental Congress, twenty-eight Senators, and forty-nine United States congressmen.
*Paine's Age of Reason was cause for many of the faithful Christian leaders to distrust him and disagree with his political reasoning, borrowed from the French Revolution. The Federalists assailed Him for his French ties and his association with Jefferson, who himself was influenced by France, but not to the same degree.
Even the Deists believed in the God of the Bible, but were isolating Him only as Almighty God, not agreeing that the Godhead consisted of the Trinity.
Besides the three Roman Catholics among the Founding Fathers, the Protestant Convention delegates included 28 Episcopalians, 8 Presbyterians, 7 Congregationalists, 2 Lutherans, 2 Dutch reformed and 2 Methodists. These were more definitively identified as believers in the true God of the Bible, yet were Trinitarians in there belief. Most, who consider themselves Christian today, are Trinitarian.
Ben Franklin, in his later years, seemed to turn from his earlier deistic views to the Biblical belief in God. The only Unitarian was Jefferson, who talked much in his writings about the God of the Bible, yet he indeed struggled to create what is called the "Jefferson Bible," in which he attmoted to remove the references that spoke of Christ's deity. This ultimately was entitled: "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth."
Most of the founding fathers believed in god/s but not exclusive to the Judaeo-Christian God. The term Deist comes from the root word Dei which means god, therefore Deists believe in a god but not the Judaeo-Christian god. The Universalists also believe in God.
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What ideas did the founding fathers use for what government should be?
The Founding Fathers of America intended for it to be one country, unified, led by the Christian God.
What was the most powerful religion at the time of the American revolution?
Many of the American colonists were Christians of some form; descendents of modern Presbyterians. Many of the framers of the Constitution and American founding fathers were Deists, who believed in a god who set the world working and then ceased to care for it.
To what extent were the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay religious fanatics?
they didnt tolerate religious freedom. anyone who believed in a different god was kicked out.
What extent were the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay religious fanatics?
they didnt tolerate religious freedom. anyone who believed in a different god was kicked out.
How did religion play a role in the American Revolution?
It was the Age of Enlightenment, and religion was beginning to lose its grip on the intellectual world. Many of the Founding Fathers were Deists or Naturalists; they believed in "Nature's God", or Creation itself, rather than a personal God. Some found wisdom in the proponents of different faiths (Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, etc.), and some didn't. Many monarchs (kings and queens) believed in the "Divine Right of Kings"; that God appointed them to their jobs, and wanted them there. The bad choices made by many monarchs called the whole idea into question.
Christianity is the religion that shaped America and made her what she is today.?
Yes, our founding fathers were all either christians or they believed in God and they also believed that the Bible is the word of God and what it says applies directly to our lives.
What type of religion are American pioneers?
Christians! They came to America to worship their God in freedom and peace. Many of the Founding Fathers, however, were Deists who believed in God but not necessarily in any particular religion.
Why were the civil liberties important to the founding fathers?
The founding fathers of the USA believed that individuals were born free, and that freedom was a gift from God. They did not want a overly strong central government to have the ability to negate the civil liberties of its citizens. With that said, the US republic was so devised and was ruled by a fair central government as described in its founding document, the US Constitution.
What ideas did the founding fathers use for what government should be?
The Founding Fathers of America intended for it to be one country, unified, led by the Christian God.
Where did Florida get the motto in god you trust?
The free masons ( our founding fathers) look it up
What may have been the intention of the Founding Fathers in creating the constitution that did not include god?
God was not asked to sign as one of the founders.
Did the founding fathers believe that Christian piety and morality was superior to Muslim or Jewish or Hindu piety and morality?
Actually most if NOT ALL of the Founding Fathers WERE NOT Christians. This is a myth that is being spread by the Christian Right in their effort to REWRITE HISTORY. The founding fathers were Deist. That is they believed in "A GOD", but not the Christian God. Rather they felt that a sort of Natural God created all this and then left us in charge of it. Some of them didn't even believe Jesus was the Son of God! Hard to believe, but true. Most of these people were influenced by the AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT that started in Europe. This thinking relied more on science, logic, and reasonable thought. Thomas Paine didn't believe in religion...read his book "AGE OF REASON". --Lucifer ];-)
What are some of the basic beliefs of the delaration of independence?
The Declaration of Independence was written to describe "inalienable rights". These are rights the founding fathers believed are given to people by god--rights that can not be taken away. The idea is that government is created to protect these rights.
What was the founding fathers?
The founding fathers were religious men, but that was not their philosophy. Being men of education during their time, they were well read and took their philosophy from the idea of Natural Law. They believed, as stated in the Declaration of Independence, that all men were created equal and that their Creator (who they called God) had given all men certain rights which could not justly be taken away. This manifested itself in their view of the use of government being to serve the people and the view that government must not interfere with the rights God had given.
Why are deism and Christianity incompatible?
Deism is a belief that there is a Creator, but that after the act of creation he took no further interest in his creation. The whole essence of Christianity, in all its forms, is that God is interested in our welfare and does intercede. Some of the Founding Fathers of the United States are believed to have been deists.
What was the most powerful religion at the time of the American revolution?
Many of the American colonists were Christians of some form; descendents of modern Presbyterians. Many of the framers of the Constitution and American founding fathers were Deists, who believed in a god who set the world working and then ceased to care for it.
If power is not specifically given to the federal govermment by the constitution who did the founding fathers intend that power to go to?
Natural, God-given rights to the specific individual.
