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“The name of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism more than any appellation derived from local discriminations. WITH SLIGHT SHADES OF DIFFERENCE, YOU HAVE THE SAME RELIGION, manners, habits, and political principles.”
This quote comes from George Washington’s farewell address. Now let’s take a look at something which should make what I typed in all caps above compelling, if not very clear. I went to both Google and ChatGPT, and I typed in this question:
Who was the God worshipped in America from 1620 to 1776?
ChatGPT’s answer: From 1620 to1776 there wasn’t a single God worshipped by everyone in America- but the OVERWHELMING majority of European settlers worshipped the Christian God.
Different Christian Groups – They all worshipped the same God, but practiced differently.
It then lists the following groups: Pilgrims, Puritans, Anglicans, Quakers, Baptists, Presbyterians, and Catholics.
Google’s answer: From 1620 to 1776, the primary God worshipped in the American colonies was the Christian God, as understood through Protestant tradition. The settlers, particularly in New England, identified closely with the biblical narratives of the Exodus, viewing themselves as a “chosen people” leaving a corrupt world to establish a “New Jerusalem.”
Dominant Denominations: Protestants, Anglicans, Puritans, Pilgrims, Quakers, Catholics. While Protestants were the OVERWHELMING majority, particularly in 1776 (interesting), Catholicism was practiced (notably in Maryland), and some, particularly in the Middle Colonies, were Quakers.
When you look at this, it now makes sense what George Washington was talking about when he said, “With slight shades of difference, you all have the same religion.”
Our nation being a Christian Nation at its foundation is pretty obvious unless you want to just ignore the facts of the day and decide that George Washington was talking to a crowd that was looking at him like he was some crazy, senile dude who was totally disconnected with the people he had been leading over the last 8 years who wanted freedom “from” religion.
And of course, Washington was not done in his farewell address. He goes on to say: “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, out to respect and to cherish them…”
Translation here: When Washington uses the words “indispensable supports” and “these great pillars” and even “these firmest props,” he is tying religion and morality to the foundation of the country. Take the home you live in or any building you walk into, and wipe out its foundation, and ask me if you would still be standing securely in the home or building? Of course not, that would be absurd to think so. This is what Washington is saying here!
Washington then finishes up this thought with the following statements: “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 principles.”
Translation here: We can’t expect our nation to prevail and flourish if we divorce ourselves from religion or religious principles, no matter how smart we think we might get (and don’t forget we have established above that we are talking about the same God, the Christian God, with slight differences in how we worship Him). The vision of this man back in the late 1700s was nothing short of divine guidance, folks!
But Washington takes it even a step further.
Translation here: Washington is saying first, we cannot expect peace and harmony in the world without religion and morality guiding and driving the ship. And from that guidance would come good policy as well. He is also implying that God is the connection to the happiness of a nation and its virtue. And then finally, no matter how we try to do this on our own, our broken human nature by itself makes this impossible to obtain. To put it even simpler, without God, we are in deep trouble!
Nothing changed from Washington’s first inaugural address to Washington’s farewell address. In fact, if anything, he is stating over and over again the same message…trying to drive home the most important point of all, and that is our nation was built, stands, is strengthened by, and will ONLY continue to flourish if we cling to God… the Christian God, the God of the Bible!
As I end part 3 of this topic, I want to jump over to our 2nd President, John Adams. In his inaugural address, he states this:
“…if an unshaken confidence in the honor, spirit, and resources of the American people, on which I have so often hazarded my all, and never been deceived; if elevated ideas of the high destinies of this country, and of my own duties toward it, founded on a knowledge of the moral principles and intellectual improvements of the people, deeply engraven on my mind in early life, and not obscured, but exalted, by experience and age; and with humble reverence, I feel it my duty to add, if a veneration for the religion of the people who profess and call themselves Christians, and a fixed resolution to consider a decent respect for Christianity among the best recommendations for the public service, can enable me, in any degree, to comply with your wishes, it shall be my strenuous endeavor that this sagacious injunction of the two Houses shall not be without effect.”
Let’s break this down as quickly as I can here. There are some words here, I think, that need defining based on the way they spoke back then, which can sometimes make it hard to get your brain around it (at least it does for me, so I have to study it and not just read it). I have bolded those words above. So I will grab my 1892 dictionary and look up some definitions of words here to understand the context of what he is saying. Here are the definitions:
Harzarded – hazard as a verb which is it used here means “to risk” or with the word hazarded meaning “risked”
Veneration- highest regard of reverence
Fixed- to set firmly; to fasten; to settle
Resolution- act of resolving; firmness of purpose; formal declaration
Sagacious- quick of scent; acute; with quick discernment
Injunction- command; order
Effect- that which is done; to bring to pass; to accomplish
So, if we go back to John Adams quote here and translate, he is stating that the American experiment to which he has risked it all for and the moral principles he had learned from an early age which has not gone by the wayside, but instead it has been more solidified with his age and experience; That it is his duty to firmly and quickly declare with purpose and very high regard (reverence) both Christianity and the Christian people he is speaking to and serving; That he uphold this during his service as President of the United States. (Again, Christians were the overwhelming majority of the American people at this time).
I ask now that you ask yourself: What would it have looked like if John Adams were giving this inaugural address to a nation that was not Christian and instead, they wanted freedom “from” religion instead of freedom “of” religion? I don’t know about you, but if I were in the crowd and this speech was going on in the midst of the people that were not Christian, I might have thought I woke up in bizarro world, the Twilight Zone, or stumbled on some 1797 comedy club venue…or even better yet, I might be looking to see if they lock him up with that other senile dude, George Washington!
No, instead, with an objective analysis with a hunger for the truth, the answer to that question is quite obvious. Our nation was founded on Christian Principles with a strong Christian foundation, and because of that, John Adams’ words make sense.
With every aspect of historical research, there really is no doubt!
Have Character!
J. Noah Russell
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