stateyourpoint

Or were they more Priests of a pure faith than todays loaded parrots? I thought this quote of Benjamin Franklin was simply outstanding in honestly, firmness and poignancy. How say you?
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I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more
convincing proofs I see of this truth _ that God Governs in the
affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground
without his notice, is it probably that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that "except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments by Human wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.
I therefore beg leave to move _ that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service.
-Ben Franklin, to the Constitutional Convention, June 28, 1787

Very pretty. And so truly humbling. To think he actually moved for daily prayer prior to convening. And today they deny God and the fact that many Founding Fathers believed in, let alone beseeched, the Almighty.

Yes. Our forefathers goodness is simply amazing. And we are fortunate to have thier words and examples to remind us that we may be patriots AND christians.

Here's another quote which surprised me:

It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this
great nation was founded not by religionists [pluralism], but by
Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!
-Patrick Henry

In actuality, the last post which you attribute to Patrick Henry was a quote by David Barton--a religious right activist who's been caught "tampering" with and making up "quotations" by famous people in history a number of times in an effort to promote his point of view.

Undoubtedly a few of the Founders were privately religious men, and that's fine--whatever floats your boat. What's important is the fact that most of them felt a need to draw a heavy line in the sand when it came to mixing government with religion in the public arena....

Thanks for the heads up, Slap. I thought the quote of Henry seemed a bit...off.

Actually, the quote is not proven to be unauthentically Patrick Henry's. However, to be fair, here's an indisputably documented quote from Henry showing his feelings for Christianity (which doesn't, by the way, pre-suppose any specific religious ties [though the popular religion for the American colonies was the Anglo-Catholic Church in England]):

“This is all the inheritance I can give my dear family. The religion of Christ can give them one which will make them rich indeed.” -- Last Will and Testament of Patrick Henry Absolutely documented.


Here's another documented quote directly from Patrick Henry appearing in the Bill of Rights and in which he proclaims freedom from religion but ascribes the need for worshipping, "the Creator," while proscribing Christian behavior:
"That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity towards each other.” Patrick Henry--Virginia Bill of Rights, Article 16 (June 12, 1776)

Henry is clearly a spiritual man who is moved by his perception for Creator and for Christianity.

Thanks Mist. Very nice. So according to Henry, it is the duty of Americans to love one another, relative to Christianity. And yet he says it's our right to exercise religion freely. Is there a measure of contradiction in that?

Also the God of our forefathers is not the God that is preached today.

Yes, as there is a contradiction in most everything religious when it comes to the real world.