Culture Wars
- BDKJMU
- Level5

- Posts: 35210
- Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2009 6:59 am
- I am a fan of: JMU
- A.K.A.: BDKJMU
- Location: Philly Burbs
Re: Culture Wars
Wow, Oregon had a lunatic woke trans ideologist adoption law.
JMU Football:
4 Years FBS: 40-11 (.784). Highest winning percentage & least losses of all of G5 2022-2025.
Sun Belt East Champions: 2022, 2023, 2025
Sun Belt Champions: 2025
Top 25 ranked: 2022, 2023, 2025
CFP: 2025
4 Years FBS: 40-11 (.784). Highest winning percentage & least losses of all of G5 2022-2025.
Sun Belt East Champions: 2022, 2023, 2025
Sun Belt Champions: 2025
Top 25 ranked: 2022, 2023, 2025
CFP: 2025
-
Caribbean Hen
- Level4

- Posts: 7141
- Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 11:24 pm
- I am a fan of: DELAWARE
- Location: Bermuda Triangle
Re: Culture Wars
I always curious about “educated” younger people not being that smart
The fact is our test scores have been going down ever since the department of education was formed back in 1979.
-
kalm
- Supporter

- Posts: 67768
- Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2009 3:36 pm
- I am a fan of: Eastern
- A.K.A.: Humus The Proud
- Location: Northern Palouse
Re: Culture Wars
Link to a poll?Caribbean Hen wrote: ↑Fri Jul 25, 2025 4:27 amMost latinos Don’t want those thugs in the country and totally support Trump for deporting their rotten asses.
Just one more thing you and the Democrats got wrong
This must be why we see zero Latinos protesting or speaking out against ICE.
-
Caribbean Hen
- Level4

- Posts: 7141
- Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 11:24 pm
- I am a fan of: DELAWARE
- Location: Bermuda Triangle
Re: Culture Wars
No pollkalm wrote: ↑Fri Jul 25, 2025 7:47 amLink to a poll?Caribbean Hen wrote: ↑Fri Jul 25, 2025 4:27 am
Most latinos Don’t want those thugs in the country and totally support Trump for deporting their rotten asses.
Just one more thing you and the Democrats got wrong
This must be why we see zero Latinos protesting or speaking out against ICE.![]()
The election
-
kalm
- Supporter

- Posts: 67768
- Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2009 3:36 pm
- I am a fan of: Eastern
- A.K.A.: Humus The Proud
- Location: Northern Palouse
Re: Culture Wars
Right. So your statement on current sentiment was pulled out of your keester.
- UNI88
- Supporter

- Posts: 28790
- Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:30 am
- I am a fan of: UNI
- Location: Sailing the Gulf of Mexico
Re: Culture Wars

Being wrong about a topic is called post partisanism - kalm
MAQA - putting the Q into qrazy qanon qult qonspiracy theories since 2015.
MAQA - putting the Q into qrazy qanon qult qonspiracy theories since 2015.
-
Caribbean Hen
- Level4

- Posts: 7141
- Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 11:24 pm
- I am a fan of: DELAWARE
- Location: Bermuda Triangle
Re: Culture Wars
-
kalm
- Supporter

- Posts: 67768
- Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2009 3:36 pm
- I am a fan of: Eastern
- A.K.A.: Humus The Proud
- Location: Northern Palouse
Re: Culture Wars
Oh….so it’s another CH man-on-the-street poll.Caribbean Hen wrote: ↑Sat Jul 26, 2025 5:30 amNo not at all
Either you’re oblivious or haven’t been paying attention
Highly scientific.
- BDKJMU
- Level5

- Posts: 35210
- Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2009 6:59 am
- I am a fan of: JMU
- A.K.A.: BDKJMU
- Location: Philly Burbs
Re: Culture Wars
JMU Football:
4 Years FBS: 40-11 (.784). Highest winning percentage & least losses of all of G5 2022-2025.
Sun Belt East Champions: 2022, 2023, 2025
Sun Belt Champions: 2025
Top 25 ranked: 2022, 2023, 2025
CFP: 2025
4 Years FBS: 40-11 (.784). Highest winning percentage & least losses of all of G5 2022-2025.
Sun Belt East Champions: 2022, 2023, 2025
Sun Belt Champions: 2025
Top 25 ranked: 2022, 2023, 2025
CFP: 2025
-
Caribbean Hen
- Level4

- Posts: 7141
- Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 11:24 pm
- I am a fan of: DELAWARE
- Location: Bermuda Triangle
Re: Culture Wars
All polls should be conducted in the streets.kalm wrote: ↑Sat Jul 26, 2025 5:36 amOh….so it’s another CH man-on-the-street poll.Caribbean Hen wrote: ↑Sat Jul 26, 2025 5:30 am
No not at all
Either you’re oblivious or haven’t been paying attention
Highly scientific.![]()
Everyone questioned should be on video and their geographic footprint should be published. Oh and of course we would be able to see what color their hair is.
-
kalm
- Supporter

- Posts: 67768
- Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2009 3:36 pm
- I am a fan of: Eastern
- A.K.A.: Humus The Proud
- Location: Northern Palouse
Re: Culture Wars
There’s just a little more to accurate polling than that.Caribbean Hen wrote: ↑Sun Jul 27, 2025 6:20 amAll polls should be conducted in the streets.
Everyone questioned should be on video and their geographic footprint should be published. Oh and of course we would be able to see what color their hair is.![]()
- UNI88
- Supporter

- Posts: 28790
- Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:30 am
- I am a fan of: UNI
- Location: Sailing the Gulf of Mexico
Re: Culture Wars
Republicans May Come to Regret Trump’s Columbia Shakedown
The unintended consequences of trump's "settlement" with Columbia University.This deal has been widely called a “settlement,” but it’s not really a legal settlement in any traditional sense. It’s more like a capitulation to extralegal bullying tactics seemingly designed to punish Columbia for speech that this administration doesn’t like.
...
“The agreement gives legal form to an extortion scheme—the first of its kind!—that defies the relevant statutes as well as the constitutional separation of powers and the First Amendment.” And he adds: “The federal government is seeking to reshape the internal operations of universities not through generally applicable directives, but rather through a series of bilateral ‘deals.’ The Trump administration has made clear that while Columbia is first in line, it intends to reach comparable agreements with other schools—to scale the Columbia shakedown into a broader model of managing universities deemed too woke.”
That really spoke to me, because I kept thinking about what happens if, in four years, the AOC administration decided to illegally cut off millions of dollars in federal funding to Baylor or another Christian university that receives federal tax dollars, and says: “Until you get rid of your Christian Studies department and guarantee absolute equality for LGBTQ students through a series of initiatives that we will either approve or disapprove, then you will no longer have access to the money that Congress has appropriated for you through the constitutional process.” I think the reaction wouldn’t be so swell on the right [even though this sets the precedent for it]. Yet here you see the right jumping up and down with delight that the Trump administration has completely circumvented federal law and the First Amendment in order to force Columbia to toe the Trump line and bring its policies closer to what Trump would want if Trump University had actually taken off.
Being wrong about a topic is called post partisanism - kalm
MAQA - putting the Q into qrazy qanon qult qonspiracy theories since 2015.
MAQA - putting the Q into qrazy qanon qult qonspiracy theories since 2015.
-
kalm
- Supporter

- Posts: 67768
- Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2009 3:36 pm
- I am a fan of: Eastern
- A.K.A.: Humus The Proud
- Location: Northern Palouse
Re: Culture Wars
UNI88 wrote: ↑Sun Jul 27, 2025 11:08 am Republicans May Come to Regret Trump’s Columbia Shakedown
The unintended consequences of trump's "settlement" with Columbia University.This deal has been widely called a “settlement,” but it’s not really a legal settlement in any traditional sense. It’s more like a capitulation to extralegal bullying tactics seemingly designed to punish Columbia for speech that this administration doesn’t like.
...
“The agreement gives legal form to an extortion scheme—the first of its kind!—that defies the relevant statutes as well as the constitutional separation of powers and the First Amendment.” And he adds: “The federal government is seeking to reshape the internal operations of universities not through generally applicable directives, but rather through a series of bilateral ‘deals.’ The Trump administration has made clear that while Columbia is first in line, it intends to reach comparable agreements with other schools—to scale the Columbia shakedown into a broader model of managing universities deemed too woke.”
That really spoke to me, because I kept thinking about what happens if, in four years, the AOC administration decided to illegally cut off millions of dollars in federal funding to Baylor or another Christian university that receives federal tax dollars, and says: “Until you get rid of your Christian Studies department and guarantee absolute equality for LGBTQ students through a series of initiatives that we will either approve or disapprove, then you will no longer have access to the money that Congress has appropriated for you through the constitutional process.” I think the reaction wouldn’t be so swell on the right [even though this sets the precedent for it]. Yet here you see the right jumping up and down with delight that the Trump administration has completely circumvented federal law and the First Amendment in order to force Columbia to toe the Trump line and bring its policies closer to what Trump would want if Trump University had actually taken off.
They may end up regretting many things.
- BDKJMU
- Level5

- Posts: 35210
- Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2009 6:59 am
- I am a fan of: JMU
- A.K.A.: BDKJMU
- Location: Philly Burbs
Re: Culture Wars
kalm wrote: ↑Sun Jul 27, 2025 12:24 pmUNI88 wrote: ↑Sun Jul 27, 2025 11:08 am This deal has been widely called a “settlement,” but it’s not really a legal settlement in any traditional sense. It’s more like a capitulation to extralegal bullying tactics seemingly designed to punish Columbia for speech that this administration doesn’t like.
...
“The agreement gives legal form to an extortion scheme—the first of its kind!—that defies the relevant statutes as well as the constitutional separation of powers and the First Amendment.” And he adds: “The federal government is seeking to reshape the internal operations of universities not through generally applicable directives, but rather through a series of bilateral ‘deals.’ The Trump administration has made clear that while Columbia is first in line, it intends to reach comparable agreements with other schools—to scale the Columbia shakedown into a broader model of managing universities deemed too woke.”
That really spoke to me, because I kept thinking about what happens if, in four years, the AOC administration decided to illegally cut off millions of dollars in federal funding to Baylor or another Christian university that receives federal tax dollars, and says: “Until you get rid of your Christian Studies department and guarantee absolute equality for LGBTQ students through a series of initiatives that we will either approve or disapprove, then you will no longer have access to the money that Congress has appropriated for you through the constitutional process.” I think the reaction wouldn’t be so swell on the right [even though this sets the precedent for it. Yet here you see the right jumping up and down with delight that the Trump administration has completely circumvented federal law and the First Amendment in order to force Columbia to toe the Trump line and bring its policies closer to what Trump would want if Trump University had actually taken off.Republicans May Come to Regret Trump’s Columbia Shakedown
The unintended consequences of trump's "settlement" with Columbia University.![]()
They may end up regretting many things.
JMU Football:
4 Years FBS: 40-11 (.784). Highest winning percentage & least losses of all of G5 2022-2025.
Sun Belt East Champions: 2022, 2023, 2025
Sun Belt Champions: 2025
Top 25 ranked: 2022, 2023, 2025
CFP: 2025
4 Years FBS: 40-11 (.784). Highest winning percentage & least losses of all of G5 2022-2025.
Sun Belt East Champions: 2022, 2023, 2025
Sun Belt Champions: 2025
Top 25 ranked: 2022, 2023, 2025
CFP: 2025
-
kalm
- Supporter

- Posts: 67768
- Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2009 3:36 pm
- I am a fan of: Eastern
- A.K.A.: Humus The Proud
- Location: Northern Palouse
Re: Culture Wars
I’m sure it was “research” for waging his crusade against porn.
But what is Chaya Raichik / @/libsoftiktok who you appointed to a State of Oklahoma Dept. of Ed Library Media Advisory Committee gonna think?
But what is Chaya Raichik / @/libsoftiktok who you appointed to a State of Oklahoma Dept. of Ed Library Media Advisory Committee gonna think?
- UNI88
- Supporter

- Posts: 28790
- Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:30 am
- I am a fan of: UNI
- Location: Sailing the Gulf of Mexico
Re: Culture Wars
Trump memo allows federal workers to persuade coworkers their religion is ‘correct’
What would they do if someone put this on their wall?

Or this book on their desk?

Or this one?

What would they do if someone put this on their wall?

Or this book on their desk?

Or this one?

Being wrong about a topic is called post partisanism - kalm
MAQA - putting the Q into qrazy qanon qult qonspiracy theories since 2015.
MAQA - putting the Q into qrazy qanon qult qonspiracy theories since 2015.
-
kalm
- Supporter

- Posts: 67768
- Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2009 3:36 pm
- I am a fan of: Eastern
- A.K.A.: Humus The Proud
- Location: Northern Palouse
Re: Culture Wars
They have zero answer for this.UNI88 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 28, 2025 7:44 pm Trump memo allows federal workers to persuade coworkers their religion is ‘correct’
What would they do if someone put this on their wall?
Or this book on their desk?
Or this one?
![]()
BTW…Greer is a fascinating writer.
- UNI88
- Supporter

- Posts: 28790
- Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:30 am
- I am a fan of: UNI
- Location: Sailing the Gulf of Mexico
Re: Culture Wars
I'd be rolling out a mat and using salt to make an outline of an upside down star to summon demons during my break.kalm wrote: ↑Mon Jul 28, 2025 7:50 pmThey have zero answer for this.UNI88 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 28, 2025 7:44 pm Trump memo allows federal workers to persuade coworkers their religion is ‘correct’
What would they do if someone put this on their wall?
Or this book on their desk?
Or this one?
![]()
BTW…Greer is a fascinating writer.
I'd also have these books in case anyone wants to argue that the founding fathers were Christians

Being wrong about a topic is called post partisanism - kalm
MAQA - putting the Q into qrazy qanon qult qonspiracy theories since 2015.
MAQA - putting the Q into qrazy qanon qult qonspiracy theories since 2015.
-
kalm
- Supporter

- Posts: 67768
- Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2009 3:36 pm
- I am a fan of: Eastern
- A.K.A.: Humus The Proud
- Location: Northern Palouse
Re: Culture Wars
-
Caribbean Hen
- Level4

- Posts: 7141
- Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 11:24 pm
- I am a fan of: DELAWARE
- Location: Bermuda Triangle
Re: Culture Wars
If you don’t believe in God, why would you worship Satan?kalm wrote: ↑Mon Jul 28, 2025 7:50 pmThey have zero answer for this.UNI88 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 28, 2025 7:44 pm Trump memo allows federal workers to persuade coworkers their religion is ‘correct’
What would they do if someone put this on their wall?
Or this book on their desk?
Or this one?
![]()
BTW…Greer is a fascinating writer.
- BDKJMU
- Level5

- Posts: 35210
- Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2009 6:59 am
- I am a fan of: JMU
- A.K.A.: BDKJMU
- Location: Philly Burbs
Re: Culture Wars
https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Fo ... ty-1272214For some time the question of the religious faith of the Founding Fathers has generated a culture war in the United States. Scholars trained in research universities have generally argued that the majority of the Founders were religious rationalists or Unitarians. Pastors and other writers who identify themselves as Evangelicals have claimed not only that most of the Founders held orthodox beliefs but also that some were born-again Christians.
Whatever their beliefs, the Founders came from similar religious backgrounds. Most were Protestants. The largest number were raised in the three largest Christian traditions of colonial America—Anglicanism (as in the cases of John Jay, George Washington, and Edward Rutledge), Presbyterianism (as in the cases of Richard Stockton and the Rev. John Witherspoon), and Congregationalism (as in the cases of John Adams and Samuel Adams). Other Protestant groups included the Society of Friends (Quakers), the Lutherans, and the Dutch Reformed. Three Founders—Charles Carroll and Daniel Carroll of Maryland and Thomas Fitzsimmons of Pennsylvania—were of Roman Catholic heritage.
JMU Football:
4 Years FBS: 40-11 (.784). Highest winning percentage & least losses of all of G5 2022-2025.
Sun Belt East Champions: 2022, 2023, 2025
Sun Belt Champions: 2025
Top 25 ranked: 2022, 2023, 2025
CFP: 2025
4 Years FBS: 40-11 (.784). Highest winning percentage & least losses of all of G5 2022-2025.
Sun Belt East Champions: 2022, 2023, 2025
Sun Belt Champions: 2025
Top 25 ranked: 2022, 2023, 2025
CFP: 2025
-
kalm
- Supporter

- Posts: 67768
- Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2009 3:36 pm
- I am a fan of: Eastern
- A.K.A.: Humus The Proud
- Location: Northern Palouse
Re: Culture Wars
You should have kept reading. From your same article:BDKJMU wrote: ↑Tue Jul 29, 2025 5:58 amat anyone claiming that the Founding Fathers weren‘t Christian.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Fo ... ty-1272214For some time the question of the religious faith of the Founding Fathers has generated a culture war in the United States. Scholars trained in research universities have generally argued that the majority of the Founders were religious rationalists or Unitarians. Pastors and other writers who identify themselves as Evangelicals have claimed not only that most of the Founders held orthodox beliefs but also that some were born-again Christians.
Whatever their beliefs, the Founders came from similar religious backgrounds. Most were Protestants. The largest number were raised in the three largest Christian traditions of colonial America—Anglicanism (as in the cases of John Jay, George Washington, and Edward Rutledge), Presbyterianism (as in the cases of Richard Stockton and the Rev. John Witherspoon), and Congregationalism (as in the cases of John Adams and Samuel Adams). Other Protestant groups included the Society of Friends (Quakers), the Lutherans, and the Dutch Reformed. Three Founders—Charles Carroll and Daniel Carroll of Maryland and Thomas Fitzsimmons of Pennsylvania—were of Roman Catholic heritage.
Regardless…it’s clear we were not founded as a Christian nation.The sweeping disagreement over the religious faiths of the Founders arises from a question of discrepancy. Did their private beliefs differ from the orthodox teachings of their churches? On the surface, most Founders appear to have been orthodox (or “right-believing”) Christians. Most were baptized, listed on church rolls, married to practicing Christians, and frequent or at least sporadic attenders of services of Christian worship. In public statements, most invoked divine assistance.
But the widespread existence in 18th-century America of a school of religious thought called Deism complicates the actual beliefs of the Founders. Drawing from the scientific and philosophical work of such figures as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Isaac Newton, and John Locke, Deists argued that human experience and rationality—rather than religious dogma and mystery—determine the validity of human beliefs. In his widely read The Age of Reason, Thomas Paine, the principal American exponent of Deism, called Christianity “a fable.” Paine, the protégé of Benjamin Franklin, denied “that the Almighty ever did communicate anything to man, by…speech,…language, or…vision.” Postulating a distant deity whom he called “Nature’s God” (a term also used in the Declaration of Independence), Paine declared in a “profession of faith”:
I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life. I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and in endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy.
Thus, Deism inevitably subverted orthodox Christianity. Persons influenced by the movement had little reason to read the Bible, to pray, to attend church, or to participate in such rites as baptism, Holy Communion, and the laying on of hands (confirmation) by bishops. With the notable exceptions of Abigail Adams and Dolley Madison, Deism seems to have had little effect on women. For example, Martha Washington, the daughters of Thomas Jefferson, and Elizabeth Kortright Monroe and her daughters seem to have held orthodox Christian beliefs.
But Deistic thought was immensely popular in colleges from the middle of the 18th into the 19th century. Thus, it influenced many educated (as well as uneducated) males of the Revolutionary generation. Although such men would generally continue their public affiliation with Christianity after college, they might inwardly hold unorthodox religious views. Depending on the extent to which Americans of Christian background were influenced by Deism, their religious beliefs would fall into three categories: non-Christian Deism, Christian Deism, and orthodox Christianity.
One can differentiate a Founding Father influenced by Deism from an orthodox Christian believer by following certain criteria. Anyone seeking the answer should consider at least the following four points. First, an inquirer should examine the Founder’s church involvement. However, because a colonial church served not only religious but also social and political functions, church attendance or service in a governing body (such as an Anglican vestry, which was a state office in colonies such as Maryland, Virginia, and South Carolina) fails to guarantee a Founder’s orthodoxy. But Founders who were believing Christians would nevertheless be more likely to go to church than those influenced by Deism.
The second consideration is an evaluation of the participation of a Founder in the ordinances or sacraments of his church. Most had no choice about being baptized as children, but as adults they did have a choice about participating in communion or (if Episcopalian or Roman Catholic) in confirmation. And few Founders who were Deists would have participated in either rite. George Washington’s refusal to receive communion in his adult life indicated Deistic belief to many of his pastors and peers.
Third, one should note the religious language a Founder used. Non-Christian Deists such as Paine refused to use Judeo-Christian terminology and described God with such expressions as “Providence,” “the Creator,” “the Ruler of Great Events,” and “Nature’s God.” Founders who fall into the category of Christian Deists used Deistic terms for God but sometimes added a Christian dimension—such as “Merciful Providence” or “Divine Goodness.” Yet these Founders did not move further into orthodoxy and employ the traditional language of Christian piety. Founders who remained unaffected by Deism or who (like John Adams) became conservative Unitarians used terms that clearly conveyed their orthodoxy (“Savior,” “Redeemer,” “Resurrected Christ”).
Finally, one should consider what friends, family, and, above all, clergy said about a Founder’s religious faith. That Washington’s pastors in Philadelphia clearly viewed him as significantly influenced by Deism says more about Washington’s faith than do the opposite views of later writers or the cloudy memories of a few Revolutionary veterans who avowed Washington’s orthodoxy decades after his death.
Although no examination of history can capture the inner faith of any person, these four indicators can help locate the Founders on the religious spectrum. Ethan Allen, for example, appears clearly to have been a non-Christian Deist. James Monroe, a close friend of Paine, remained officially an Episcopalian but may have stood closer to non-Christian Deism than to Christian Deism. Founders who fall into the category of Christian Deists include Washington (whose dedication to Christianity was clear in his own mind), John Adams, and, with some qualifications, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was more influenced by the reason-centred Enlightenment than either Adams or Washington. Orthodox Christians among the Founders include the staunchly Calvinistic Samuel Adams. John Jay (who served as president of the American Bible Society), Elias Boudinot (who wrote a book on the imminent Second Coming of Jesus), and Patrick Henry (who distributed religious tracts while riding circuit as a lawyer) clearly believed in Evangelical Christianity.
- BDKJMU
- Level5

- Posts: 35210
- Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2009 6:59 am
- I am a fan of: JMU
- A.K.A.: BDKJMU
- Location: Philly Burbs
Re: Culture Wars
By stating ykalm wrote: ↑Tue Jul 29, 2025 6:13 amYou should have kept reading. From your same article:BDKJMU wrote: ↑Tue Jul 29, 2025 5:58 am
at anyone claiming that the Founding Fathers weren‘t Christian.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Fo ... ty-1272214
Regardless…it’s clear we were not founded as a Christian nation.The sweeping disagreement over the religious faiths of the Founders arises from a question of discrepancy. Did their private beliefs differ from the orthodox teachings of their churches? On the surface, most Founders appear to have been orthodox (or “right-believing”) Christians. Most were baptized, listed on church rolls, married to practicing Christians, and frequent or at least sporadic attenders of services of Christian worship. In public statements, most invoked divine assistance.
But the widespread existence in 18th-century America of a school of religious thought called Deism complicates the actual beliefs of the Founders. Drawing from the scientific and philosophical work of such figures as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Isaac Newton, and John Locke, Deists argued that human experience and rationality—rather than religious dogma and mystery—determine the validity of human beliefs. In his widely read The Age of Reason, Thomas Paine, the principal American exponent of Deism, called Christianity “a fable.” Paine, the protégé of Benjamin Franklin, denied “that the Almighty ever did communicate anything to man, by…speech,…language, or…vision.” Postulating a distant deity whom he called “Nature’s God” (a term also used in the Declaration of Independence), Paine declared in a “profession of faith”:
I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life. I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and in endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy.
Thus, Deism inevitably subverted orthodox Christianity. Persons influenced by the movement had little reason to read the Bible, to pray, to attend church, or to participate in such rites as baptism, Holy Communion, and the laying on of hands (confirmation) by bishops. With the notable exceptions of Abigail Adams and Dolley Madison, Deism seems to have had little effect on women. For example, Martha Washington, the daughters of Thomas Jefferson, and Elizabeth Kortright Monroe and her daughters seem to have held orthodox Christian beliefs.
But Deistic thought was immensely popular in colleges from the middle of the 18th into the 19th century. Thus, it influenced many educated (as well as uneducated) males of the Revolutionary generation. Although such men would generally continue their public affiliation with Christianity after college, they might inwardly hold unorthodox religious views. Depending on the extent to which Americans of Christian background were influenced by Deism, their religious beliefs would fall into three categories: non-Christian Deism, Christian Deism, and orthodox Christianity.
One can differentiate a Founding Father influenced by Deism from an orthodox Christian believer by following certain criteria. Anyone seeking the answer should consider at least the following four points. First, an inquirer should examine the Founder’s church involvement. However, because a colonial church served not only religious but also social and political functions, church attendance or service in a governing body (such as an Anglican vestry, which was a state office in colonies such as Maryland, Virginia, and South Carolina) fails to guarantee a Founder’s orthodoxy. But Founders who were believing Christians would nevertheless be more likely to go to church than those influenced by Deism.
The second consideration is an evaluation of the participation of a Founder in the ordinances or sacraments of his church. Most had no choice about being baptized as children, but as adults they did have a choice about participating in communion or (if Episcopalian or Roman Catholic) in confirmation. And few Founders who were Deists would have participated in either rite. George Washington’s refusal to receive communion in his adult life indicated Deistic belief to many of his pastors and peers.
Third, one should note the religious language a Founder used. Non-Christian Deists such as Paine refused to use Judeo-Christian terminology and described God with such expressions as “Providence,” “the Creator,” “the Ruler of Great Events,” and “Nature’s God.” Founders who fall into the category of Christian Deists used Deistic terms for God but sometimes added a Christian dimension—such as “Merciful Providence” or “Divine Goodness.” Yet these Founders did not move further into orthodoxy and employ the traditional language of Christian piety. Founders who remained unaffected by Deism or who (like John Adams) became conservative Unitarians used terms that clearly conveyed their orthodoxy (“Savior,” “Redeemer,” “Resurrected Christ”).
Finally, one should consider what friends, family, and, above all, clergy said about a Founder’s religious faith. That Washington’s pastors in Philadelphia clearly viewed him as significantly influenced by Deism says more about Washington’s faith than do the opposite views of later writers or the cloudy memories of a few Revolutionary veterans who avowed Washington’s orthodoxy decades after his death.
Although no examination of history can capture the inner faith of any person, these four indicators can help locate the Founders on the religious spectrum. Ethan Allen, for example, appears clearly to have been a non-Christian Deist. James Monroe, a close friend of Paine, remained officially an Episcopalian but may have stood closer to non-Christian Deism than to Christian Deism. Founders who fall into the category of Christian Deists include Washington (whose dedication to Christianity was clear in his own mind), John Adams, and, with some qualifications, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was more influenced by the reason-centred Enlightenment than either Adams or Washington. Orthodox Christians among the Founders include the staunchly Calvinistic Samuel Adams. John Jay (who served as president of the American Bible Society), Elias Boudinot (who wrote a book on the imminent Second Coming of Jesus), and Patrick Henry (who distributed religious tracts while riding circuit as a lawyer) clearly believed in Evangelical Christianity.
QUNI88 IMPLIED that NONE were Christian.in case anyone wants to argue that the founding fathers were Christians
I intentionally just did the exact opposite of by stating
even though only some didn’t hold Christian beliefs or didn‘t practice Christianity.in case anyone wants to argue that the Founding fathers weren‘t Christians
If he had said
I wouldn’t have said anything because not all were.in case anyone wants to argue that the Founding Fathers were ALL Christians
The fact is most PRACTICED Christianity. I know practicing and actuality are 2 diff things.
True, but we were founded on Judeo Christian principles.Regardless…it’s clear we were not founded as a Christian nation.
JMU Football:
4 Years FBS: 40-11 (.784). Highest winning percentage & least losses of all of G5 2022-2025.
Sun Belt East Champions: 2022, 2023, 2025
Sun Belt Champions: 2025
Top 25 ranked: 2022, 2023, 2025
CFP: 2025
4 Years FBS: 40-11 (.784). Highest winning percentage & least losses of all of G5 2022-2025.
Sun Belt East Champions: 2022, 2023, 2025
Sun Belt Champions: 2025
Top 25 ranked: 2022, 2023, 2025
CFP: 2025
- BDKJMU
- Level5

- Posts: 35210
- Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2009 6:59 am
- I am a fan of: JMU
- A.K.A.: BDKJMU
- Location: Philly Burbs
Re: Culture Wars
JMU Football:
4 Years FBS: 40-11 (.784). Highest winning percentage & least losses of all of G5 2022-2025.
Sun Belt East Champions: 2022, 2023, 2025
Sun Belt Champions: 2025
Top 25 ranked: 2022, 2023, 2025
CFP: 2025
4 Years FBS: 40-11 (.784). Highest winning percentage & least losses of all of G5 2022-2025.
Sun Belt East Champions: 2022, 2023, 2025
Sun Belt Champions: 2025
Top 25 ranked: 2022, 2023, 2025
CFP: 2025
- BDKJMU
- Level5

- Posts: 35210
- Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2009 6:59 am
- I am a fan of: JMU
- A.K.A.: BDKJMU
- Location: Philly Burbs
Re: Culture Wars
JMU Football:
4 Years FBS: 40-11 (.784). Highest winning percentage & least losses of all of G5 2022-2025.
Sun Belt East Champions: 2022, 2023, 2025
Sun Belt Champions: 2025
Top 25 ranked: 2022, 2023, 2025
CFP: 2025
4 Years FBS: 40-11 (.784). Highest winning percentage & least losses of all of G5 2022-2025.
Sun Belt East Champions: 2022, 2023, 2025
Sun Belt Champions: 2025
Top 25 ranked: 2022, 2023, 2025
CFP: 2025


