George Washington: Christian or Deist?
The debate continues. One side of it claims that George Washington was a Christian believer while the other side zealously asserts that Washington was a deist. The argument has gone back and forth over the years, and because of a lack of knowledge of the most important components of the question, the common belief of the public has changed from a belief that Washington was a devout Christian to the belief that Washington was a deist who “did the best he could in life.” But why did a lack of such knowledge make the belief of Washington as a deist become more popular? The answer is that the evidence provided by George Washington’s writings and accounts of eyewitnesses who knew Washington personally is in favor of Washington’s Christianity.
The deists claim that George Washington was one of their group. The arguments they frequently make are that Washington did not refer to God or Jesus Christ, but preferred to use such terms as Providence. Another argument made is that Washington’s friend, the Reverend Ashbel Green, is reported to have said, “while Washington was very deferential to religion and its ceremonies, like nearly all the founders of the Republic, he was not a Christian, but a Deist.” They claim that Washington’s vestryman-ship in an orthodox Christian church does not unequivocally prove that Washington was a Christian, since men who were clearly non-believers, such as Thomas Jefferson, became vestrymen in such churches as well (This argument is logical, but it does not prove that George Washington was a deist, either). (1) These arguments, though containing facts, are not capable of proving that George Washington was a deist. But before that issue is addressed, the key terms in this argument need to be defined before we can properly analyze the evidence itself.
If George Washington is a deist, we need to know exactly what that term means. The World Union of Deists define themselves as Webster’s Encyclopedic Dictionary (1941) defines the term deist: “One who believes in the existence of a God or supreme being but denies revealed religion, basing his belief on the light of nature and reason.” (2) This deist group states that a deist might pray, but only prayers of “thanks or appreciation” to whatever Supreme Being is out there, and that “some believe God may intervene in human affairs.” Deists reject the miraculous, however, and therefore reject the divinity and atonement of Jesus, the divine inspiration of the Bible, and the direct interaction between God and man, which the Christian calls “prayer.”
The opposing side of the debate, however, asserts that Washington was a Christian, or was at least no deist. The term Christian is another of the key terms in the argument that needs to be clearly defined. The term Christian means, according to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary of the English Language, “A believer in the religion of Christ,” and the religion of Christ is, according to Himself, believing in His atoning death and sacrifice, and therefore, His divinity. As a result of this belief, the Christian obeys the commandments of Christ and endeavors, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to conform to Christ’s character (Romans 15:13; Galatians 6:22-23; Ephesians 5:9).
Before the arguments of the deists are directly addressed, another term in one of their frequently-used arguments must be defined. As has been previously stated, deists make the argument that Washington was a deist because he did not use the terms for God that are common in today’s Christian sphere – words such as God, Jesus or Christ. Instead, Washington used the term Providence or some other “vague” term to refer to the Creator. The problem with this argument is the definition of the term Providence. This term is defined by Webster’s 1828 dictionary to mean a particular reference to God as one who superintends and cares for His creation. A deist who believes that God does not interact with His own creation cannot believe in the Creator as Providence. Additionally, as American history-expert David Barton points out, orthodox Christian ministers frequently used the same terms for God that Washington frequently used; and these ministers were certainly not deists! The argument that Washington’s use the term Providence proves his deism is useless to the deist cause.
Now let us deal directly with the arguments and evidence for and against Washington’s Christianity. Another argument which has been previously mentioned in favor of a deist George Washington is the statement supposedly made by the Reverend Ashbel Green, who stated that Washington, though friendly to religion, was not a Christian, but a deist. (3) The reason I say that this is what Green supposedly said is that this quote comes from a friend of Green’s who wrote the statement down; in other words, this statement by Green is only a second-hand account. There is the possibility that Green’s friend misunderstood Green, and misstated Green’s words, or that such a quote is outright false. These possibilities become more probable, though not probable enough to be proven true, when considering a complaint made by Green concerning a letter that had been written by Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson wrote that an address had been written to Washington by a Philadelphian church, and that the address implied that Washington was an unbeliever. Jefferson’s letter further stated that Washington’s reply to the address indicated that the church’s belief in Washington as a deist was justified. Reverend Green, upon hearing of Jefferson’s letter, said that Jefferson’s claims were false, because Green himself had written the church’s address, and knew with what intention the address had been written.
However, even if the statement that Green claimed Washington was a deist is valid, it does not unequivocally prove that Washington was a deist. There is still the possibility that Green was mistaken in his evaluation of Washington. There are numerous other eyewitnesses who were even closer to Washington and who knew him better than Green knew Washington. Among these eyewitnesses is John Marshall, who served on General Washington’s personal military staff during the American Revolution, and who wrote one of the earliest biographies of Washington. Marshall says in the biography which he wrote, “Without making ostentatious professions of religion, he [Washington] was a sincere believer in the Christian faith, and a truly devout man.” (4) This is an interesting statement. Marshall says that Washington made no “ostentatious professions of religion,” which means that Washington did not go out of his way to make people think that he was religious or that he was a Christian. This is a probable cause for how Green may have misunderstood Washington’s religious beliefs.
Further testimony of Washington’s Christianity by eyewitnesses comes from his granddaughter, Nelly Custis Lewis. She lived with him for twenty years of her life, since he had adopted her when her father, who had also been previously adopted by Washington, passed away when she was very young. Nelly Lewis wrote a letter to Jared Sparks, who was then preparing a collection of Washington’s writings, in which she defended Washington’s Christianity. After detailing Washington’s devout church-attendance, prayer-life, and even a powerful indication of Washington’s belief in God’s healing power (something which a deist definitely does not believe in, since that would be miraculous), she finalized her letter as follows: “Is it necessary that any one should certify, ‘General Washington avowed himself to me a believer in Christianity?’ As well may we question his patriotism, his heroic, disinterested devotion to his country. His mottoes were, ‘Deeds, not Words’; and, ‘For God and my Country.’ ” (5) This is a very interesting claim. Washington’s own granddaughter emphatically declared that we may as well question Washington’s selfless patriotism if we are going to question his Christianity.
But perhaps the most powerful rebuttal to the deist argument and the most powerful support to Washington’s Christianity comes from his own writings. Among these is a letter which was addressed to the governors of the thirteen states then in the American Union. He sent this “farewell” letter in 1783, to inform them of his resignation of the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, now that a peace treaty had been signed between the United States and Great Britain. He concluded his letter with a statement that implies a profession of his own Christian faith. It is as follows: “I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field, and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy [Micah 6:8], and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the [Characteristics] of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation.” (emphasis added) (6). As shown in the italicized phrase above, Washington makes a reference to “the Divine Author of our Blessed Religion.” He can be speaking of no other person than Jesus Christ. The reason for this is that Washington says “our religion,” and then calls the author of it “Divine.” Here, Washington is making a reference to a deity who has authored a religion. The religion to which Washington is referring to is not the religion of Buddha or Mohammad or any other so-called “deity,” since it is perfectly obvious that neither Washington nor the governors of the states to whom Washington addressed this letter belonged to any of those religions. The religion of deism has no true deity that has authored it (except the human mind). The only person to whom Washington could be referring to here can be none other than Jesus Christ.
Another portion of his writings which strikes heavily upon the deist argument is a written list of books that Washington ordered from England for his newly-adopted son, John Parke Custis. In this list are included a considerable number of books that are devoted to showing the validity of the Christian faith. These books include De Veritate Christiana Religionis (which translates as The Truth of the Christian Religion), by Hugo Grotius; A Liberal Translation of the New Testament, with Observations on the Study of the Scriptures, by Hardwood; Arguments in Defense of Christianity (two volumes), by Sharpes; Dissertations on Subjects Relating to the Evidences of Christianity, by Gerard; Appeal to Common Sense on Behalf of Religion, by Oswald; On Indifference for Religion, by Squire; and The Amuranth, or a Collection of Religious Poems. (7) What deist would require his son to read these kinds of books? Furthermore, how many Christian fathers today require their sons to read such books? If Washington was a skeptic, why would he make his son read about the truth of the Christian religion? If it may be argued by the deists that Washington was probably trying to show his son how ridiculous the arguments in favor of Christianity are, then they must answer the question why there is no book in favor of deism or humanism or skepticism on that list or any other list.
The most convincing of Washington’s writings in favor of his Christianity is his prayer journal, which was entitled “Daily Sacrifice.” The authenticity of this journal has been questioned, but handwriting experts from Washington City, Philadelphia, and New York City in the early twentieth century have verified the handwriting of the manuscript to be Washington’s. One of these prayers states, “O eternal and everlasting God . . . Direct my thoughts, words and work, wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the lamb, and purge my heart by thy holy spirit, from the dross of my natural corruption, that I may with more freedom of mind and liberty of will serve thee, the ever lasting God, in righteousness and holiness this day, and all the days of my life. Increase my faith in the sweet promises of the gospel; give me repentance from dead works [Hebrews 6:1]; pardon my wanderings, [and] direct my thoughts unto thyself, the God of my salvation; teach me how to live in thy fear, labor in thy service, and ever to run in the ways of thy commandments; make me always watchful over my heart, that neither the terrors of conscience, the loathing of holy duties, the love of sin, nor an unwillingness to depart this life, may cast me into a spiritual slumber, but daily frame me more [and] more into the likeness of thy son Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy appointed time attain the resurrection of the just unto eternal life bless my family, friends & kindred unite us all in praising & glorifying thee in all our works begun, continued, and ended, when we shall come to make our last account before thee blessed saviour [sic] who hath taught us thus to pray, our Father….” (emphasis added) and apparently the Lord’s Prayer, quoted from memorization, was then recited. (8) These such sayings are the exact opposite of what a deist believes and they perfectly align with the beliefs of a Christian, which have been stated previously.
There is neither room nor need for doubt that George Washington was a Christian, and not a deist. There is no evidence that supports Washington’s beliefs in deism – that word is not mentioned in his writings once. On the contrary, his writings and especially his prayer journal, which indicates a study of and belief in the Bible (something the deists reject), confirm his belief in Christianity, as his granddaughter so distinctly put it. The only reason that the argument which asserts that Washington was a deist persists, is that unbelievers do not want to admit that this man was great because of his devotion to God; they would rather excuse their own unbelief and claim that Washington became great by reasoning alone, without revelation from the Scriptures and without belief in Jesus. But Washington, as with a large majority of the other Founding Fathers, believed in both, and it was this belief that made them such great men and that made this great nation.
4 Responses to “George Washington: Christian or Deist?”
July 25th, 2007 at 2:27 am
“The authenticity of this journal has been questioned, but handwriting experts from Washington City, Philadelphia, and New York City in the early twentieth century have verified the handwriting of the manuscript to be Washington’s.”
This is not true. No handwriting expert has ever shown his alleged prayer journal to be in his own hand (and btw, the “Circular to the States” was not in his hand either) but the contrary that it was NOT in his hand.
You might also want to check out what Washington’s own minister, Dr. Abercrombie, had to say on whether GW was a “real Christian” or not.
July 27th, 2007 at 1:46 am
PPPPPPTTTTT. Poppycock comment. See this http://meetthefounders.blogspot.com/2007/07/re-george-washington-christian-or-deist.html
November 13th, 2008 at 3:53 am
Thank you for your blog. I found this interesting and have always wondered on where Washington stood. I’m sure we’ll never truly know where he stood with God until we stand before Him. You’ve given me a good starting place to continue my research. Thanks.
November 13th, 2008 at 4:01 am
Hello Chris. Welcome to my blog.
Thanks for leaving your comment, and taking the time to express how you have been benefited. It is an encouragement to me.
I’m pleased that you have found the material here useful. You are welcome to leave you comments anytime. I would greatly appreciate your input.
I encourage you to persevere in your research. God bless!
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