Journal ffreeloader's Journal: John Adams not a Christian? 6
I recently watched a History Channel program called Ancient Aliens in which it was alleged, without any proof, that John Adams thought Christianity was "dangerous" to government and education. As a rebuttal to such an assertion I post the following proclamation made by John Adams in 1798 during his term as President. Anyone can verify the authenticity of this quotation taken from an Ebook titled "A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents Section 2 (of 4) of Volume 1: John Adams" as published in the Gutenberg Project.
PROCLAMATIONS.
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
A PROCLAMATION.As the safety and prosperity of nations ultimately and essentially depend on the protection and the blessing of Almighty God, and the national acknowledgment of this truth is not only an indispensable duty which the people owe to Him, but a duty whose natural influence is favorable to the promotion of that morality and piety without which social happiness can not exist nor the blessings of a free government be enjoyed; and as this duty, at all times incumbent, is so especially in seasons of difficulty or of danger, when existing or threatening calamities, the just judgments of God against prevalent iniquity, are a loud call to repentance and reformation; and as the United States of America are at present placed in a hazardous and afflictive situation by the unfriendly disposition, conduct, and demands of a foreign power, evinced by repeated refusals to receive our messengers of reconciliation and peace, by depredations on our commerce, and the infliction of injuries on very many of our fellow-citizens while engaged in their lawful business on the seasâ"under these considerations it has appeared to me that the duty of imploring the mercy and benediction of Heaven on our country demands at this time a special attention from its inhabitants.
I have therefore thought fit to recommend, and I do hereby recommend, that Wednesday, the 9th day of May next, be observed throughout the United States as a day of solemn humiliation, fasting, and prayer; that the citizens of these States, abstaining on that day from their customary worldly occupations, offer their devout addresses to the Father of Mercies agreeably to those forms or methods which they have severally adopted as the most suitable and becoming; that all religious congregations do, with the deepest humility, acknowledge before God the manifold sins and transgressions with which we are justly chargeable as individuals and as a nation, beseeching Him at the same time, of His infinite grace, through the Redeemer of the World, freely to remit all our offenses, and to incline us by His Holy Spirit to that sincere repentance and reformation which may afford us reason to hope for his inestimable favor and heavenly benediction; that it be made the subject of particular and earnest supplication that our country may be protected from all the dangers which threaten it; that our civil and religious privileges may be preserved inviolate and perpetuated to the latest generations; that our public councils and magistrates may be especially enlightened and directed at this critical period; that the American people may be united in those bonds of amity and mutual confidence and inspired with that vigor and fortitude by which they have in times past been so highly distinguished and by which they have obtained such invaluable advantages; that the health of the inhabitants of our land may be preserved, and their agriculture, commerce, fisheries, arts, and manufactures be blessed and prospered; that the principles of genuine piety and sound morality may influence the minds and govern the lives of every description of our citizens, and that the blessings of peace, freedom, and pure religion may be speedily extended to all the nations of the earth.
And finally, I recommend that on the said day the duties of humiliation and prayer be accompanied by fervent thanksgiving to the Bestower of Every Good Gift, not only for His having hitherto protected and preserved the people of these United States in the independent enjoyment of their religious and civil freedom, but also for having prospered them in a wonderful progress of population, and for conferring on them many and great favors conducive to the happiness and prosperity of a nation.
[SEAL.]
Given under my hand and the seal of the United States of America, at Philadelphia, this 23d day of March, A.D. 1798, and of the Independence of the said States the twenty-second.
JOHN ADAMS.
Re: (Score:2)
You miss the entire point of John Adam's proclamation. Whether by agenda or ignorance, I don't know.
Adams pointed to the Christian God as the solution to the problems our nation faced, and morality and piety, Christian morality and piety, as the only source of real social happiness and ability to enjoy the liberty our form of government gave us.
He also called for a national day of prayer and fasting dedicated to asking the Christian God to forgive us of our sins. This is most definitely Christian thought
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I see. You're mischaracterizing my position. Nice try.
My original post was refuting the idea that John Adams was against Christianity, and that the founding principles of our government were not Christian principles. He confirms that Christian principles were exactly the foundation on which our country were built in his letters to Jefferson.
If an entity, such as a government, is based on the principles of Christianity it is a foolish argument which tries to say that government is divorced from Christianit
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I just realized I had not responded to your assertions of Baptists being persecuted under colonial law.
First, according to Baptists themselves the last serious persecution of Baptists in the New World was in March of 1680 and was enforced only 1 time, on March 8, 1680, and was never enforced again. The Baptist church was open the very next Sunday, and every Sunday afterwards. What that has to do with the US I don't know, as it was done under English government and English administration. It preceded the US
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I will here give you more proof of John Adams' views on religion(Christianity) and its influence exerted in the founding of our country. The quote is taken, in its entirety, from http://oll.libertyfund.org/?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=2127&chapter=193514&layout=html&Itemid=27 [libertyfund.org] so you can see I have changed nothing. To read the quote from there you must scroll down to the bottom of the page as the first part of the page is an index to John Adam's letters written during a