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American Deism, Christianity, and the Age of Reason

American Deism, Christianity, and the Age of Reason Donald Wayne Viney / Pittsburg State University here religion is concerned, the best and most lasting contribution of America’s founders was arguably more political than theological. W They brought to fruition the idea of religious freedom. To be sure, this concept had already been articulated and underwent important develop- ments prior to the eighteenth century. The Americans, however, began to make it a reality in the sphere of public life. This is nowhere more evident than in the Constitution of the United States and in the first article of the Bill of Rights. Nevertheless, some of the founders had a great deal to say on theological topics, and it is this aspect of their thinking on which I focus in this paper. Some of the founders were orthodox Christians, but where religious liberty was concerned, it was deistic philosophy more than Christianity per se that informed their ideas about the laws that would regulate the new nation. I examine the views of Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), Thomas Paine (1737–1809), and Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) as representative of the American version of what David L. Holmes calls “the Deist spectrum.” Although two of these founders were nominally Christian, all of them sought http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png American Journal of Theology & Philosophy University of Illinois Press

American Deism, Christianity, and the Age of Reason

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University of Illinois Press
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2156-4795

Abstract

Donald Wayne Viney / Pittsburg State University here religion is concerned, the best and most lasting contribution of America’s founders was arguably more political than theological. W They brought to fruition the idea of religious freedom. To be sure, this concept had already been articulated and underwent important develop- ments prior to the eighteenth century. The Americans, however, began to make it a reality in the sphere of public life. This is nowhere more evident than in the Constitution of the United States and in the first article of the Bill of Rights. Nevertheless, some of the founders had a great deal to say on theological topics, and it is this aspect of their thinking on which I focus in this paper. Some of the founders were orthodox Christians, but where religious liberty was concerned, it was deistic philosophy more than Christianity per se that informed their ideas about the laws that would regulate the new nation. I examine the views of Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), Thomas Paine (1737–1809), and Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) as representative of the American version of what David L. Holmes calls “the Deist spectrum.” Although two of these founders were nominally Christian, all of them sought

Journal

American Journal of Theology & Philosophy – University of Illinois Press

Published: Jul 14, 2010

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