Although the founding fathers were religious men, their character made them insist in constructing a nation that would defend the freedom of belief through a clear separation of church and state. They were afraid of a fusion of faith and government for many reasons. The most important is that they fought for their independency against a country where the king was the head of the church, and it was the history of European religious warfare what led to the settlement of America. Other events may have warned the founding fathers against letting any one sect have privileges over the others. As an example, it was known how Puritan fathers of Massachusetts Bay Colony established a non-tolerant theocracy, and how Puritan Boston had banned papists and hanged Quakers .
Three of the most influential figures among the Founding Fathers were nominal Christians, but their thoughts about religion and the role of god in men´s destinies were not very clear for many. This work will describe the religious views of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison and their impact in the conception of freedom of religion in America.
George Washington was an Episcopal Anglican, baptized into the Church of England which was the state religion of Virginia at the time, having the King of England as head of the church. However, his beliefs changed with time. He thought that, even though there is a god, it is not actively involved in human lives. In his speeches, he thanked the providence or mentioned god only in catchphrases such as “thank god” or “for god´s sake”, and preferred the use of deistic or freemason expressions such as “supreme architect”, “providence”, “invisible hand” among other references to a higher power. On the other hand, he did not make any references to Jesus .
His views on tolerance for other religions are best demonstrated in the series of letters he wrote to various religious congregations thanking them their support to his administration; especially one sent to the Newport Hebrew congregation in which he expressed his ideas of national unity. He believed men shared a set of natural rights regardless of confession. I his letter he stated that:
All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support. .
His general view on religion was that it was an indispensable moral guide, but everyone was free to practice their faith without interference from the state. He might not have participated much during the constitutional convention, but his views about freedom and secularity possibly helped set the non-religious tone of the constitution.
Next on the list is Thomas Jefferson. He was also a deist by definition and believed in the god of reason . He was a devoted reader of the bible and a follower of Jesus´ philosophy, but thought the bible was full of mysticism. He set himself to edit the holy book by removing all traces of miracles and fantasy from it. The book is now known as the Jefferson Bible .
His views about natural rights, obviously influenced by the works of John Locke, led him to believe that one religion should not interfere with other religions or governments. In consequence, he drafted a bill to establish religion freedom in the State of Virginia in 1779 where the separation of church and state was established . This bill later served as a precursor of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment in the Constitution.
James Madison had been a devoted Anglican Christian in his youth, but during the revolution he kept his religious views to himself. He would only talk again about god openly during his last years .
He argued that the state had no business supporting any religion, especially Christian instruction or collecting tax money for churches. He thought that any attempt of passing laws that privileged any church or sect would be unfair as it would be done using taxpayers´ money and that it would undermine the purity and efficacy of religion .
His participation in the drafting of the Declaration of Rights that would be included in the constitution for the newly independent Commonwealth of Virginia was paramount. He managed to change the notion that all religions should be tolerated since it would mean that exercise of faith is a gift from the government. Instead, he introduced the idea that "all men are entitled to the full and free exercise of religion" .
Along with Jefferson, Madison was instrumental in the drafting of the establishment clause of the First Amendment, and the Separation of Church and State doctrine.
Bibliography
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Loconte, J. (2001, March 16). James Madison and Religious Liberty. Retrieved June 19, 2014, from The Heritage Foundation: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2001/03/james-madison-and-religious-liberty
The Economist. (2011, December 17). The Faith (and Doubts) of Our Fathers. The Economist. Retrieved June 19, 2014, from http://www.economist.com/node/21541718
Washington, G. (1790, August 18). Letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island. Retrieved June 19, 2014, from The Heritage Foundation: http://www.heritage.org/initiatives/first-principles/primary-sources/washington-s-letter-to-the-hebrew-congregation-of-newport-rhode-island
