Download or read book The Faiths of the Founding Fathers written by David L. Holmes and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2006-05-01 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is not uncommon to hear Christians argue that America was founded as a Christian nation. But how true is this claim? In this compact book, David L. Holmes offers a clear, concise and illuminating look at the spiritual beliefs of our founding fathers. He begins with an informative account of the religious culture of the late colonial era, surveying the religious groups in each colony. In particular, he sheds light on the various forms of Deism that flourished in America, highlighting the profound influence this intellectual movement had on the founding generation. Holmes then examines the individual beliefs of a variety of men and women who loom large in our national history. He finds that some, like Martha Washington, Samuel Adams, John Jay, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Jefferson's daughters, held orthodox Christian views. But many of the most influential figures, including Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John and Abigail Adams, Jefferson, James and Dolley Madison, and James Monroe, were believers of a different stripe. Respectful of Christianity, they admired the ethics of Jesus, and believed that religion could play a beneficial role in society. But they tended to deny the divinity of Christ, and a few seem to have been agnostic about the very existence of God. Although the founding fathers were religious men, Holmes shows that it was a faith quite unlike the Christianity of today's evangelicals. Holmes concludes by examining the role of religion in the lives of the presidents since World War II and by reflecting on the evangelical resurgence that helped fuel the reelection of George W. Bush. An intriguing look at a neglected aspect of our history, the book will appeal to American history buffs as well as to anyone concerned about the role of religion in American culture.
Download or read book Deism Or Christianity written by Nathaniel Langdon Frothingham and published by . This book was released on 1845 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Deism or Christianity written by Nathaniel Langdon Frothingham and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2024-07-08 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reprint of the original, first published in 1845.
Download or read book Did America Have a Christian Founding written by Mark David Hall and published by HarperChristian + ORM. This book was released on 2019-10-29 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A distinguished professor debunks the assertion that America's Founders were deists who desired the strict separation of church and state and instead shows that their political ideas were profoundly influenced by their Christian convictions. In 2010, David Mark Hall gave a lecture at the Heritage Foundation entitled "Did America Have a Christian Founding?" His balanced and thoughtful approach to this controversial question caused a sensation. C-SPAN televised his talk, and an essay based on it has been downloaded more than 300,000 times. In this book, Hall expands upon this essay, making the airtight case that America's Founders were not deists. He explains why and how the Founders' views are absolutely relevant today, showing that they did not create a "godless" Constitution; that even Jefferson and Madison did not want a high wall separating church and state; that most Founders believed the government should encourage Christianity; and that they embraced a robust understanding of religious liberty for biblical and theological reasons. This compelling and utterly persuasive book will convince skeptics and equip believers and conservatives to defend the idea that Christian thought was crucial to the nation's founding--and that this benefits all of us, whatever our faith (or lack of faith).
Download or read book Benjamin Franklin written by Thomas S. Kidd and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2017-05-23 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A major new biography, illuminating the great mystery of Benjamin Franklin’s faith Renowned as a printer, scientist, and diplomat, Benjamin Franklin also published more works on religious topics than any other eighteenth-century American layperson. Born to Boston Puritans, by his teenage years Franklin had abandoned the exclusive Christian faith of his family and embraced deism. But Franklin, as a man of faith, was far more complex than the “thorough deist” who emerges in his autobiography. As Thomas Kidd reveals, deist writers influenced Franklin’s beliefs, to be sure, but devout Christians in his life—including George Whitefield, the era’s greatest evangelical preacher; his parents; and his beloved sister Jane—kept him tethered to the Calvinist creed of his Puritan upbringing. Based on rigorous research into Franklin’s voluminous correspondence, essays, and almanacs, this fresh assessment of a well-known figure unpacks the contradictions and conundrums faith presented in Franklin’s life.
Download or read book Almost Christian written by Kenda Creasy Dean and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-07-16 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on the National Study of Youth and Religion--the same invaluable data as its predecessor, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers--Kenda Creasy Dean's compelling new book, Almost Christian, investigates why American teenagers are at once so positive about Christianity and at the same time so apathetic about genuine religious practice. In Soul Searching, Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton found that American teenagers have embraced a "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism"--a hodgepodge of banal, self-serving, feel-good beliefs that bears little resemblance to traditional Christianity. But far from faulting teens, Dean places the blame for this theological watering down squarely on the churches themselves. Instead of proclaiming a God who calls believers to lives of love, service and sacrifice, churches offer instead a bargain religion, easy to use, easy to forget, offering little and demanding less. But what is to be done? In order to produce ardent young Christians, Dean argues, churches must rediscover their sense of mission and model an understanding of being Christian as not something you do for yourself, but something that calls you to share God's love, in word and deed, with others. Dean found that the most committed young Christians shared four important traits: they could tell a personal and powerful story about God; they belonged to a significant faith community; they exhibited a sense of vocation; and they possessed a profound sense of hope. Based on these findings, Dean proposes an approach to Christian education that places the idea of mission at its core and offers a wealth of concrete suggestions for inspiring teens to live more authentically engaged Christian lives. Persuasively and accessibly written, Almost Christian is a wake up call no one concerned about the future of Christianity in America can afford to ignore.
Download or read book The Religion of the Founding Fathers written by David Lynn Holmes and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Natural Religion and the Nature of Religion written by Peter Byrne and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-05-02 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study offers students of religion and philosophy introductory chapters concerning the concept of natural religion. It holds that we can’t engage in useful discussion about the present concept of religion without a knowledge of the philosophical history that has shaped that concept. This is discussed with reference to the notion of natural religion to illustrate certain aspects of deism and its legacy. Originally published in 1989.
Download or read book The Founding Fathers written by Gordon Leidner and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2013-05-07 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Filled with over two hundred quotes from John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and more, The Founding Fathers: Quotes, Quips, and Speeches captures the essence of America's most influential leaders in an elegant collection that explores the American Revolution. Discover their thoughts on honesty, democracy, perseverance, hope, liberty, and leadership, and read from landmark speeches of the day—from Samuel Adam's 1776 address to the Continental Congress to George Washington's resignation speech. Hear the voices of the people who changed the world. Praise for Abraham Lincoln: Quotes, Quips, and Speeches "An easy and enjoyable introduction to one of America's greatest presidents and heroes."—Tom Schwartz, historian emeritus for the state of Illinois "Gordon Leidner provides readers with a toothsome smorgasbord of Abraham Lincoln's wit and wisdom. This volume is an excellent introduction to the Great Emancipator's humanity, philosophy, humor, and eloquence."—Michael Burlingame, Chancellor Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies, University of Illinois-Springfield "Abraham Lincoln had the God-given talent to express himself in words that the people felt and understood. [This] book enables readers to sample and touch the greatness of Lincoln through his letters, public papers, and speeches."—Edwin C. Bearrs, historican emeritus, National Park Service
Download or read book The Religious World Displayed written by Robert Adam and published by . This book was released on 1809 with total page 522 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Deism Or Christianity Four Discourses written by N. L. Frothingham and published by Trieste Publishing. This book was released on 2017-08-26 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Trieste Publishing has a massive catalogue of classic book titles. Our aim is to provide readers with the highest quality reproductions of fiction and non-fiction literature that has stood the test of time. The many thousands of books in our collection have been sourced from libraries and private collections around the world.The titles that Trieste Publishing has chosen to be part of the collection have been scanned to simulate the original. Our readers see the books the same way that their first readers did decades or a hundred or more years ago. Books from that period are often spoiled by imperfections that did not exist in the original. Imperfections could be in the form of blurred text, photographs, or missing pages. It is highly unlikely that this would occur with one of our books. Our extensive quality control ensures that the readers of Trieste Publishing's books will be delighted with their purchase. Our staff has thoroughly reviewed every page of all the books in the collection, repairing, or if necessary, rejecting titles that are not of the highest quality. This process ensures that the reader of one of Trieste Publishing's titles receives a volume that faithfully reproduces the original, and to the maximum degree possible, gives them the experience of owning the original work.We pride ourselves on not only creating a pathway to an extensive reservoir of books of the finest quality, but also providing value to every one of our readers. Generally, Trieste books are purchased singly - on demand, however they may also be purchased in bulk. Readers interested in bulk purchases are invited to contact us directly to enquire about our tailored bulk rates.
Download or read book Christianity as Old as the Creation written by Tindal and published by . This book was released on 1732 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Christianity Against Deism Materialism and Atheism written by Robert HINDMARSH and published by . This book was released on 1824 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book On the Existence of God written by Robert Geis and published by University Press of America. This book was released on 2009-11-11 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The existence of God raises many questions. Geis' work addresses queries that arise from the gratuitous claims of empiricism in Hume, unfounded assumptions in Kant, presumptions of science, and the improbabilities it identifies in Darwinism. By focusing on number and proportion as intrinsic to material and atomic constituency, any argument from chance as instrumental to the cosmos' emergence and sustainability becomes invalidated. The arguments from contingency and the nature of intellection provide more clarity than the ratio Anselmi for acknowledging a transcendent causality, taking the reader to the problem of evil and present-day nihilism. These concepts present great, but not insuperable, difficulty for theism. Geis argues that evil, when one uses it as a means to the betterment of oneself and the world, takes on the rTle commensurate with the doctrine of an omnibenevolent deity. Accordingly, one can use evil as a means to a greater understanding of God, Providence, and eternal destiny.
Download or read book The Religious Beliefs of America s Founders written by Gregg L. Frazer and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2014-08-15 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Were America's Founders Christians or deists? Conservatives and secularists have taken each position respectively, mustering evidence to insist just how tall the wall separating church and state should be. Now Gregg Frazer puts their arguments to rest in the first comprehensive analysis of the Founders' beliefs as they themselves expressed them-showing that today's political right and left are both wrong. Going beyond church attendance or public pronouncements made for political ends, Frazer scrutinizes the Founders' candid declarations regarding religion found in their private writings. Distilling decades of research, he contends that these men were neither Christian nor deist but rather adherents of a system he labels "theistic rationalism," a hybrid belief system that combined elements of natural religion, Protestantism, and reason-with reason the decisive element. Frazer explains how this theological middle ground developed, what its core beliefs were, and how they were reflected in the thought of eight Founders: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, James Wilson, Gouverneur Morris, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington. He argues convincingly that Congregationalist Adams is the clearest example of theistic rationalism; that presumed deists Jefferson and Franklin are less secular than supposed; and that even the famously taciturn Washington adheres to this theology. He also shows that the Founders held genuinely religious beliefs that aligned with morality, republican government, natural rights, science, and progress. Frazer's careful explication helps readers better understand the case for revolutionary recruitment, the religious references in the Declaration of Independence, and the religious elements-and lack thereof-in the Constitution. He also reveals how influential clergymen, backing their theology of theistic rationalism with reinterpreted Scripture, preached and published liberal democratic theory to justify rebellion. Deftly blending history, religion, and political thought, Frazer succeeds in showing that the American experiment was neither a wholly secular venture nor an attempt to create a Christian nation founded on biblical principles. By showcasing the actual approach taken by these key Founders, he suggests a viable solution to the twenty-first-century standoff over the relationship between church and state-and challenges partisans on both sides to articulate their visions for America on their own merits without holding the Founders hostage to positions they never held.
Download or read book The Basics of Christian Belief written by Joshua Strahan and published by Baker Academic. This book was released on 2020-05-19 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This reader-friendly yet robust introduction to the Christian faith explores the essentials of Christianity and the impact they have on life, worldview, and witness. Written in an accessible and engaging voice for college-age readers, the book connects the biblical plotline, the Apostles' Creed, the comparative distinctiveness of Christianity, and life's big questions. The author shows how the Christian metanarrative speaks to questions about purpose, worth, ethics, personhood, and more, and helps readers understand what it means to be a Christian in a post-Christian world.
Download or read book Christianity and Deism Stated By a Layman written by Layman and published by . This book was released on 1753 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
