John Adams Quotes
When I observe into what inconsistent absurdities those persons run who make speculative, metaphysical religion a matter of importance, I am fully determined never to puzzle myself in the mazes of religious discussion, [and] to content myself with practicing the dictates of God and reason so far as I can judge for myself…
John Adams, 1735-1826, 2nd President of the United States (Federalist, MA), Quoted in www.humanismbyjoe.com/Adams_Family_Religion.htm, March 30, 2002
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The anti-intellectualism of many Protestant sects has its roots in this view of Martin Luther’s. The notion of reason as practiced by scientists as a hindrance to religion is not a new notion. Religious leaders have been trying to silence and discredit philosophers and scientists as long as there has been religion. Socrates was killed long before Christianity.
This quotation is sometimes used to show that Washington thought religion important. Most of the founding fathers thought religion both important and potentially dangerous. They had observed Europe tear itself apart over religious differences. Note that Washington uses the words “religious principles” as opposed to “religion” or “religious prescriptions” or “religious doctrine.” The founders were not hostile to the concept of religion—even Jefferson and Franklin saw potential values in religion and religious institutions. They were hostile, however, to letting any particular sect dominate the religious environment of the nation. Nor did they want any of the religions controlling or operating the civil government. See {625616}.
In 1877 Wasburn was dropped from the List of Ministers by the Unitarian Church. He had become very critical of organized and orthodox religion of all kinds. He felt that literal interpretations of the Bible harmed religions as it made a mockery of God to claim His truths were the anachronistic and demonstrable falsehoods of the Book of Genesis. Today most Christians and Jews do not take the Old Testament Literally and in this sense Washburn was one of the early religious reformers of America. There is still a significant number of fundamentalist Christians and orthodox Jews who still believe in the literal truth of everything in the Bible.
This is the Holy Book of the Afro Athlican Constructive Church. This Afro-centric religion, founded in the 1920s in America considered Blacks the “sons and daughters of Ethiopia,” recognized Rogers as “Shepard” and Marcus Garvey as "Prophet and Apostle". The religion and The Holy Piby was so threatening to established Negro religions of the time that it was banned in Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean. It is considered one of the fundamental religious sources for Rastafarians. It is often referred to as “The Black Man’s Bible.” It was translated from a “lost Amharic text” which tells of the lost tribe of Israel migrating to Ethiopia.
Madison was a deist, but was firm that religion was to be an individual matter and not an area in which the state ought be involced.
The Ethical Culture Society was founded as what many people call a secular religion. See {619942}.
The wording was rejected and the delegates insisted upon the original proposed language: “Well aware that Almighty God hath created the mind free …” This is a very important historical quotation because it shows that Henry and a few others wanted to make the society Christian centric, However, the majority insisted that it be non-sectarian. Many of the delegates rejecting the “Jesus Christ” language were themselves practicing Christians, but they were aware of the terrible religious wars and strife in Europe and between Christians and Muslims as well as the persecution of Jews, Quakers, and other sects; they did not want that in America so they rejected the idea of an established Christian Church or culture.
John Adams Jr. was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of the American Revolution that achieved independence from Great Britain, and he served as the first vice president of the United States. Adams was a dedicated diarist and regularly corresponded with many important figures in early American history, including his wife and adviser Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
