George Washington Quotes
While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.
Washington, George. "General Orders, 2 May 1778." The Writings of George Washington, vol. 11, edited by John C. Fitzpatrick, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1934, p. 343.
The sermon was so stirring that it was published in Pittsburgh and distributed throughout the Union.
This text, generally considered the most important of all the Hindu works is believed to be the guidance given by Lord Krishna, the most important of the God figures, to has friend and devotee Arjuna. It originally was an episode of the enormous Mahabharata, the history of the ancient world written originally in Sanskrit. The date is approximate and different scholars have dated it from 500 BC to 50 BC. The Bhagavad Gita is generally regarded as the most concise description of Hindu philosophy. For some religions, fighting and war is not only permissible but can be a religious duty. Islam has the same notion. Christianity in contrast has had more of a theological struggle with war as a duty and even had to develop the concept of a “just war” to make fighting morally permissible. But this compunction, also shared with Buddhists and Bhai for example, is by no means universal. When religious Muslims fought religious Hindus as they have for over 1000 years, it is particularly difficult even today to make peace as so many on both sides see the battle as a religious duty.
The Manual was found by the Manchester (England) Metropolitan Police during a search of an Al Qaida member's home. In Islam there is virtually no difference between religion and civil life.
Objectors to the Separation of Church and State Doctrine point to this quotation to justify giving preferences to Christians in majority Christian societies and presumably to prefer Muslims in Islamic nations. Most of the Founding Fathers and most of the general population were on the opposite side of this issue. Hence the First Amendment was one of the conditions for ratification. There has always been a large minority who believe that America was founded by people who were mostly Christian (Protestant) and there is nothing wrong with having America be a Christian nation and preferring Christians for key government positions.
George Washington was the first President of the United States (1789-97), the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He presided over the convention that drafted the current United States Constitution and during his lifetime was called the "father of his country".
