Ethan Allen on God, Reason, Prayer, & Religion

In this final installment of our special series on the Founding Fathers and their thoughts on God, Religion, & the Divine, we move to farmer, politician, and guerilla revolutionary leader Ethan Allen, who perhaps is best known for leading the Green Mountain Boys (and other fighters) in their raid and capture Fort Ticonderoga, a strategic victory which severely hampered communication between the northern and southern units of the British army. Like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, Ethan Allen might be best described as a Progressive...

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Ethan Allen From Philosopedia

Ethan Allen From Philosopedia Allen, Ethan [Colonel] (21 January 1738 - 12 February 1789) A hero of the American Revolution, Allen in 1784 wrote, “I have generally been denominated a Deist, the reality of which I have never disputed, being conscious that I am no Christian, except mere infant baptism makes me one; and as to being a Deist, I know not, strictly speaking, whether I am one or not.” He found trinitarianism “destitute of foundation, and tends manifestly to superstition and idolatry.”...

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Deism Origins of Life & Species.

Edited by Dr. Ben Johnson, Doctor of Divinity, Deist About the origin of the species and of life itself: There are multiple theories concerning the origins of the multitude of species of life on Earth that currently exist or have existed in the past: Creation Science: One version of this theory teaches that God created all of the species of life, from bacteria to dinosaurs to oak trees, and humans. This happened during less than a week, perhaps 6 to 10 thousand years ago. This is one of many interpretations of the creation...

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Separation of Church and State?

The founding fathers' views on religion and government After the recent flap over the 9th circuit court's pledge decision (ruling the added phrase 'under God,' inserted into the pledge in 1954, to be unconstitutional), I've received a lot of requests for the thoughts of the Founding fathers on the issue of Separation of Church and State. At issue is the belief of many mainstream Christians that separation is a later construct of the courts, and never intended by the founders. Another prominent argument is that the founders only opposed the establishment...

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Deism is Making a Positive Difference despite Threats and Ingrained Superstitions

Deism is a very important living philosophy. It is not burdened with man-made dogma masquerading as divine revelation and clergy who pretend they have special insight into the mind of The Supreme Intelligence/God. Below are two emails we recently received which demonstrate the profound good Deism brings to people as well as the danger Deists in Islamic nations face simply by being a Deist. Both emails make very clear the importance of Deists stepping forward to do all they can to promote Deism for the betterment of themselves and of the world....

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Deism and Christianity by Bill McCracken

I thought it would be interesting to consider what Deism shares with the Christian religion. This topic could be a bit tricky because Deists have no set of codified beliefs. We consider ourselves to be free-thinkers, so we don’t tell each other what to believe. But, in a nutshell, Deists believe in God as revealed in nature, and then use reason to determine for ourselves our other personal beliefs and practices. This makes me reluctant to speak for all Deists everywhere, so I’ll just share the similarities that I know of.  ...

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Bogus Quotes Attributed to the Founders

  Introduction Quotes that were never made by the Founders, but refuse to die, especially on the Internet, are discussed.  The "Liberty Teeth" Speech by George Washington  Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence. The church, the plow, the prairie wagon, and citizen's firearms are indelibly related. From the hour the Pilgrims landed, to the present day, events, occurrences, and tendencies prove that to insure peace, security...

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