-"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."- Opening Sentence of the US Declaration of Indepence, Thomas Jefferson, 1776
When declaring the United States to be a free and separate nation, Thomas Jefferson began with establishing that the former Colonists were well within the rights established by a Creator God to do so. He begins his writing with a statement that it is right and just for a people to dissolve political bonds under certain circumstances, and that the cause for dissolving political bonds should be stated before God and all mankind, so that all may know the justness of separation. This is inherently important here because it sets the tone for all our politics since the revolution. This part of the series is regarding the Revolution and the Founding Documents, so I will cover the ongoing political aspect of American Spirituality later.
Thomas Jefferson, as one of the principal founding fathers, the wartime Governor of Virginia during the Revolution, was actually very developed spiritually.
-"Jefferson was a deist because he believed in one God, in divine providence, in the divine moral law, and in rewards and punishments after death, but did not believe in supernatural revelation. He was a Christian deist because he saw Christianity as the highest expression of natural religion and Jesus as an incomparably great moral teacher. He was not an orthodox Christian because he rejected, among other things, the doctrines that Jesus was the promised Messiah and the incarnate Son of God."-
Thomas Jefferson would often refer to himself as a Christian.
-"To the corruptions of Christianity I am, indeed, opposed; but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian, in the only sense in which he wished any one to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines, in preference to all others; ascribing to himself every human excellence...."-
The writer of one of our key documents was greatly inclined to a spiritual life, even if he was openly hostile to many of the organized churches of his day.
George Washington, while also seemingly more a Deist than a Christian, held great respect for the role of religion in American Life. During his presidency he saluted 22 religious groups for their work. He was often seen at various church services. It was he who pushed for the commisioning and salaries of Chaplains in the Continental Army, establishing the precedent that not only should American Servicemembers have religious freedom, they should also have religious support from their command.
I could go on about the other five men known as "Key Founding Fathers", but I'm not going to. Suffice it to say that all of our founding fathers were spiritual in some manner, but devoted to reasoned theosophy as opposed to religious dogma. The main point is to reference the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence, the most famous sentence of the Declaration:
-"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."-
The Declaration of Independance goes on to list charges against the government of Englad regarding the abuses inflicted upon the Americans. This is a matter for another series entirely. The final section of the Declaration of Independence, however, is also inestimable in value.
-"We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."- emphasis added
Well educated reasoning men signed this document, acknowledging the references to God in it, asserting that it was the very essence of God's Justice and Mercy that men ought to be free. It is by acknowledging our spiritual heritage, and asserting that our rights and liberties are the commandment of God, and finding that moral fiber within ourselves to obey God's laws in and of ourselves that will continue to make us a great nation.
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