tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237087217187172116.post1799983047485505017..comments2024-03-28T10:28:25.907-06:00Comments on American Creation: "Providence" as Explicitly Christian God-TalkBrad Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17669677047039491864noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237087217187172116.post-22958504825169806542008-12-13T15:20:00.000-07:002008-12-13T15:20:00.000-07:00Kristo:Have you ever read Faiths of the Founding F...Kristo:<BR/><BR/>Have you ever read <EM>Faiths of the Founding Fathers</EM> by David Holmes? I think you would like it. His arguments are quite similar to the ones you are making here.Brad Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17669677047039491864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237087217187172116.post-66302504459547204842008-12-11T13:24:00.000-07:002008-12-11T13:24:00.000-07:00I suspected that Frazer's view differed mainly in ...I suspected that Frazer's view differed mainly in terminology, but didn't want to speak on his behalf, not having read his thesis.<BR/><BR/>The distinction between "deism" and "theism" wasn't sharp in the 18th century, but the distinction between "rationalism" and "Christianity" was. In this sense, I find that the term "theistic rationalism", though accurate in the same sense that calling a dog a mammal is accurate, underspecifies what the content of the civic religion really was.<BR/><BR/>If modern evangelicals read too much into the term "Christian" (I don't know of this personally, but then again I don't visit the same websites that you do), overspecifying it relative to how it should be used in discussing the civic religion, or relative to how it should be used in discussing Christianity throughout history (which two senses I more or less equate), then that's too bad, but that's their problem. Refusing to use the more specific term (when otherwise warranted) seems to me to be a mistake.Kristo Miettinenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11915769006991993189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237087217187172116.post-62062950242831903122008-12-11T12:36:00.000-07:002008-12-11T12:36:00.000-07:00"This post seeks to explore Deism as it might have..."This post seeks to explore Deism as it might have influenced the founding, showing that the unorthodox Christianity of early America could in some sense be called Christian Deism."<BR/><BR/>This is exactly what David L. Holmes terms it. What he terms "Christian-Deism" and what Frazer terms "theistic rationalism," are in essence the same thing.Jonathan Rowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04079637406589278386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237087217187172116.post-42727424031618758312008-12-11T11:45:00.000-07:002008-12-11T11:45:00.000-07:00I just posted something on top of this. Free free...I just posted something on top of this. Free free to repost yours so it gets top billing.Jonathan Rowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04079637406589278386noreply@blogger.com