tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237087217187172116.post3563342564620167022..comments2024-03-28T10:44:30.518-06:00Comments on American Creation: Garry Wills on the Founders on ReligionBrad Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17669677047039491864noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237087217187172116.post-20019408282449516682008-07-15T23:46:00.000-06:002008-07-15T23:46:00.000-06:00Terminology is always a vexatious issue. I think t...Terminology is always a vexatious issue. I think the terms "deist" and "unitarian" as used here are clear and understandable and, as far as I can tell, accurate, but they aren't necessarily the way they're commonly used, now or then. (Most of the UU's I know could not be described as Christian.)<BR/><BR/>I've read that some of Washington's contemporaries considered him a deist, and that the Federalists called Jefferson an atheist in the 1800 campaign. Here's a quote from Isaacson's biography of Franklin (hardcover, p 353):<BR/><BR/>«One day, a Frenchman asked Adams whether he was surprised that Franklin never attended any religious services. "No," Adams replied laughing, "because Mr. Franklin has no ..." Adams did not finish the sentence for fear of seeming too blasphemous.»<BR/><BR/>This suggests that Adams and Franklin were not completely in accord in their shared unitarianism.<BR/><BR/>Finally, it might be too much to treat such slippery characters as Franklin or Jefferson as though they were consistent. They may have thought different things at different times.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com