April 27, 2015
Word: George Washington on religion
Of all the animosities which have existed among mankind, those which
are caused by a difference of sentiments in religion appear to be the
most inveterate and distressing, and ought to be deprecated. I was in
hopes that the enlightened and liberal policy, which has marked the
present age, would at least have reconciled Christians of every
denomination so far that we should never again see the religious
disputes carried to such a pitch as to endanger the peace of society. -
George Washington, letter to Edward Newenham, October 20, 1792
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4 comments:
It's not for nothing that the Latin root core of the word "religion" itself gives us a clue to the abominations associated with it: just in case the fluid, creative, intuitive, free-flowing mind should get too far out, we must RE-attach the LIGAMENTS of the established rock of ages, the muscular power brokers in the community of humanity, etc. Let's tie up these freewheeling and uncontrolled energy sources, yoke them back to the shackles of superstition, fear and authority!!
People need to stop blaming the existence of religion for all the conflict of the human species. Different religions arise from different world views and ontologies among groups of humans. Even without religion, humans would still argue and fight because humans are assholes. They would fight about capitalism vs. socialism, different philosophies, one ethnicity vs. others etc. The truth, that no one wants to admit, is that human beings are selfish, stupid, putrid and awful primates that still engage in primitive behaviors and use different ideologies to mask their primitive urges for dominance. Screw humanity, I am almost glad that it is almost certain that our species will go extinct in the next hundred years.
George Washington is one of my least favorite historical characters (as opposed to one of his successors in the hot seat, Andrew Hamilton, whom I actually loathe). The idea that "reconciled Christians of every denomination" do not, or would not, foster and promote "religious disputes carried to such a pitch as to endanger the peace of society" is absurd. Race-based slavery was created by, of, and for those Christians; they also brought us the Third Reich; and, lest we forget that "reconciled" Christians don't adapt well to cultural and technological change, I submit Dr. Ben Carson, Justice Thomas, Rush Limbaugh (I'm not sure what category he falls into), and the cast of Fox News cable network. Give me a real deist -- a true believer who's higher power is too big for one religion -- and I'll show you a full-fledged, free thinking Human Being.
A near-contemporary, the Rev. Dr. Bird Wilson, “perused every line that (President George) Washington ever gave to the public and (did) not find one expression in which he pledges himself as a believer in Christianity. … He was a Deist and nothing more.” Wilson judged all of the first six presidents to be “infidels.”
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