Day of Prayer Declaration in 1622

There are several examples on this blog of our founders' declarations for days of fasting and prayer, many from around the time of our Declaration of Independence and later years. But it was the continuation of a tradition that started long before that.

Consider Plymouth Plantation, when there was a severe lack of rain in 1622. Governor Bradford had no federal government to look to for assistance. Instead he looked to the leader that he and his people wanted to be in charge. He wrote this declaration:

"I may not here omit how, notwithstand all their great pains and industry, and the great hopes of a large crop, the Lord seemed to blast, and take away the same, and to threaten further and more sore famine unto them. By a great drought which continued from the third week in May, till about the middle of July, without any rain and with great heat for the most part, insomuch as the corn began to wither away though it was set with fish, the moisture whereof helped it much. Yet at length it began to languish sore, and some of the drier grounds were parched like withered hay, part whereof was never recovered. Upon which they set apart a solemn day of humiliation, to seek the Lord by humble and fervent prayer, in this great distress. And He was pleased to give them a gracious and speedy answer, both to their own and the Indians' admiration that lived amongst them. For all the morning, and greatest part of the day, it was clear weather and very hot, and not a cloud or any sign of rain to be seen; yet toward evening it began to overcast, and shortly after to rain with such sweet and gentle showers as gave them cause of rejoicing and blessing God..."

This was before the Constitution was written, so there was no cry of "separation of church and state." Indeed, the framers who wrote the Constitution took care to assure the states that the new federal government would not interfere with such practices and beliefs by the states.

As found in "Of Plymouth Plantation, 1620-1647", by William Bradford, Samuel Eliot Morison.

Alexander Hamilton - Our Rights Come from the Divine

Alexander Hamilton was the first United States Secretary of Treasury, and was a signer of the U.S. Constitution. We hear it said often (just do a Google search) that our Founders were mostly atheists and that religious faith played no real part in our founding. That is easily argued against by perusing the writings of these men.

The University of Chicago has some fine web pages, including a series of Hamilton's writings. On the page covering Feb. 23, 1775, we find this quote:

The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sun beam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.

Read more on the University's site:

Right of Revolution

Another Founder's Statement of Faith - Robert Treat Paine

Robert Treat Paine is one of our Founders and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. As such he may have been one of those who some today would say were a bunch of theists and atheists. But he was truly a Christian, at least in his own opinion and perhaps that of his church. Here is his statement of faith:

"I Believe the Bible to be the written word of God & to Contain in it the whole Rule of Faith & manners; I consent to the Assemblys Shorter Chatachism as being Agreable to the Reveal¡¯d Will of God & to contain in it the Doctrines that are According to Godliness. I have for some time had a desire to attend upon the Lords Supper and to Come to that divine Institution of a Dying Redeemer, And I trust I¡¯m now convinced that it is my Duty Openly to profess him least he be ashamed to own me An Other day; I humbly therefore desire that you would receive me into your Communion & Fellowship, & I beg your Prayers for me that Grace may be carried on in my soul to Perfection, & that I may live answerable to the Profession I now make which (God Assisting) I purpose to be the main End of all my Actions."

From The papers of Robert Treat Paine, Volume 3 (Stephen T. Riley, Edward William Hanson, Massachusetts Historical Society)

Congress' Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1782

Do you think Thanksgiving started to thank the Indians (as some textbooks claim)? Or to sell stuff at Best Buy?

Here is what the Library of Congress says about the proclamation for Thanksgiving by our Congress in 1782:

Founders Give Thanks
Following the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress recognized the need to give thanks for delivering the country from war and into independence. Congress issued a proclamation on October 11, 1782:

By the United States in Congress assembled.

PROCLAMATION.

IT being the indispensable duty of all Nations, not only to offer up their supplications to ALMIGHTY GOD, the giver of all good, for his gracious assistance in a time of distress, but also in a solemn and public manner to give him praise for his goodness in general, and especially for great and signal interpositions of his providence in their behalf: Therefore the United States in Congress assembled, taking into their consideration the many instances of divine goodness to these States, in the course of the important conflict in which they have been so long engaged; the present happy and promising state of public affairs; and the events of the war, in the course of the year now drawing to a close; particularly the harmony of the public Councils, which is so necessary to the success of the public cause; the perfect union and good understanding which has hitherto subsisted between them and their Allies, notwithstanding the artful and unwearied attempts of the common enemy to divide them; the success of the arms of the United States, and those of their Allies, and the acknowledgment of their independence by another European power, whose friendship and commerce must be of great and lasting advantage to these States:----- Do hereby recommend to the inhabitants of these States in general, to observe, and request the several States to interpose their authority in appointing and commanding the observation of THURSDAY the twenty-eight day of NOVEMBER next, as a day of solemn THANKSGIVING to GOD for all his mercies: and they do further recommend to all ranks, to testify to their gratitude to GOD for his goodness, by a cheerful obedience of his laws, and by promoting, each in his station, and by his influence, the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness.

Done in Congress, at Philadelphia, the eleventh day of October, in the year of our LORD one thousand seven hundred and eighty-two, and of our Sovereignty and Independence, the seventh.

JOHN HANSON, President.

Charles Thomson, Secretary.

Yale University's Roots - A Christian Mission

Perhaps you are not aware, as I was not, that many of our early educational institutions in the United States were founded with religious missions. Many of these entities are not now associated with religious principles.

One such is Yale University, originally founded in 1701 as Yale College. Its founders intended Yale be an institution where:

"Youth may be instructed in the Arts and Sciences who through the blessing of Almighty God may be fitted for Publick employment both in Church and Civil State."

Among the requirements for Yale students was:

"All Scholars shall live religious, godly, and blameless lives according to the rules of God's Word, diligently reading the Holy Scriptures, the fountain of light and truth; and constantly attend upon all the duties of religion, both in public and secret.
"...Every student shall consider the main end of his study to wit to know God in Jesus Christ and answerably to lead a Godly, sober life."

One can be sure that incoming students are not given that requirement today, but it does point out something in our history that is not generally known today.

Learn more at the links below:


http://www.yale.edu/about/history.html

http://chamberscollege.com/LibralArts.html

http://michaelnewdow.com/YaleCollege.htm

U.S. 2nd Continental Congress Attended Christ Church, 1775-76

On a recent vacation I had the chance to see some of the historic sites in Philadelphia. On the Sunday I was there I attended worship at Christ Church. This historic church was attended by George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Morris, and Alexander Hamilton. Betsy Ross' pew is also there, and shows up in some of the National Park Service's materials with the U.S. flag hanging over it (the flag brackets have since been removed). Several of our Founders are buried on the church grounds.

I have written before about the proclamation for a Public Day of Fasting, Prayer and Humiliation on July 20, 1775, which was passed by our Second Continental Congress. Right after doing so, the Congress as a body went the few blocks to Christ Church and attended a worship service. Can you imagine our Congress today doing so?

Read more at the links below:

http://www.christianheritagemins.org/articles/The%20Religion%20of%20the%20American%20Founding%20Fathers%20-%20Christ%20Church,%20Philadelphia.pdf

http://granitegrok.com/blog/2010/06/first_prayer_of_the_continental_congress.html

Should We Use the Bible in Public Schools?

Benjamin Rush was one of the signers of our Declaration of Independence. One could suppose that men who were so involved in the founding of our nation might have a good idea of what was allowed and not allowed by our form of government.

Today no teacher in a public school would even consider teaching from the Bible, or even allowing daily Bible reading as part of class. Teachers and administrators have stated that such a practice would be against the "separation of church and state" (by which they mean against the Constitution).

Certainly many modern-day parents would not be in favor of such a practice. Even many Christian parents would not want to trust the teaching of the Bible in an environment that has often been hostile to the Bible. But that leaves the question of whether or not it is constitutional to do such a thing.

Consider the opinion of Benjamin Rush. In 1786 he said the following:

I do not mean to exclude books of history, poetry, or even fables from our schools. They may and should be read frequently by our young people, but if the Bible is made to give way to them altogether, I foresee that it will be read in a short time only in churches and in a few years will probably be found only in the offices of magistrates and in courts of justice.

From Benjamin Rush. “Thoughts Upon the Mode of Education Proper in a Republic” from American Political Writing during the Founding Era, 1760-1805, Volume 1, p. 684, edited by Charles S. Hyneman and Donald S. Lutz (Indianapolis: Liberty Press, 1983)

Perhaps Rush might think that, if parents wish the Bible to be excluded from teaching, that the point be made on the basis of logic or desire, but not because doing so would be disallowed by our nation's laws and founding documents.

Early History: Proclamation for Day of Thanksgiving to GOD

 Our country was founded by people of religious faith. They had God interwoven throughout the early documents, from the voyages of Columbus through the landing on Plymouth Rock through this example from the Governor of Connecticut in 1721. Our Founders believed we owe gratitude to God for our blessings, and that we need to appeal to God for forgiveness of our sins.

The U.S. Constitution was ratified years later, and limited the power of the Federal Government to make laws about religion (either creating one or limiting any). But it left in place the official religions the majority of our states had in place at the time. The Founders wanted the Federal Government to leave this kind of thing to the states.

The proclamation is below, courtesy of the Library of Congress (forgive the computer's text recognition, although some of the "odd" words are simply forms in use during these days):

By the HONOURABLE,
Gurdon Saltonstall, Esq;
GOVERNOUR of His Majesty's Colony of Connecticut in New-England

A PROCLAMATION
For a Publick Thanksgiving.

ALTHOUGH, Considering the Judgments of GOD, which are on the Earth, in the great Distress & Desolation brought upon many Nations, both by WAR and PESTILENCE.

And Considering also particularly, the awful Tokens of GOD's Righteous Anger against us, Especially, in the Contagious SICKNESS which has been in divers Places of the Land, and in the continued RAINS, by which great Losses have been sustained, It becomes Us to be deeply Humbled before the LORD.

IT is Nevertheless our Duty to Acknowledge the many Instances of Divine Goodness, which the LORD whose Ways, are not as Ours, has Graciously vouchtaled Us and which are never to be forgotten...........Namely,

THE Smiles of Providence on the BRITISH Empire, and particularly, On Our Sovereign Lord the KING, in the Prosperity of His Life and Reign: On Their Royal Highnesses the PRINCE and PRINCESS of Wales, and and on all the Branches of the ROYAL FAMILY, not only, in Their Happy Increase, by the BIRTH of the Royal Prince WILLIAM AUGUSTUS, but, also, in the Lives of Others of Them when in Hazard by Sickness, have been Mercifully Spared.

THE PEACE which has been Continued, and Confirmed to Our Nation, after so many Endeavours to interrupt It.

THE Preservation of the British Dominions from the Raging PESTILENCE, which has laid so many Places waste, within their View, and Neighbourhood.

THE General HEALTH that has been Enjoyed in the Land, notwithstanding, The SMALLPOX has prevailed so much, in the Principal Place of our Neighbouring Province.

THE Preservation of Our COLONY, in so great a Measure from that Contagious Sickness, when We have been in great Danger of It; The Continuance of Our Privileges both Civil and Sacred; The Peace which we have Enjoyed: And the good Supply of the Fruits of the Earth, which the present Year has been Crowned with.

WHICH are, (All of them) Blessings from the LORD, whose Mercy therein We ought to Celebrate with great THANKFULNESS.

I have therefore thought fit, with the Abbice and Consent of the Council, and at the Desire of the Representatives, to Appoint, and do hereby Appoint Wednesday, the Eight Day of November next, to be Observed as a Day of publick THANKGIVING throughout the Colony. Exhorting all both Ministers & People, with Unseigned Devotion, to Bless the Name of the LORD, and praise him for all the Wonders of his Goodness; And, to Beg that the mercy which we Adore, may in all the needful Instances thereof be manifested to Us.

And all Service Labours on the said Day is hereby strictly prohibited.

Given in New-Haven, the Fourteenth Day of October, Anno Domini 1721, In the Eight year of the Reign of Our Sovereign lord GEORGE, by the Grace of GOD of Great Britain, France and Ireland, KING, Defender of the Faith, &c.

G. SALTONSTALL.

GOD Save the KING.

NEW-LONDON: Printed by Timothy Green, Printer to his Honour the GOVERNOUR and COMPANY, 1721.

Religious Thoughts on the Establishment of St. Johns River Settlement, Fla.

When you think of the religious settlers who came to this "New World" to make a new life, do you (as I) think of the Puritans and the Pilgrims? Most of us do, I suspect.

There are many more examples. If you have read this blog you may have learned about the religious convictions of Christopher Columbus and other historic figures. But how about Rene de Laudonniere?

In 1564 Rene de Laudonniere led a group that settled at St. Johns River in Florida. They colonized and built Fort Caroline (in the general area of today's Jacksonville). Upon the creation of this settlement, de Laudonnier recorded these words:

"We sang a psalm of Thanksgiving unto God, beseeching Him that it would please Him to continue His accustomed goodness towards us."

This event has been called the First Thanksgiving in America (even though the settlement was wiped out by Spanish soldiers the next year).

Read more here:

Google Books extract

First Official Prayer of Congress

Our nation truly started to form into the United States of America when the Continental Congress began to meet. The first session was on September 7, 1774, and the first action was the opening prayer. We read on many web sites and hear stated on the news that our nation was not founded by Christians, but rather but a bunch of deists. But that's hard to believe, given the prayer that was offered that day. Surely these smart folks know the kind of prayer Christ Church's Reverend Jacob Duché would likely give. Here is the complete text:

O Lord our Heavenly Father, high and mighty King of kings, and Lord of lords, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all the Kingdoms, Empires and Governments; look down in mercy, we beseech Thee, on these our American States, who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent only on Thee. To Thee have they appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support, which Thou alone canst give. Take them, therefore, Heavenly Father, under Thy nurturing care; give them wisdom in Council and valor in the field; defeat the malicious designs of our cruel adversaries; convince them of the unrighteousness of their Cause and if they persist in their sanguinary purposes, of own unerring justice, sounding in their hearts, constrain them to drop the weapons of war from their unnerved hands in the day of battle!

Be Thou present, O God of wisdom, and direct the councils of this honorable assembly; enable them to settle things on the best and surest foundation. That the scene of blood may be speedily closed; that order, harmony and peace may be effectually restored, and truth and justice, religion and piety, prevail and flourish amongst the people. Preserve the health of their bodies and vigor of their minds; shower down on them and the millions they here represent, such temporal blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world and crown them with everlasting glory in the world to come. All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son and our Savior.

Amen.

Reverend Jacob Duché
Rector of Christ Church of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
September 7, 1774, 9 o’clock a.m.

As found on the Office of the Chaplain, U.S. House of Representatives website:
http://chaplain.house.gov/archive/continental.html

No Tax Breaks for Ministers?

Michael Newdow is in the news again. He might quite a stir a few years back when he sued over the phrase "under God." Now he is campaigning against the practice of giving tax breaks to ministers.

It's an interesting topic. Normally I look back at practices early in our history, but in our early history there was no IRS. However, in general it seems the Founders did not want to burden churches. After our Constitution was ratified, many towns still supported their ministers with town funds, including paying their salary. Ministers were considered a common good for the community.

And even before the Constitution, tax revenues supported ministers. Look at this article (scroll down to the "Role of religion" section):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticut_Colony

We can also look to Thomas Jefferson, who brought the phrase "separation of church and state" that we so often mis-use today. As President of the United States, Jefferson signed the treaty that used Federal money to pay for a priest to spread the Gospel to the Kaskaskian Indians:
http://churchvstate.blogspot.com/2009/04/christian-nation-or-not-what-would-john.html

It seems to me the Founders would not have had much heartburn about tax breaks to ministers, but that is a difficult point to prove absolutely. It's interesting to ponder, though.

Read more about Newdow's action here:
http://usgovinfo.about.com/b/2009/10/20/the-under-god-atheist-takes-on-irs.htm

Delaware Constitution Required Belief in God to Hold Office

Delaware was one of nine states that had constitutions of their own before the U.S. Constitution was written. For those who don't think faith was important to our Founders, or who think our Founders wanted to keep religion far away from government with some kind of high wall, consider this constitution.

If you wished to hold public office in Delaware in those days, you had to take this oath, found in Article 22 of that constitution:

"I, [name here], do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost, one God, blessed for evermore; and I do acknowledge the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration."

(As found on the University of Chicago website: http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/a6_3s2.html)

Christian Religion Extremely Important to Colonial America

When I was in public school, I learned a little about the religious roots of our country. Mostly I learned that the Pilgrims came here for religious freedom to worship in the way they chose. Today, even that is not taught as often. But a huge part of our early religious-influenced history was not taught when I was in school. This is logical enough, because there is only so much time for teaching history and there was a lot to cover. Still, more perspective can be gained by understanding how religion was ingrained into our early culture AND laws.

Consider one of the governing documents of early Massachusetts, the "Body of Liberties of the Massachusets Collonie in New England." It contains several items that would raise eyebrows today, even in the context of 300+ year-old history. A few excerpts follow.

"1. No mans life shall be taken away, no mans honour or good name shall be stayned, no mans person shall be arested, restrayned, banished, dismembred, nor any wayes punished, no man shall be deprived of his wife or children, no mans goods or estaite shall be taken away from him, nor any way indammaged under colour of law or Countenance of Authoritie, unlesse it be by vertue or equitie of some expresse law of the Country waranting the same, established by a generall Court and sufficiently published, or in case of the defect of a law in any parteculer case by the word of God.
...
"58. Civill Authoritie hath power and libertie to see the peace, ordinances and Rules of Christ observed in every church according to his word. so it be done in a Civill and not in an Ecclesiastical way.
...
"91. There shall never be any bond slaverie, villinage or Captivitie amongst us unles it be lawfull Captives taken in just warres, and such strangers as willingly selle themselves or are sold to us. And these shall have all the liberties and Christian usages which the law of god established in Israell concerning such persons doeth morally require. This exempts none from servitude who shall be Judged thereto by Authoritie.
...
"If any man after legall conviction shall have or worship any other god, but the lord god, he shall be put to death.
...
"If any person shall Blaspheme the name of god, the father, Sonne or Holie Ghost, with direct, expresse, presumptuous or high handed blasphemie, or shall curse god in the like manner, he shall be put to death."

Such provisions were not in our own U.S. Constitution (like being put to death for speaking against God) and are not acceptable in today's thinking. But there were a part of our history. As uncomfortable as they are to consider in today's context, they do point to the strong religious convictions of our Founders.

Read more in "The Founders' Constitution" on the University of Chicago's website:

http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/amendI_religions3.html

Call for National Prayer Unconstitutional? Hardly!

The previous post on this blog was about a federal judge who declared a National Day of Prayer to be a violation of the Constitution's so-called "separation of church and state." Really. In that decision, she found meaning that apparently eluded the men who actually wrote and ratified the Constitution.

From the time of our Declaration of Independence (once the U.S. began its own government), there have been 164 calls for national prayer. Many of these were from Presidents, others from Congress. All three branches of government have recognized the religious nature of the country since our founding.

Here are examples of a national call for prayer, all between the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the end of the 1700's.

Continental Congress Proclamation on November 1, 1777. The Continental Congress recommended to the “legislative and executive powers” to set apart December 18, 1777 for “solemn thanksgiving and praise.” Reflecting on the closing year motivated the call to prayer.

Continental Congress Proclamation on October 26, 1781. The Continental Congress recommended to the “several states” to set apart December 13, 1781 as a “day of THANKSGIVING and PRAYER.” Reflecting on the closing year motivated the call to prayer.

Continental Congress Proclamation on October 11, 1782. The Continental Congress recommended to “the inhabitants of these States in general” and requested “the several states” to set apart December 28, 1782 as a “day of SOLEMN THANKSGIVING to GOD.” Reflecting on the closing year motivated
the call to prayer.

George Washington Proclamation on October 3, 1789. A “day of public thanksgiving and prayer” set apart on November 26, 1789. Reflecting on the closing year motivated the call to prayer.

George Washington Proclamation on January 1, 1795. A “day of public thanksgiving and prayer” set apart on February 19, 1796. Reflecting on the closing year motivated the call to prayer.

John Adams Proclamation on March 23, 1798. A “day of solemn humiliation, fasting, [and] prayer” set apart on May 9, 1798. Reflecting on the state of war motivated the call to prayer.

As found in the amicus brief filed by the American Center for Law and Justice.

Religion's Role in the Revolutionary War: the Rev. Jonas Clark

Today, as we hear debates on various issues, our religious leaders sometimes speak out. Those who feel our founders intended for ministers and priests to stay out of such matters raise the phrase "separation of church and state." Perhaps, though, in objecting that way, they are not aware of the role religion played in important events in the past, such as the abolition of slavery, or even the formation of our country.

Consider the role of Reverend Jonas Clark, minister in Lexington around the time of the Revolutionary War. Here is a small quote from the speech, "The Rev. Jonas Clark," given by Theodore Gilman to The New York Society of the Order of the Founders and Patriots of America, at the Hotel Manhattan, New York, October 19th, 1911:

"It is an alluring task to recount the names of these patriots. But we must refrain, for we wish to restrict ourselves to honor here this evening, one who is pre-eminent among these leaders and thinkers, the Rev. Jonas Clark pastor of the church at Lexington, Massachusetts, for fifty years. His place was not on the battlefield, but he nerved the arms of the fighters, he informed the minds of legislators and he unfolded the principles of equity and righteousness on which the contest for independence was based. Jonas Clark, the revolutionary pastor and thinker, was a man whose mental powers should place him in line with Locke, Rousseau and Jefferson, and whose influence on the destinies of the republic was felt by John Hancock Samuel Adams, and the Legislature and people of Massachusetts as well as by the men of Lexington who were the heroes of the 19th of April, 1775."

Read the whole speech here:

http://www.archive.org/stream/revjonasclark00gilmrich/revjonasclark00gilmrich_djvu.txt

Charter of Virginia, 1606: Mission Is to Propagate Christian Religion

Texas recently had to undergo a long debate about including more of the religious history of our country in the history books their public schools would use. To some extent I suspect this was "push back" because many of our textbooks are leaving out some of that very important aspect of our founding and history. No matter what you think about "separation of church and state" or public prayer or influence of religious leaders in politics, surely there is no harm in teaching our children about the nature of our founding. Consider the following, which is part of the founding document of one of our earliest colonies:

The First Charter of Virginia; April 10, 1606

"We, greatly commending, and graciously accepting of, their Desires for the Furtherance of so noble a Work, which may, by the Providence of Almighty God, hereafter tend to the Glory of his Divine Majesty, in propagating of Christian Religion to such People, as yet live in Darkness and miserable Ignorance of the true Knowledge and Worship of God, and may in time bring the Infidels and Savages, living in those parts, to human Civility, and to a settled and quiet Government: DO, by these our Letters Patents, graciously accept of, and agree to, their humble and well-intended Desires..."



Read the entire document on the Yale Law site:

http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/va01.asp

Can History be Taught Well without Mentioning "Church"

I have stated many times that religion was an important of the history and culture of our country. But the role of religion in our founding and development is being downplayed or even ignored in some history texts (see the post The Bible Removed from History? on this blog). In fact, one of the purposes of this blog is to help restore knowledge of that part of our history.

Consider this example. Did I have to go to some right-wing blog source to find it? No, just to the Stamford Historical Society. It is from an article with the heading Stamford’s Colonial Period 1641–1783, and points out that the church had a very strong role and influence in the town.

During the colonial period, two major forces dominated life in Stamford and these were the authority of the New Haven Colony over Stamford on the one hand and the power of the Congregational Church on the other. Stamford was established as a settlement belonging to the New Haven Colony. In 1640 the Connecticut Colony and the New Haven Colony were separate jurisdictions, each with its own government and court system. Stamford chafed under New Haven until Charles II of England issued the Connecticut Charter in 1662 under which New Haven was merged into the Connecticut Colony. The Congregational church was the key force that dominated all spiritual and secular affairs. Until 1731 Town Meetings and church meeting were one.

The Congregational Church later lost its tight grip on the town as other Christian denominations became more present. Read the whole article below:

Portrait of a Family: Stamford through the Legacy of the Davenports

Thomas Jefferson's Proudest Accomplishments

I have mentioned Thomas Jefferson many times in this blog. Probably his most common mention here is because he once used the phrase "separation of church and state" in a letter, and that phrase somehow has become our de facto guide to the meaning of the Constitution's First Amendment religion clauses. But does it really mean what some people take it to mean? Did Jefferson mean that there can be no governmental recognition or accmomodation of religion? Read on...

Of course, Thomas Jefferson is know for a great many things. But what did Jefferson himself consider his greatest accomplishments? Certainly not the letter mentioned above. At the age of only 33, he penned the words of the Declaration of Independence. Now that is definitely one for the history books! He was proud enough of that work to have it chiseled into his headstone. Sharing the honor (after the Declaration) is his authorship of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom and his role as father of the University of Virginia.

The statute was a law that, among other things, specified a fine for working on the sabbath.

And consider his work as president of the University of Virginia (a state institution).


The following was previously posted as Jefferson's Actions Speak Louder than a few of His Words:

In order to accommodate and perpetuate the religious beliefs and practices of students at the university, he recommended that students be allowed to meet on the campus to pray, worship, and receive religious instruction, or, if necessary, to meet and pray with their professors.

He provided in his regulations for the University of Virginia that the main rotunda be used for religious worship under the regulations allowed to be prescribed by law.

He proposed that all University of Virginia students be required to study as a matter of ethics "the proofs of the being of a God, the creator, preserver, and supreme ruler of the universe, the author of all relations within morality, and of the laws and obligations these infer."

See a photo of Jefferson's gravestone here:
Thomas Jefferson’s Greatest Achievement

Stamford, CT - Early Education Was Christian

Remember the tussles some towns had this past Christmas about mixing religion with public school? There were debates about whether a concert of Handel's Messiah could be held in a school auditorium; there were debates about whether children's gift exchanges should prohibit items with a red & green color scheme; there were not too many debates about teaching the meaning of Christmas because no public school that I have heard of has the nerve to risk a lawsuit by doing so.

Yet in our past, from the earliest days of our country's founding, this was not a concern. I have pointed out before that it was not a concern of Thomas Jefferson, the many who is so often cited because he once used the phrase "separation of church and state." But there are countless other examples of the regular use of religious sources and/or teaching in public schools.

As one example, look at the Stamford Historical Society of Connecticut. Once of our original 13 colonies, Connecticut has a history that includes religion (President Jefferson's "separation" quote is from a letter to a group in Danbury, CT, who worried their religious freedom might be in danger). One of Stamford's first school house was also used for Christian worship services, a concept that might be challenged today (look through past blog posts on this blog to find examples). But that is an example of building use for convenience, not curriculum. An article from Stamford's historical society includes the following tidbits:

• Usually the Congregational minister had considerable influence in selecting a teacher, and any young man who voiced unorthodox opinions would quickly be turned down.
• ...the code of 1650 ruled that parents and schoolmasters must question children systematically each week in the principles of Christian religion. This catechism requirement persisted until 1821.
• ...the Bible undoubtedly served as a textbook for early Stamford children...
• The first edition of The New England Primer appeared in 1690, It introduced children to reading by means of a series of woodcuts, each with a letter of the alphabet used in a cheerful little rhyme such as, “In Adam's fall, we sinned all,” Next came easy syllables to be recited and memorized and then words, including words like “fidelity” and “fornication.” The primer did not shrink from letting its young readers in on the sins of the biblical fathers: “Uriah's Beauteous Wife Made David Seek his Life.”
• ...in 1731, a division of administration put the Stamford schools under church jurisdiction in what were known as Ecclesiastical Society Meetings. ... The School Society appointed “school visitors” who were delegated to inspect each school at least twice a season; without the inspections, the school would forfeit its portion of the public money. The visitors could “direct the public exercises of the youth, as well as their instructions in letters, religion, morals and manners.” Particularly, the visitors were supposed to direct the daily reading of the Bible, approve the weekly catechism instruction and recommend that the schoolmaster conclude the exercises each day with a prayer.

The header of this article is (boldface added):

Education Spelled Freedom

From:
Stamford Past & Present, 1641 – 1976
The Commemorative Publication of the Stamford Bicentennial Committee

The writer's opinion is that our American Revolution probably would not have happened were it not for the education of the general public. And part of that education included teaching about religion and reading from the Bible (the latter being a characteristic of the Washington, D.C. school district when Thomas Jefferson oversaw its operation).

Read the entire article here:

http://www.stamfordhistory.org/pp_ed.htm

Jefferson and Madison: The Sabbath Law (No Kidding)

There are quotes floating around from both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison that might seem to prove they wanted the government to strongly accommodate religion, and you can find quotes that seem to say they would not want such a thing. Part of this is due to the understanding of "religion" in the early days of our country. Today we use it to mean any sort of religion (including, in some definitions, secularism and atheism). But back then they generally were referring to Christianity.

There is also general misunderstanding about the difference between the federal government and the various state governments. The founders wanted the federal government to stay out of the business of the states as much as possible. So when the First Amendment was written, prohibiting Congress from establishing any law respecting an establishment of religion, the founders were limiting the federal government, knowing full well that many states had indeed established an official religion. The new Constitution did nothing to interfere with the state religions.

Why do we hear so much from the words of Jefferson and Madison? Good question. They were only 2 of the founders, but many other contributed. Also, Jefferson was in France when the Constitution was written. But they are both truly outstanding men in our history. Jefferson was the wordsmith for our Declaration of Independence and Madison is known as the Father of the Constitution. So did they really want religion kept far from government? Would they have disapproved of displaying the Ten Commandments in/on/around a public building?

Or let's go way out on a limb. Would these men have approved of a "sabbath law" that provided for a fine if a man was caught working on the Sabbath? Actually, yes, they would. In fact, they were both from Virginia and were the two men mainly responsible for the Virginia Sabbath Law in 1786. It was Bill No. 84 and said:

"If any person on Sunday shall himself be found labouring at his own or any other trade or calling, or shall employ his apprentices, servants or slaves in labour, or other business, except it be in the ordinary household offices of daily necessity, or other work of necessity or charity, he shall forfeit the sum of ten shillings for every such offence, deeming every apprentice, servant, or slave so employed, and every day he shall be so employed as constituting a distinct offence." (The Papers of Thomas Jefferson 555)

Read more at the following links:

http://vftonline.org/TenC%204%20USA/UShistory/4th.htm

http://www.covenantnews.com/davidnew040312.htm

http://lists.ucla.edu/pipermail/religionlaw/2004-September/017278.html