[Looking at why our area has its unique political and religious attitudes.]

Did President Jefferson promote religious education?

That brings up the bigger question. Was our country founded as a Christian nation?

We have seen in earlier editions that Thomas Jefferson was an ardent financial supporter and advocate of education for Native American groups, who came to our Territory, by well-educated preacher-teachers who were settler-leaders. Is that not a conflict between church and state?

School taught us that the first Europeans came to British America for religious tolerance. That is true, but the harassment and persecution for different practice continued. New arrivals tended to settle with likeminded groups. Like in England, the Anglican colonies were not tolerant.

Recall, because the colonists were pursuing religious practice on their terms, the make-up of the early settlers was predominantly “magisterial reforms”, ‘reformed protestant”, and “radical reform”. The “magisterial reform” or Anglican settled five Southern colonies and the “reformed protestant” or Congregationalist (Puritans) settled three New England colonies. One colony was Baptist and Separatist settlers and one was Quaker, both of “radical reform’ tradition.

Three were Protestant with no specific sect. These included Delaware, Georgia, and New Jersey.

Look at the Charter for New Jersey article XIX: “That there shall be no establishment of any one religious sect in this Province, in preference to another; and that no Protestant inhabitant of this Colony shall be denied the enjoyment of any civil right, merely on account of his religious principles; but that all persons, professing a belief in the faith of any Protestant sect, who shall demean themselves peaceably under the government, as hereby established, shall be capable of being elected into any office of profit or trust.”

Consider Delaware’s Charter: “AND that all Persons who also profess to believe in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the World, shall be capable (notwithstanding their other Persuasions and Practices in Point of Conscience and Religion) to serve this Government in any Capacity, both legislatively and executively.”

The oath of office is significant. “I _______, 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 Testament and New Testament to be given by Divine Inspiration.î

Except for “radical reform” Rhode Island, other colonies had similar requirements for Protestant profession. The country was decidedly Christian, more specifically Protestant.

The Quaker “radical reform” Pennsylvania had a very similar articulation. Their Constitution in 1776 required this oath for elected representatives: “I do believe in one God, the Creator and Governor of the Universe, the rewarder of the good and punisher of the wicked. And I do acknowledge the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by Divine inspiration.”

One can nuance to make that say whatever. But it is simply elegant.

The challenge was that the Congregational and Anglican colonies had similar requirements with the added stipulation that the relationship be to their particular sect religion.

The Congregationalist of Massachusetts expelled Roger Williams for teaching his Baptist “radical reform” tenets.

It is in this context that in one of his many letters Jefferson asserted “every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty…they have perverted the purest religion ever preached to man into mystery and jargon.”

The articulate Jefferson was specifically referring to the foundation of the Reformation about the excesses in the state and church alliance. He well knew the difference between priest versus Protestant preachers.

He rejected orthodox Christianity as defined by the reformed who practiced a state church in the Congregational colonies.

Both Jefferson and his old friend Franklin were decidedly acknowledged followers of Christian teaching, but wanted to allow people to follow their own religious tradition without submission to the state or federal government. Their design was freedom of religious practice from government control not freedom from religion.

Why was this difference in religion such a big deal? The original people who came over, not long before, came to practice religion their way.

The Protestant colonies without a sect allied with the “radical reform” colonies who followed independent, free-thinking, personal responsibility teaching with limited hierarchal leadership. To promote their freedom of teaching and expression was the reason the First Amendment came about. The states’ desire to keep religion under their control gave freedom from Federal intervention.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Neither Jefferson or Franklin, designers of the Declaration and signers of the Constitution, perceived removing religion from government, but that government could not coerce a particular religion like some of the colonies.

Think about was our country founded as a Christian nation?

Do you know your religious tradition well-enough to understand its relationship to government and freedom?

Excerpts from our books:

Separatists, Spinoza, & Scientists, The Mavericks of Intellectual Freedom, ISBN: 9781797744827