Secularists and non-Christians love to state that our first President, George Washington, was a Deist and not a Christian. This is important to them because it helps prove their belief that America was not founded on Judeo-Christian principles. However, for anyone willing to study the life of Washington, it is very hard to defend the position that he was a Deist.
Before I show why I believe Washington was a sincere Christian and not a Deist let’s define was a Deist is. Basically, Deism is a religious belief that holds that God created the universe but then abandoned it; and as result does not intervene in human affairs either providentially or through miracles or supernatural revelation. A Deist, therefore, does not believe that Jesus is God. He also believes that the Bible is just a bunch of made up stories that may have some wisdom in its pages; but is definitely not an inspired book. A Deist acknowledges that God established moral and natural laws but then plays no role in the affairs of mankind.
The main problem with saying that Washington was a Deist is that there is absolutely nothing in the historical records that can be found to defend this claim. I believe that one of the main reasons people claim Washington was a Deist is because it helps them defend their false narrative that our country was not founded on Christian principles. To be fair a famous quote attributed to Washington cannot find historical backing either and we probably should be careful as Christians not to use it to claim Washington was a Christian. This quote (which I cannot find an original source to document it) states: “It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.”
But when we examine the historical record all indications are that George Washington believed that Jesus was God, that He dies for his sins, and that He was resurrected from the dead three days later. A Deist clearly doesn’t believe in any of these statements about Jesus.
There are numerous accounts by many individuals claiming that Washington was a sincere Christian. The following are just three examples:
“John Marshall, the noted chief justice of the Supreme Court and a close friend of Washington’s, wrote a biography of Washington, in which he described him as a ‘sincere believer in the Christian faith.’”1
“William Johnson, in his book George Washington, The Christian, notes that a book of prayers by Washington, in his own handwriting, was sold at auction in 1891. It is not known whether Washington composed the prayers himself, or simply copied them, but in one prayer, Washington asks God to pardon him of his sins, and ‘remove them from thy presence, as far as the east is from the west, and accept me for the merits of thy son, Jesus Christ, that when I come into thy temple and compass thine altar, my prayers may come before thee as incense.’”2
“After reading numerous letters Washington wrote to various persons over the course of his life, the historian Jared Sparks concluded, ‘To say that he was not a Christian would be to impeach his sincerity and honesty. Of all men in the world, Washington was certainly the last whom any one would charge with dissimulation or indirectness; and if he was so scrupulous in avoiding even a shadow of these faults in every known act of his life, however unimportant, is it likely, is it credible, that in a matter of the highest and most serious importance he should practice through a long series of years a deliberate deception upon his friends and the public? It is neither credible nor possible.’”3
I could cite many more examples but for those interested in a more in-depth discussion please view this short ten minute video.4
In this day and age where so many people are trying to rewrite history, especially with regards to the role Christianity played in the founding of our great country, it is important that we know the truth. In the case of George Washington history bears out that he indeed was a believer in biblical Christianity and not a Deist as were so many of the founding fathers of our country. If cancel culture can rewrite the history of how our nation was founded then we should expect this trend to continue – and sadly it will continue unless we stand and defend the truth.
1 George Washington’s Christianity – The New American
2 George Washington’s Christianity – The New American
3 George Washington’s Christianity – The New American
4 Why George Washington Was Not a Deist, but a Practicing Christian | CBN News