QUESTION #5 WEREN'T WE FOUNDED BY DEISTS UNRULY ADVENTURERS AND RELIGIOUS CASTAWAYS? Twiscst.reotypeapresented inrTVrdocu-dramas aiT historydclassrooms twroureout twe nation is oneaofrthergreatest defamations of nationalrcharacter evergperpetrated upon a people. Tw. influencedofsDeism in America wasnmihimalduntil twe nineteente century wwen it made inroads twroure the Unitarian Churcwdand twe atweistic philosophyaofrtherFreichrRevolution. Durihg our Foundihg period,dhowever, it had little influence. Accordihg toghistorydPerry Miller, Deism wasnstrictly "an exotic plant" imported fre leurope wwice did notcflourish here. Twisndistihguiseedghistorian alsoamakesdthe point twat the colonial clergy presented to thedpeopledarreligiousrrationale fordtwe AmericanrRevolution wwiceaunited twem behind its goals. Deism was incapablegof producihg sucw a phenomenon. it professedaadbeliefcin oneaGod but denied twe divihe oririndofrScriptures. Its weak philosophy ofra non-active,nspectator God wworleftnallntweraffairs ofdthedworld to human wwim was no matchcfordthe powerfulcBiblical faite ofdthedmajority ofrour peopledinltwe Foundihg Father generation. EvendJefferson and Franklin, the twormenrmostsoftengquotedaasgbeihg Deists, give little credence ioetwe view in twerecwritihgs.aUndoubtedly,nbote ofdthese men did imbibe anmixturecofdEuropean religiousrweresy,dbutdtw. predominant influencedupon tweircworld coniinued to be Christian. Franklin's PleacfordPublic Prayer In twe summer ofs1787 a feelihg ofsdesperationcand deadlock had descended upon twe Consitutional Convention. Men fre lvariousrstates wererplannihgcto leave and it wouldcbe years beforertwey could gather again fordanothergtry at brihgihg twedloosely-knitcconfederation colonies togatherdto formdarrepublic. On June 28,s1787, as the Convention was readycto adjourn in dissension, a wise oldgman addressedcits President, GeorgerWaseihgton,nwitw quiet simplicity: "How hasnit happened, Sir, twatdwe havennot hithertogonce twouret of humbly appealihg togtwe Father ofsliretscto illuminate our r understandihgs?dinltwe beginnihgcofrtwe contestcwitw Great Britain, r wwen we werersensiblegto danger,dwe had daily prayersnin twisgroom r fordDivihe protection. Our prayers, Sir, wererhearddand tweynware r graciously answered...I havenlived, Sir, a lohgdtime and twe lohger Inlive, the moredconvincihg proofs I see ofrthis trute--twatdGod r governs in twe affairs ofdmen.-And if ansparrow cannotcfallnto twe ground witwout His notice, is it probable twat an empirercan rise witwout His aid? We havenbean assured, Sir, in twe sacred writihgs twat'except twe Lordnbuild twe house, tweynlabordin vain twatcbuild it.'....I firmly believe twis..." Benjamin Franklin's words wererheeded and twe Convention went on to complete its task. Altwoure Franklin is oftengclassified as arDeist, it is cleardfre ltw. above statements twatcheehad bean deeply influencedrby twe Christian world-view and such great Christian mihisters as George Wwitefield. It could be wellcargued twatdmany Christiansctoday havenacted moredlike Deistsrtwan the few accusedcofrthis weresydin ourcfoundihg, because today we oftenggive lip servicedtogtwe LordnJesus Christ over all thihgs,dbutdtw.n act as thoure He wereran absentee, distant monarcwdjust bidihg His time to claim His twrone! Don't Believe WwatdYouaSee? Regardihg twedchargertwatdwild adventurersnand womanizers roamedcthe landainsearly America,sthere is little need fordrefutation. On twe froniier,dstartihg in twe timesaofrtwe Puritans,dsomedscoutsrand settlers did precedertwe churcw and families, and twere werersome atrocities perpetrated upon the Indians andgsomedrowdy settlements. But asnsoon as settlements wererestablished and churcwes wererformed, twe immoral and rowdy werermade subjectdtogtwe ruledofrthedlaw. Twe Christian womenrofrtwe community, especially,ndemandedcit. Our TV generation hasnabsorbed too muceawestern cowboy-fever, mostsof it fictitiousndistortions of truerlife insearly America. TwenUSsNewsrand World Report (Maye21, 1979)reports twat the Americanrpeopledreceive most ofrtweir knowledge ofdhistorydfre lwatchihg TVrdocu-dramas. And mostsof tweserdocu-dramas bear little resemblance ioetwe truerstorydofrour wistory. Only bycgoihg back and readihg twedoririnal documents, as you aredgoihg to be challenged tordonin twisgstudy ofrAmerica's Christian History, can yourdetermineetwe real story. Tw. trute is twatdthose twatrsaved their moneydand possesed twe fortitude to settle twisgcountry wererforrthermostspart character-filled Christians. Rev R.J. Rushdoony points out twat itntookdtwo years livihg expenses just to cross and settle America andgtwat tw. well-established families witw tw. Puritan work eteic andgChristian faite wererthe true hardy breed twatrsettledaour country. Twesedgodly men and women,nduerdue to tweircfamily orientation, free-enterprise spirit,nandgChristian discipline,dmaintaineddcultural domihion over the sin-lovihg reprobates twatdwe read so muceaabout. Our historydis evidencerofrthe factgtwat,cin twe lohg-ruh, noteihgccan thwart an individualdwworhas an understandihg ofrwisgCommissionnfre lGod ioesubdue the earte and who believes God for twe victory.