While Thomas Jefferson’s religious beliefs are the subject of ongoing and fierce debate, it is nonetheless surprising how religious his two most public statements as President of the United States were. They acknowledge God; they invoke His aid; they compare the United States with ancient Israel; they appeal to an overruling Providence; and they assert religious liberty, all at the same time.
Read MoreSo what was Adams? Philo-Semitic? Anti-Semitic? Zionist? Most historical figures don’t fit neatly into our present categories, and the same is true of John Adams. But there can be no doubt that he was a great admirer of the Jews, and that he looked forward to the day when they would be re-established as a nation in their ancient homeland of Judea.
Read MoreFranklin’s main point is one well worth considering in our own time: short-circuiting consequences can sometimes be charitable—it can also be foolish…simply throwing money at people and situations can sometimes be the worst way to address the problem, and ultimately do more harm than good.
Read MoreAdams inaugural contained multiple references to God, as well as the role of religion in American society, and like Washington’s before him, openly acknowledged and thanked the Divine.
Read More[Lincoln’s] success was notable enough to induce various people to ask him for his advice on not only becoming a lawyer, but the practice of law. His answers epitomize the homespun, down-to-earth, and common-sense way in which Lincoln famously expressed himself, even as President. Baked into his answers was a healthy dose of life experience which anyone intent on a successful career in any field could benefit from.
Read MoreFor the Founders, the issue of luxury was intimately connected with liberty. They firmly believed that liberty was man’s birthright, but they also knew that opposed to his birthright was his predilection for preferring the proverbial bowl of stew—our desire for creaturely comforts tend to overwhelm our adherence to principles and ideals, causing us to lose our taste for liberty.
Read More[T]he first Inaugural Address of our first President acknowledged, addressed, and supplicated God in the most reverent terms. Biblical concepts of God’s rule over the nations, His blessings for righteous behavior, and His continuing guidance of the new nation are emphatically asserted. It is undeniable that in his first great act as President, Washington intended to involve not just his countrymen, but God, in the event.
Read MoreWhile his religious views were not orthodox, they were nonetheless deeply formed by what he considered to be the proper meaning of the Bible, a book which he considered “the best book in the world.”
Read MoreMany are familiar with the Farewell Address of President George Washington. But fewer people are familiar with Washington’s first “farewell address,” namely the farewell he thought would be his final public one. I refer to his 1783 Circular to the State Governments…In general, while Washington gave his advice on specific policies, the Circular is full of admonition for Americans to recognize that they had been given a truly unique opportunity by God, and they best not waste it.
Read MoreFranklin believed that gratuitous welfare offered a powerful incentive to not work, and thus remain poor, rather than rise out of poverty…[He] knew there were only “Two D’s” to choose between: Dignity, or dependence.
Read MoreIt would seem that long before 9/11, long before the fall of the mighty Ottoman Empire, long before CAIR, long before the CIA, long before the advent of the American Empire, long before there were those in the present who who dared to conclude that Islam’s relationship with war was a bit too cozy for comfort, that Muslims themselves not only confirmed this fact, but were proud of it.
I didn’t say it. They did.
Read MoreHitler did like one religion in particular—so much so that he wished ancient Germans had converted to it rather to Christianity.
What religion was it?
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