Founders on Religion

A Book of Quotations

Häftad, Engelska, 2007

259 kr

Beställningsvara. Skickas inom 7-10 vardagar. Fri frakt för medlemmar vid köp för minst 249 kr.

What did the founders of America think about religion? Until now, there has been no reliable and impartial compendium of the founders' own remarks on religious matters that clearly answers the question. This book fills that gap. A lively collection of quotations on everything from the relationship between church and state to the status of women, it is the most comprehensive and trustworthy resource available on this timely topic. The book calls to the witness stand all the usual suspects--George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams--as well as many lesser known but highly influential luminaries, among them Continental Congress President Elias Boudinot, Declaration of Independence signer Charles Carroll, and John Dickinson, "the Pennsylvania Farmer." It also gives voice to two founding "mothers," Abigail Adams and Martha Washington. The founders quoted here ranged from the piously evangelical to the steadfastly unorthodox. Some were such avid students of theology that they were treated as equals by the leading ministers of their day. Others vacillated in their conviction. James Madison's religious beliefs appeared to weaken as he grew older.Thomas Jefferson, on the other hand, seemed to warm to religion late in life. This compilation lays out the founders' positions on more than seventy topics, including the afterlife, the death of loved ones, divorce, the raising of children, the reliability of biblical texts, and the nature of Islam and Judaism. Partisans of various stripes have long invoked quotations from the founding fathers to lend credence to their own views on religion and politics. This book, by contrast, is the first of its genre to be grounded in the careful examination of original documents by a professional historian. Conveniently arranged alphabetically by topic, it provides multiple viewpoints and accurate quotations. Readers of all religious persuasions--or of none--will find this book engrossing.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2007-10-28
Mått140 x 210 x 18 mm
Vikt312 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor288
FörlagPrinceton University Press
ISBN9780691133836

Tillhör följande kategorier

James H. Hutson is chief of the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress. He has been a faculty member of the History Departments at Yale University and the College of William and Mary. His books include "John Adams and the Diplomacy of the American Revolution; To Make All Laws: The Congress of the United States, 1789-1989; Religion and the Founding of the American Republic;" and, most recently, "Forgotten Features of the Founding: The Recovery of Religious Themes in the Early American Republic".

Preface ix Founding Generation Members Quoted in This Volume xxi A Note on the Texts xxv The Quotations Addiction 1 Afterlife 5 Age 12 America 15 American Revolution 17 Animals 19 Atheism 20 Bible: Value of 23 Bible: Accuracy of the Text 26 Bible: Exegesis of 31 Bible: Old Testament 33 Bible: Revision of 36 Calvinism 38 Catholicism 40 Catholicism: Jesuits 44 Chaplains 46 Children 48 Christianity 55 Christianity: Christian Nation 59 Church and State 60 Clergy 66 Communion 70 Conscience: see Liberty of Conscience 70 Consolation 70 Constitution of the United States 76 Creeds 79 Crime and Punishment 82 Death 84 Deism 86 Divorce 87 Ecumenicism 90 Education 94 Episcopalians 96 Faith 99 Fast and Thanksgiving Days 100 God 103 Grief 111 Hell 115 Indians: see Native Americans 116 Islam 116 Jesus 121 Jews 126 Law 132 Liberty of Conscience 134 Marriage 138 Millennium 140 Miracles 141 Missionary and Bible Societies 142 Morality 146 Native Americans 149 New England 154 Oaths 154 Patriotism 156 Paul, the Apostle 157 Persecution 158 Plato 161 The Poor 163 Prayer 163 Presbyterians 171 Proclamations: see Fast and Thanksgiving Days 172 Profanity 172 Prophecy 173 Providence 176 Quakers 183 Reason 186 Religion, Freedom of: see Liberty of Conscience 189 Religion: Propensity of Humans for 189 Religion: Social Utility of 190 Republicanism 194 Rights 196 Sabbath 198 Sin 200 Slavery 206 Trinity 215 Unitarianism 220 Universalism 221 Virgin Mary 223 War 224 Women 230 Suggestions for Further Reading 235

"Seeking to let the Founders speak for themselves on religion, James Hutson has succeeded in producing a book of quotations that is not agenda driven and duly satisfies the canons of historical scholarship."--Terry Eastland, Books & Arts "[James H.] Hutson offers quotes on religion not only from Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and other famous Founding Fathers but also from less well known figures, like Elias Boudinot, president of the Continental Congress, and the Founding Mothers Abigail Adams and Martha Washington...This well-rounded selection of quotes provides fascinating reading material good for discussion."--C. Robert Nixon, Library Journal "James Hutson comes at this project from a different perspective than most... Dr. Hutson is a historian and tries hard to be fair. He organizes the material by subject rather than by author. The strength of his decision is that it underscores the depth and breadth of the Founders' religious interests... This is a most interesting book!"--Jeff Zell, Dallas Morning News "The book ... represents, with great balance, the Founders' differing religious viewpoints... All in all, this is the most balanced collection of quotations representing the Founders' religious views published thus far."--Jonathan Rowe, First Things "[James H. Hutson is] a scholar friendly to religion--one who shows little bias in his writings and in his current work. Thus since the Founders differed so much from each other, Hutson offers some conflicting and contradictory comments by these leaders."--Martin E. Marty, The Christian Post "The Founders on Religion might go a long way toward settling disputes...[Hutson] takes us straight to the sources, with some surprising results. In easy-to-reference form, he shows the founders loved their country but were quite capable of thinking outside the pew."--Susan Campbell, The Hartford Courant "In easy-to-reference form, he shows that the founders loved their country but were quite capable of thinking outside the pew."--Kevin Eckstrom, Winston-Salem Journal