Was Benjamin Franklin a Christian?

[Minimalist]

Like most children, Franklin was subjected to the religious drivel of his parents. As one of the finer intellects ever produced on the north american continent he learned with age...unlike most of the idiot jesus freaks who lurk around here. The stuff he wrote in the 1720's differs markedly from what he wrote in the 1780's!

http://infidels.org/library/historical/j...ter_4.html

"My parents had given me betimes religions impressions, and I received from my infancy a pious education in the principles of Calvinism. But scarcely was I arrived at fifteen years of age, when, after having doubted in turn of different tenets, according as I found them combated in the different books that I read, I began to doubt of Revelation itself" (Autobiography, p. 66).

At the age of eighty-four, just previous to his death, in reply to inquiries concerning his religious belief from Ezra Stiles, the President of Yale College, he wrote as follows:

Here is my creed: I believe in one God, the Creator of the universe. That he governs it by his providence. That he ought to be worshiped. That the most acceptable service we render him is doing good to his other children. That the soul of man is immortal, and will be treated with justice in another life respecting its conduct in this."

This is pure Deism. Paine and Voltaire would have readily subscribed to every one of the above six articles of faith. Compare the creed of Franklin with the creed of Paine.

If only xtians got smarter with age there would be hope for them.

[Mister Agenda]

The declatation of his acknoweledgement (in the various links provided) of God makes Him a deist not an atheist.

No kidding.

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The deists among the founders might more exactly be termed Christian deists.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_deism

[KUSA]

I don't think Franklin was a Christian in the ordinary sense of the word, though like any well educated western man on his time period he was well versed in scripture. You can come up with quotes in which Franklin said the Christian doctrine was absurd, as well as quotes about religion providing a good moral foundation. And what he believed seems to have varied over his lifetime. But, I don't think he even could have recited the Nicene Creed with exact truthfulness.

He did publicly pray, and he referred often to the creator. And I don't think he was what we mean by deist today. That is that he certainly either believed or wanted to believe in a god that was interested in mankind. And he thought a lot of the moral philosophy of Jesus.

This letter to an atheist is telling: Letter to an Atheist


He doesn't condemn the man's reasoning but he does warn of what men unbound by religion might do.

The letter was interesting especially this part.

Think how great a Proportion of Mankind consists of weak and ignorant Men and Women, and of inexperienc'd and inconsiderate Youth of both Sexes, who have need of the Motives of Religion to restrain them from Vice

Someone once said that religion keeps the poor from killing the rich. This reminds me of that. Maybe some dumb asses need a sky daddy to restrain them.

[The Grand Nudger]

Benjamin Franklin, like all of us, said some pretty stupid things over the course of his life. Many have said that (or to that effect). It's a recurring favorite.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I find many American's treatment of the founding fathers as some kind of messianic figures, whose intentions were magical, mildly amusing. Of course it is nice to have some sort of reference frame to point to, but damn it, who cares what they thought and believed? Does anyone find democratic principles, secularism, the constitution to be persuasive because some old farts said so? What if it turned out that Hitler of all people was secretly ghost writing the bill of rights as a joke (*)? It would make no difference at all.


(*) anachronism used on purpose to heighten drama

I've had this discussion with friends on other forums. The fetishization of what we think of as the "intent" of the "founding fathers" is bullshit, in my view. They themselves laid out the amendment process precisely because they knew that what they were working on would not stand the test of time without adjustment.

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Indeed, it's the values that are important, not the people who preach them.

Exactly.