Washington opposed cursing and swearing. George Washington’s first order was against blasphemy, gambling, and abuse of alcohol. This command came on July 4, 1775. He ordered that his men follow strict discipline and that they participate in “divine services” (in other words, Christian worship services) if they were not otherwise-occupied. Here is what the commander-in-chief ordered on July 4, 1775:
The General most earnestly requires and expects a due observance of those articles of war established for the government of the army, which forbid profane cursing, swearing, and drunkenness. And in like manner he requires and expects of all officers and soldiers, not engaged in actual duty, a punctual attendance on Divine service, to implore the blessing of Heaven upon the means used for our safety and defence.69
This drives home the point of Washington the Christian. He was deeply concerned with American soldiers not offending God by taking His name in vain or by missing worship services.69 The values of the Deists—“minds of peculiar structure”—were advocates of values-free culture, and that was diametrically opposed to the moral order that Washington advocated for his army and his family.
CONCLUSION
Washington’s concern for ethical behavior, and his equal concern for doctrine that sustained such moral conduct, reflected his Christianity. For these same reasons, he cannot be considered a Deist.
While a thoroughgoing Deist either doubted or denied Providence, Washington connected Providence and virtue and called on America to make a vast moral experiment, as he said his farewell to the nation. The experiment is still worth considering. The president wrote, “Can it be, that Providence has not connected the permanent felicity of a Nation with its virtue? The experiment, at least, is recommended by every sentiment which ennobles human Nature.”71 The experiment was the heartfelt proposal of George Washington, a Christian political scientist who feared the chaos that would eventuate from a thoroughgoing deistic ethic, the very thing that occurred in the deistic French Revolution.
TWENTY EIGHT
George Washington’s God:
Religion, Reason, and Philosophy
“The blessed Religion revealed in the word of God...”
George Washington, 1789
1
It is claimed that George Washington did not have an orthodox belief in God and that he even avoided speaking of God. In his book, The Indispensable Man, James Thomas Flexner writes, “Washington...avoided, as was his deist custom, the word ‘God.’”2
It has also been alleged that Washington did not use the word “God” at all, but instead spoke of an impersonal “Providence.” Similarly, Paul Boller claims that Washington used names for God that were the kind that a Deist would use.3
The fact that such claims have been made of Washington is actually an indication of how little careful research has been done in regard to this question. Instead of Washington avoiding the use of “God” or not having an historic Christian view of God, the empirical data in relationship to this question proves the exact opposite. What we shall do here is list the many titles and phrases that are found in Washington’s writings that manifest his understanding of God. There is much material to summarize, since he uses the words God (at least 146 times), Divine (at least 95 times), Heaven (at least 133 times), as well as many honorific titles for God (at least 90 times), the term Providence (at least 270 times) for a total of over 700 instances. When one thinks about it, that’s a lot for a military man, who was neither a theologian nor intending to address religious themes on a daily basis.
Because of this vast data, it is possible to construct a “systematic theology” of George Washington’s idea of God. By carefully collecting and organizing his terminology for deity, we can assemble a Washingtonian theology.
THE ACTIVITIES OF GOD
All of the following references come right out of his writings.4 As to the attributes or titles that he uses to modify or describe “God,” we find: Almighty, My God, Gracious, Benevolent, Great goodness, the mercy of Almighty God, God of Armies, Glory, Holy, Omnipotence of that God, Great Spirit above, In the name of God.
The works of God in Washington’s writings encompass such phrases as: Incline the hearts of my Americans,5 Providence of Almighty God, Powers which God has given, Favors of Almighty God, Make wise and strong, Blessings a gracious God bestows, Overruling Wrath of man to his own glory, Under God, Under His providence, Crown you, Deserve His future blessing, The source and benevolent bestower of all good, When God is ready, God will direct, Please him to pardon all our sins, Whose divine aid, Causing the rage of war to cease amongst the nation.
God’s works are also identified with such terms as: Creates, Orders, Providence, Governs, Rules, Guides, Dispenses, Directs, Disposes, Searches, Arbiter, Forgives, Saves, Gives (life, felicity, care, good, victory, blessing.)
Among God’s works, we find Washington’s affirmation of God’s revelation. Revelation is affirmed with such terms as revelation, revealed, Bible, Scripture, Holy Writ, Word of God, Greek Testament, ordains, promises, sanctions.
He refers to God’s knowledge with phrases such as: God only knows, God knows (when), God who knows all hearts, God knows, as an expression of one’s own human uncertainty.
He addresses God’s saving and preserving work with statements such as: God save the friendly powers of Europe, God save the American States, God prosper you with it, God Almighty restore you, and Keeping and protection of Almighty God, Should please God to spare life, Should please God to advance a life.
Washington recognizes that man lives in the sight of God. Thus, he writes: Justified in the sight of God, God who knows all hearts, May that God to whom you appealed judge between America and you, We might have appealed to God and men for justice, God alone is the judge of the hearts of men, and Answerable to God, What, Gracious God is man!, Accountable to God alone.
Since faith in God is a personal matter, he uses the following phrases to describe God and the heart: Knows all hearts, Grateful hearts, Incline the hearts, and God alone is the judge of hearts.
He expresses his dependence upon God with such phrases as: My God, I hope in God, I trust in God.
Mankind’s worship of or duties to God are described in such words as: Acknowledge providence of Almighty God, Worship God according to dictates, Unfeignedly confess sins before God, In the service of their God, To adore the supreme Providence of Almighty God, Worship Almighty God agreeably to conscience, along with Proper sense of duties to God and man, and Deserve His future blessing. He also uses the ecclesiastical term, godson.
He affirms man’s duty to express thanksgiving to God with phrases such as: To express my humble thanks to God, Solemn thanksgiving to almighty God, Grateful hearts [to God], Thank God, Thankfulness to God, To express our grateful acknowledgement to God, You might thank God. (And, of course, like many of our presidents, he declared national days of thanksgiving.)
In regard to prayer, we find the following: Prayers to the Almighty God, Would to God, May that God, Pray God, I pray God, The Throne of Almighty God, the Throne of grace, That God would have you, God grant, Which God send, Supplicates (the mercy of almighty God).6
He also understands that there is a relationship between God and country. This is seen in the terms: My God, my country, and myself; In the service of their God and their country; Answerable to God and their country.
But Washington not only speaks of Deity with the word “God,” he also employs several additional names for God. Some of these names are traditional, like God, Deity and Divinity. He also utilizes biblical names for God. These include: Creator, Maker, Lord, Lord of Hosts, Lord of Nations, Lord of Armies, Jehovah, Wonder Working Deity, Father of all mercies, Gracious Father of lights, Benign Parent [i.e. Good Father], Author, Searcher, Almighty, Guide, Giver of Life, Ruler.
Occasionally he uses philosophical names for God, such as Supreme Being, Greater and efficient Cause, the greatest and best of Beings.7
On occasion, when writing to Masons, he uses the Masonic name for God: Great Architect of the Universe.8
Living in the eighteenth century, he also often used many of the honorific titles that were often used by the great clergy of his day. These include: Governor, Disposer, Dispenser, Power, the great Power above, Providence, Heaven, Providence, Arbiter, the supreme Arbiter of human events, Director, Infinite Wisdom, and Eye of Omnipotence.
On a few occasions, when writing to Indian tribes, he made use of the phrase “Great Spirit.” Like a good politician, and a competent statesman, Washington reflected the traditional biblical injunction to be “all things to all men” (1 Corinthians 9:22).
Since George Washington believed in God’s existence, he expressed his views of God’s nature. Some of the attributes of God identified by Washington’s titles for Deity include, Omnipotence, All wise, Majesty (Great, Grand, Glory), Omnipresence (God’s presence in the universe, nations, hearts, all events), Rule, Sovereign, Gracious, mercy, Good, forgiving, Kind, Holy, Eternal Existence (was, is, to come).
The idea of the Trinity9 is implied by his theological vocabulary. 1) Jehovah: “there is a good Providence which will never fail to take care of his children;” Benign parent, the Father of all mercies, Gracious Father of lights. 2) Jesus Christ: his use of the phrase, “Divine Author of our blessed religion” in reference to Christ, and 3) his use of the divine name, “Holy Spirit.”
