The American enlightenment an overview

       Deism and the American Enlightenment

"The question before the human race is, whether the God of nature shall govern the world by his own laws, or whether priests and kings shall rule it by fictitious miracles." (John Adams, letter to Thomas Jefferson, June 20, 1815)

This is a portrait of legendary Deist Thomas Paine. It looks as though in this painting, Paine is pointing to the sky and pondering if God really does exist.

Intro:

During the Enlightenment, religious faith and superstition gradually gave way to reason and the belief that reason could lead to the truth about the universe and man.

Deism was a logical outgrowth of scientific inquiry, religious faith in humanity, and the study of comparative religion.

Beliefs of Deism:

Deists argued that everything in the world had its own set of rational principles established by God which could be understood by humans solely through means of their reason.

Most Deists believed that God created the universe, and then disassociated himself from his creation.

Deists rejected the concept of the Holy Trinity as conceived by Christians. They saw Jesus more as a philosopher and teacher rather than the divine Son of God.

Deists believed that the bible contained some important truths, but they rejected the notion that it was divinely inspired or created. (Commager, 120)

Origins of Deism:

The 1600s brought scientific advances in medicine, chemistry, physics, and astronomy.

Isaac Newton's Principia Mathematica stated that the universe could be explained completely through the use of mathematics.

The great religious wars that had swept Europe had come to an end, and the strong religious convictions that had helped start these wars were viewed with increasing suspicion.

Deism in Europe:

The beginnings of English Deism appear in the seventeenth century. Its main principles are to be found in the writings of Lord Herbert of Cherbury.

The "Five Articles" of the English Deists constitute the nucleus of all religions and of Christianity in its primitive and uncorrupted form. (May, 25)

John Locke's The Reasonableness of Christianity he clearly describes many doctrines of Deism.

Portrait of John Locke

In the last section of his Essay, Locke inadvertently stated the main principle of deism by saying “Reason must be our last judge and guide in everything.” (“John Locke,” The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2001)

The French philosopher Voltaire is best known for his work Candide which was published in 1759. In Candide Voltaire stated “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.” (Gilmour,145) This an extremely important quote because it is an attempt by Voltaire to rationalize why religion was created. It also shows that Voltaire believed religion was necessary for people to live in a society.

This is a picture of French philosopher Voltaire with a priest along side him. It looks as though he is raising his hand to the priest in a denouncing manner.

Deism in America:

Many of the privileged class in America were taken with the ideas of the Enlightenment. Books written by leading Deists in Europe such as Locke and Voltaire were extremely popular in the colonies.

New England

The preachers of the Awakening made worship a public matter rather than something left in the privacy of people’s homes.

The preachers depicted God as angry and vengeful in an attempt to sway people.

In rejecting emotional excess, people started become more rational in their ideas of worship. People who disagreed with the beliefs of Whitefield were often drawn to the beliefs of Deism.



This is a satire of the Great Awakening preacher George Whitefield. Pictured along side him is an imp telling him what to say and underneath his stool is the devil hoarding the donations given to Whitefield by the common people. It is clear that Whitefield is an a public place and is preaching religion to the masses.

South

There was also a spread of Deism among aristocrats in the Southern colonies of America.

The Deism and Liberalism that took hold in the South reflected many of the scientific studies of people like Isaac Newton.

Benjamin Franklin

In his autobiography, Franklin said that when he was young “some books fell into my hands; for the arguments of the Deists which were quoted to be refuted, appeared to me much stronger than the refutations; in short, I soon became a thorough Deist.” (Silverman, 51)

Portrait of Benjamin Franklin

Franklin's experiments with electricity were very controversial. Many people believed that lightning was a sign of God’s anger. To install lightning rods to ground the electrical charge was seen as greatly impious.



This is an illustration depicting the famous kite experiment performed by Benjamin Franklin. Pictured is Franklin along with his son.

Benjamin Franklin also proposed the American Philosophical Society because he believed that communication of scientific research was extremely important.

Franklin also published Poor Richard’s Almanac in 1732, under the pen name Richard Saunders. Franklin’s almanac reflected his scientific interests and was extremely popular in the colonies.

An important saying to look at is "God helps them that helps themselves."

An important line in this passage is "If passion drives, let reason hold the reins."

An important saying in this excerpt of the Almanac is "The way to see by faith, is to shut the Eye of Reason..."

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson mentions throughout the Declaration of Independence the phrase "nature's God."

Portrait of Thomas Jefferson

In 1779 Jefferson proposed to the legislature an “Act for Establishing Religious Freedom” which declared that “Almighty God hath created the mind free.” (Matthews, 10)



This is an excerpt from the Act for Establishing Religious Freedom.



"Almighty God hath created the mind free; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burdens, or by civil incapacitations, tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion."

While in the White House, Jefferson even went to the extent to edit his own version of the bible.

Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine



In 1793 Thomas Paine wrote The Age of Reason in which he openly stated his views on religion.

In his book, Paine points out many of the contradictions in both the Old and New testaments. According to Paine “It is the duty of every true Deist to vindicate the moral justice of God against the evils of the Bible." (Clark, 120)

Benjamin Rush, one of the most celebrated American physicians and the leading social reformer of his time said “(Age of Reason) probably perverted more persons from the Christian faith than any book that ever was written for the same purpose.” (Cassara, 132)

The effects of Deism

Deism would reach its climax in the years following the revolution. It helped lead to a more liberal interpretation of religion. In the North there was a growing acceptance of Unitarianism and Universalism.

In rejecting original sin and predestination, the Unitarians staked their faith in man’s ability to strive for moral perfection. Deeply influenced by the Unitarianism of Harvard University, enlightenment ideas spread rapidly throughout New England. (Matthews, 5)

This is an illustration of the leader of the Unitarian movement John Priestly. Priestly is seen here pulling out excerpts from the bible and putting some of them in his pocket while burning others.

Universalists, as did Deists and Unitarians, rejected the Calvinist doctrine of a salvation limited to the Elect who were predestined by God. They believed that all men would be saved. (Matthews, 7)

Both Unitarianism and Universalism can be seen as a middle ground between traditional Christianity and Deism. Although both these groups believed in the application of reason to religion, they also maintained their faith in the Scriptures as a tool for revelation.

Although Deism in America never gained widespread popularity, it helped lead to a more secular society. Deists played a major role in creating the principle of separation of church and state, and the religious freedom clauses of the First Amendment of the Constitution.