What were the religious beliefs of the founding fathers of the United States?

There's been a lot of controversy surrounding the subject, but there shouldn't be.

Because of their prominence, I will discuss George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin,

our nation's first three presidents, and the man referred to as the first American,

all of whom, even if some did not individually adhere to Orthodox Christianity,

were steeped in the Judeo-Christian tradition.

Here's what we can say for certain about their religious beliefs.

One, all of the founders believed in a transcendent God,

that is, a creator who exists outside of nature.

Two, all the founders believed in a God who imposes moral obligations on human beings.

Three, all the founders believed in a God who punishes bad behavior and rewards good behavior

in an afterlife. The notion that any of the founders believed in an impersonal deity who

merely created the universe and then left it to itself is false.

All of them believed in a God who, as Franklin said at the Constitution of Convention,

governs in the affairs of men. Let's start with George Washington.

Washington's writings, both public and private, are full of references to the Bible.

This is certainly true during his eight years as the first president of the United States.

Here is Washington at his first inaugural. The propitious smiles of heaven can never be expected

on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which heaven itself has ordained.

In all likelihood, Washington wasn't Orthodox Christian.

Like Washington, Benjamin Franklin also referenced Bible verses, stories, and metaphors

throughout his life. His calls for prayer at the Constitutional Convention were typical of his

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