George Washington

George Washington put forth considerable effort in his letters in order to assure his readers that they would be free to practice their faith but, “...being accountable to God alone for his religious opinions, ought to be protected in worshiping the Deity according to the dicates of his own conscience”.  I agree with what has been stated by my classmate that Washington seemed to be a little less inclined to show understanding of the Quaker path than he was of some of the others.  His statement that it was, “no more than justice to say that (except their declining to share with others the burthen of common defense) there is know denomination among us who are more exemplary and useful citizens.  I believe that this stems primarily from his time as commander of the Continental Army.  There were many occasions when Washington, in dire need of reinforcements to fill his dwindling ranks, must have felt negatively towards a people who refused to help him achieve his desired ends.

Washington seems to have been honestly trying to allay the fears of some of the denominations regarding persecution.  I see this particularly in hiss address to the Roman Catholics when he told them that as mankind becomes more liberal their fellow citizens would recognize that all worthy members of the community are deserving of the protections of civil government.  He further assured them that he believed their fellow citizens would not forget the important assistance they offered during the revolution.
He seemed to be speaking from the same spirit when he assured the United Baptist churches that the Constitution would never, “…endanger the religious rights of any ecclesiastical society”.  He further assured them that no one more than himself would, “…be more zealous than myself to establish barriers against the horrors of ecclesiastical tyranny”.  

Washington seems to have endeavored to address the particular concerns and needs of each faith community to which he wrote.  He seemed to do his best to remain above the fray of inter-religious quarrelling between the various denominations.  The example of Washington would be of great benefit to many of our leaders today.  As our society has become more pluralistic many individuals have become more outspoken in favor of one path and dismissive and disrespectful of others.  I see this in the fear and misunderstanding exhibited by many for faiths outside the Christian fold.  I also see it inside Christ’s church as this or that denomination tries to claim ownership of Jesus and his message, all the while defining their brothers and sisters outside the fold through increasingly narrow definitions of what a Christian really is.

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