Was George Washington Religious?

You may have seen paintings of George Washington kneeling in prayer—an image that gives the impression that Washington was a very religious man. But was he?

Select footage and images courtesy of Getty

[ThatGuyNamedMatthew]

Has anyone discussed the possibility that George Washington not following any religion publicly is possibly the result of him wanting to set an example of a secular government in line with the first amendment?

[KarmasAB]

Even if the event was true, the reaction is kind of ridiculous:

"Never before had I thought it possible to see a soldier praying, of all things!"

Like, dude, that happens all the time.

[coreyrobinson]

"Journalists write the first draft of History." That is a great quote and thing to keep in mind that I had never heard before but completely puts into text succinctly my thoughts on modern journalism.

[jamestown]

Honestly, I assumed George Washington was private about his religious beliefs because he wanted to uphold a separation of church and state. He seemed to be very conscious of the fact that he was setting precedent.

Notably, when he wrote about Muslims and Jews, George Washington made it clear he wanted them to be welcomed in the new republic as free and equal citizens.

[frizz]

Your ability to be thorough yet concise is a gift. I don't mean to dismiss all the hard work and research that goes into these videos, but your ability to communicate these complex topics in an accessible way is a valuable thing, especially on YouTube.

[samsmith]

I am so impressed with this video. It’s so hard to find unbiased content about the religion of the founding fathers. People either want to make it seem like all of them were Bible believing Christians or that all of them were deists with no Christian beliefs. I would love to see you cover more content about the founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson and the “Bible” he wrote or Benjamin Franklin and his involvement with secret societies.

[frippp]

I've always loved Oscar Wilde's observation that the most charming thing about the story of Washington never telling a lie, is that it is itself a lie.

[thishandleistacken]

As someone who's been in the Freemasonic community for many years it confuses me how little Masonry and Deism are talked about by academic studies of founding fathers of the US. Accurate info about Masonry is so rare outside the esoteric community and it is very important to the history of many many nations like the US, England (where the UGLE is) and France (among tons of others). Look up the art of Washington and Freemasonry.

All those words he used for "God" are popular for Masons.

[sarahwatts]

The idea he ran home to his wife...who he married 25 years later...seems like an awful big thing not to ever factcheck when spreading this story. Wow.

[thepecosvarmint]

“Pray not like the hypocrites, out in the open to be seen of men. Pray secretly, behind closed doors, where only the Father will see you.”
Paraphrased Matthew 6:5-6. I’m not religious, but this is my favorite bible verse, and I think it applies here to Washington. I concur with the theory that he probably was religious, but didn’t want to set a bad example for secular republican government with any overt religiosity.

[CoreyChambersLA]

George Washington was clearly a private person who believed strongly in freedom of religion. Anyone who truly respects their own religion must also extend that respect to others.

[michaelodonnell]

I never studied History but I did study Theology.
My professors were very critical of students who "Proof texted" (ie picked usually Scriptural quotations, out of context, to support whatever argument they wished to make).
It seems to me that the concept of "Usable Past" is very like "Proof texting"....

[Sammyandbobsdad]

Re Anglican infrequent church attendance: my mom was a lapsed Catholic, my dad was a lapsed Episcopalian, which she said was the same as a practicing Episcopalian, except he stayed home on Christmas and Easter.

[robertortiz-wilson]

I'm very pleased to find such a well researched, fair, calm, and even-handed assessment. Then still admitting that in truth we still can't be completely sure. Great job on this video! Love Washington!

[Sock-Monster-Simian]

If he was indeed religious, I understand Washington being very private with his religious beliefs. Aside from being a supposedly unbiased role model for the people, I can understand the position on a personal level.

I too am very private with my religious beliefs, because much of them are incredibly personal to me, or not something I feel I need to share with others. I am normally quite a quiet and private person anyway, so I will only discuss or talk about religious topics if I have a strong desire to share or a desire to add any additional thoughts.

I go to church frequently, and am incredibly religious, but I am sure you would not know it in every day life, or even at church (aside from how I act with others, I guess).

That is to say, I had never heard the prayer story, or anything related to George Washington's religion before this; however, I do not think it matters that we know definitively. It is almost better to see how he acted and presented himself, because we can get a good sense of what his character was just from that.

[FaithRefinedByFire]

This channel makes great content. I was watching the video and thinking, “He hasn’t mentioned the farewell address yet.” Then he mentioned it.

I’m not an historian, but I’ve loved history and studied it for as long as I can remember. From what I’ve seen, this is the most well thought out, comprehensive, yet succinct description of the faith of any founding father presented to the public thus far. Nothing was overlooked, and nothing was exaggerated. Content like this should be celebrated.

[Lawarch]

I wonder if his privacy with his personal religion after the American Revolution was impacted by the fact that the British Monarch as the head of the English State was also head of the established Anglican Church. And as a new country that maybe Washington did not want to publicly bind the State with the Church again, especially as Anglicans in the US were in the process of distancing themselves from King George and the English Church. Not sure but would be interesting to see if anyone else did some research on this

[charlyforrester]

I went to an elementary school in Salt Lake City that pushed the Arnold Friberg painting and its attendant narrative hard. Was interesting to see in a historical context.

[MrAutore]

Your show reminds me of the best parts of going to college. Keep up the good work!

[NicholasForti]

This is a great channel and a good video. But:
1. I’m surprised there was no mention of Washington’s involvement in Freemasonry. The doctrines and rituals of Freemasonry clearly had a profound impact on Washington’s religious life, as evidenced by his common designations for God.
2. The idea of Providence was not a departure from the Deism of that time but an essential aspect. The historian, David Holmes identifies the importance of Providence in the 18th century Deism, and Charles Taylor provides a description of this Providential Deism in his A Secular Age. Briefly, the Deist God has not simply created the machinery of the universe and then let it simply run as a kind of experiment (what will happen if . . . ?); rather, this Providential Deist God has built Laws of Nature and the Moral Law and the Laws of History into the machinery of His Creation—i.e., the Natural Universe. Many of the Providential Deists among the Founding Fathers saw the American Revolution and the movement of human history toward Independence, evidenced by the Revolution, as an out-working of these Providential Laws. Moreover, Jefferson could appeal to the Providential out-working of the Moral Law when he declared with regard to slavery, “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his Justice cannot sleep forever.” Anyway, when Washington appealed to Providence as the explanation for his survival of the Revolution, it seems more likely that this isn’t a denial of Deism but an expression of the kind of (Providential) Deism ascendant during his lifetime.
3. This Providential Deism was supported and promulgated by Freemasonry at that time and had a deep influence on colonial Anglicanism and early Episcopal Church. Even the Rt Rev’d James Madison (cousin of the more well-known President of the same name), first Bishop of Virginia and contemporary of Bishop William White (mentioned in your video), was an avowed Providential Deist.