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Texas State Board of Education adjudicates the establishment of the state religion...

by David and Tim Bayly on February 15, 2010 - 8:13am

"Don McLeroy, a small, vigorous man with a shiny pate and bristling mustache, proposed amendment after amendment on social issues to the document that teams of professional educators had drawn up over 12 months, in what would have to be described as a single-handed display of archconservative political strong-arming." -read more of the New York Times piece, "How Christian Were the Founders?"

(Tim) How dare that small vigorous man whoop up on those teams of professional educators who had worked so long and hard to produce a document that did such an excellent job of promoting the established state religion. Educators shouldn't have to be subjected to such benighted individuals.

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Submitted by Patrick Hart on February 15, 2010 - 8:28am

I was reading the article and particularly the point in which he made about Margaret Sanger being a proponent of the eugenics movement and this particular piece of revisionist history I agree she was. I find a cavernous disconnect between the more politically liberal claimed but yet conservative support of people with disabilities using there main arguments and showing history where unwanted peoples of society were euthenized and how they can support inclusion, diversity, tolerance, yet support a mothers right to murder her child. This guy sounds like a brave voice in the wilderness.

Submitted by Doug Papenmeier on February 16, 2010 - 3:15am

Regarding the Christian heritage of our Founders, the Presidential Prayer Team has this on its website (http://presidentialprayerteam.com/heritage/). A hymn composed by my favorite president-that-no-one-knows-about, John Quincy Adams. Something to chew on.

Submitted by Chris Hutchinson on February 16, 2010 - 3:35am

Doug,

The link above is broken, but here is the text:

SEND FORTH, O GOD, THY LIGHT AND TRUTH

Words: John Q. Ad­ams, 1841.
Music: Hold­en, Thom­as Whit­te­more, 1841

Send forth, O God, Thy light and truth,
And let them lead me still,
Undaunted, in the paths of right,
Up to Thy holy hill.
Then to Thy altar will I spring,
And in my God rejoice;
And praise shall tune the trembling string,
And gratitude my voice.

O why, my soul, art thou cast down?
Within me why distressed?
Thy hopes the God of grace shall crown;
He yet shall make thee blessed.
To Him, my never failing Friend,
I bow, and kiss the rod;
To Him shall thanks and praise ascend,
My Savior and my God.

~~~~~

One little thing, though. Wasn't John Quincy Adams a Unitarian? Every source I have read about him says he was. And given that, nothing in the hymn above is particularly Christian.

Submitted by Doug Papenmeier on February 16, 2010 - 5:40pm

The link should be:

http://presidentialprayerteam.com/heritage

For some reason the ) and . were included in the link.

I have read that John Adams became Unitarian as that became fashionable. I have also read that JQ Adams wrote his dad pleading for his return to orthodoxy. His father wrote back explaining how unreliable the Scripture translation. JQ responded by noted that he had read the Scriptures in German (Luther's translation), Latin (the Vulgate), French, and I believe another language without finding these alleged translation problems. (One of the reasons I esteem him so highly.)

The link quotes him as refer to his hymn as a translation of Psalm 65. The hymn doesn't necessarily look non-trinitarian to me.

Submitted by Chris Hutchinson on February 17, 2010 - 4:34am

Doug,

Fair enough. I have read unsubstantiated reports (though I can't remember where) that JQA rejected his inherited Unitarianism late in life. But we also have to remember that early 19th century Unitarianism looked more Christian than the Unitarians of our day. Some even believed that Jesus was in fact, God, but in the modalist sense.

Even if he remained a Unitarian, this does not belie the fact that his world view was influenced by the Scriptures in a way often lacking today. The ironic thing is that I think it would be very hard for a Unitarian to be elected President today. But what do I know.

I wasn't trying to be snarky, earlier, just pointing out that conservative morality is not necessarily Christian, per se. Christianity is about sin and salvation, not just moral living.

Peace.

Submitted by Ken PIerce on February 17, 2010 - 5:30am

JOhn Quincy, in point of fact, was an orthodox Christian, appalled at his parents for their flight from orthodoxy, as noted above.

Chris, where do you get your history? And you think David Barton unreliable?? ;-p

Submitted by Chris Hutchinson on February 17, 2010 - 9:11am

Ken,

Give me a source, and particularly one which cites that changed church memberships. I'll be more than happy to believe it then. The above citation doesn't really do that, does it? I don't see it. Early Unitarians venerated the Scriptures; they just didn't believe the Gospel.

Chris

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