I am the director of museum education. We are delighted you have joined us today for our Speaker Series program, the bible and americas founders. We have three sessions that will be followed by a roundtable discussion this afternoon. We will have a book signing with our speakers. At museum of the bible, our mission is to engage people with the bible. It has many powerful impacts on world culture. It has influenced nations. It has guided debate and shaped pivotal events and inspired views of prominent individuals. The bible is hidden in plain sight. From common expressions that we all use to the music, the arts, and literature. We will explore themes of expand on how the colonies as they moved toward revolution and the founding of our nation, our founders turned to the bible as a source of justification for their political actions. We have three prominent scholars with us today. They will talk to us about how the bible influence the founding generation. Our first session is Ben Franklins faith with thomas kidd. Benjamin franklin said he became a deist as a young man. At the Constitutional Convention, he propose the delegates open sessions with prayer. Thomas kidd will explore the enigma of franklins faith and his wellknown skepticism and the influence of his puritan upbringing. Thomas kidd is a distinguished professor of history at baylor university, he is the author of Benjamin Franklin at, the religious life of a founding father. Please join me in welcoming dr. Kidd. [applause] thomas thank you to the museum of the bible for hosting this event. Its a pleasure to be here at the museum. I hope to consult with some of the sections on the bible and america. Its a wonderful thing to see this lovely facility. Thank you for having us and thank you to those of you joining us online or on tv. Its great to be here. I want to talk to you about the enigma of Ben Franklins faith. To open with a story of something that happened at the Constitutional Convention. In 1787, time dragged as delegates bickered about representation in congress. James madison insisted that states with more people should possess more power. The small states knew that under the articles of confederation, americas existing national government, all states had equal authority regardless of population. Why should the small states give up that power under a new constitution . The convention might have failed at this point. It really could have. The country wouldve continued to struggle under the inefficient, feckless articles of governance for the new american nation. It might have disintegrated. At this moment, ben franklin took the floor. Calling for unity, he asked delegates to open sessions with prayer. As they were groping in the dark to find a little truth, how has it happened that we have not once thought of humbly applying to the father of light to illuminate our understandings. If they ignore god, he said, our projects would be confounded and we will become a reproach down to future ages. This man who called himself a deist insisted that delegates should ask god for wisdom. This was strange because classic deists did not believe god intervened in human affairs. He was one of the few delegates at thought opening with prayer was a good idea. His motion was tabled. What kind of deist was this elderly man calling on americas greatest political minds to humble themselves before god . His work at the Constitutional Convention was the culmination of his spectacular career. He and george washington, who was 26 years his junior, or not the architects of the constitution. That role fell to James Madison and alexander hamilton. They were the two most famous americans in 1787. Delegates looked at franklin with respect. There was little doubt that washington would become president of the convention. If there was any competitor for chair, it was franklin. The very heavens obey him, one georgia delegate noted. Franklin had planned to nominate washington as chair himself. The son of boston puritans had come a long way. In late spring of 1787, he exchanged letters with his sister jane, who was an evangelical christian and the sibling who maintained the longest correspondence with and the deepest influence on franklin. They reminisced about their Humble Beginnings as the children of a candle maker. She had remained a person of humble means and relative anonymity while her brothers fame skyrocketed. Ben told her that the course of his life filled him with wonder and fills me with humble thankfulness to that divine being who has graciously conducted my steps and prospered me in this strange land to a degree i could not rationally have expected and it can by no means concede myself to have merited. I begged the continuance of his favor. Chronic sickness made it difficult for him to stand and speak at the convention. He offered occasional comments, seeking to steer the delegates have expected and it can by no means concede myself to have merited. I begged the continuance of his favor. Chronic sickness made it difficult for him to stand and speak at the convention. He offered occasional comments, seeking to steer the delegates the temptation to personal aggrandizement. There are two passions in the affairs of men. These are ambition and avarice, the love of power and the love of money. Placed before the eyes of man that shall at the same time be a place of profit, they will move heaven and earth to obtain it. He wished to uncouple the government from the profit motive. He cited exit this 18 21, the best rulers were men hating covetousness. If you turn hollen six into an avenue for personal gain, only the most bold and violent men will want to enter. He cited examples of offices in which people served for little or no money. The arbiters of quaker meetings heard disputes would have otherwise gone to secular courts. These duties were tedious, but they perform them for no compensation. He pointed to the virtuous washington, who took no salary as the general of the continental army. He did submit expenses. The convention declined to adopt his proposal. He was participating in a bigger conversation that ran through the constitutional debates. What kind of government could best account for the dangers inherent in human nature . Although americans disagreed on the answer, they did not dispute the premise. Men were not angels, as madison had written. They could not be trusted with unchecked power. Franklin joined a more controversial debate with his proposal for prayer on june 28. He had lived a long time he reminded delegates and he had become more certain that god oversaw human affairs. Franklin was convinced god had shepherded americans through the revolutionary crisis. The patriots trade often in the same for gods help. At its best, faith inculcated public spirit and it suffocated selfishness. God led them to the point with a kid now bring the best possible government. Have we now forgotten that powerful friend, he asked . Citing psalm 127, except the lord build the house, they labor in vain that build. He said that he believed this and he believed that without his concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of babel. Prideful streit would confound their work and turned their proceedings into a farce. This was the most remarkable religious episode of Ben Franklins life. It was stunning. Not just because of the stage on which he was proposing prayer. Franklin as i suggested before was alone among the delegates in wishing to bring prayer into the proceedings. Roger sherman, one of the most about christians in attendance, seconded the motion. Edmund randolph proposed that they hire a pastor to preach on Independence Day less than a week later. That minister could open meetings with prayer. Beyond these three men, delegates seemed uninterested in arranging for prayer. Someone pointed out that had not budgeted funds for a chaplain. Alexander hamilton worried but calling in a pastor might signal it was becoming desperate. He also reportedly questioned the propriety of calling in foreign aid. The motion fizzled. Franklin was exasperated. He noted at the bottom of his speech that the convention except three or four persons thought prayer unnecessary. Franklin and the convention that moved on. His prayer speech reminded delegates of the need for compromise, even if it prompted no formal recourse to god. In an address after promoting prayer, he explained the tension between the large in the small states. If representation was in proportion to population, the small states think their liberties are in danger. The large states say their money is in danger. Both sides were going to have to give up some demands to ensure a successful outcome. Drawing on earlier discussions regarding a two house legislature, franklin suggested the convention create house of representatives with proportional representation and a senate with equal representation between the states. This became the great compromise, the key settlement of the convention. In his final speech before the convention, franklin warned against dogmatism, which might derail the constitution. He saw the species of moralistic perfectionism both in religion and in politics. Most men indeed think themselves in possession of all truth and that wherever others differ from them, it is error. Delegates should be willing to support the constitution, even if they did not regard it as perfect. No better frame of government would emerge. Franklin was not sure it was not the best they could do. The framersenemies wanted to hear that there enemies were confounded like the builders of babel. He returns repeatedly to the story of babel. The convention needed to present a unified front as it were not for ratification. Multiple forms of government could be working well when overseen by virtuous people. When someone asked franklin whether they had created a monarchy or a republic, he replied, a republic, if you can keep it. A return it to our central question of franklin and faith, who was this franklin of philadelphia . What did he believe . In our minds eye, he seems ingenious, mischievous, enigmatic. His scientific and political achievements are clear. What about his religion . Was he defined by his embrace of deism . His longtime friendship with George Whitfield, the most influential evangelist of the 18th century. His work with Thomas Jefferson and his invocation of the creator and nature and natures god. Or his solitary insistence on prayer at the convention. When you add his propensity for joking about serious matters, he becomes even more difficult to pin down. Regarding his chameleon like religion, john adams once remarked that the catholics thought him almost a catholic, the church of england claimed him as one of them, the presbyterians thought him half a presbyterian, and the friends believed tempo wet quaker. That is a quaker that is not so well behaved. The key to understanding his ambivalent faith is the contrast between the skepticism of his adult life and the imprint of his childhood. The intense piety and faith of his parents acted as a tether, restraining his skepticism. As a teenager, he abandoned the puritan beliefs. That same traditional faith kept him from getting too far away. He would stretch his moral and doctrinal tether to the breaking point. By the end of a youthful soldier and he made to london. When he returned to philadelphia in 1726, he resolved to conform more closely to his parentsethical code. He steered away from extreme deism. Could he craft a christianity centered on virtue rather than traditional doctrine and avoid alienating his parents at the same time . More importantly, could he convince the evangelical figures in his life, most importantly his sister and George Whitfield, that all was well that his soul. He would have more time convincing his sister than George Whitfield. When he ran away from boston as a teenager to philadelphia, he ran away from calvinism. Many factors, his puritan tether, the relationships with christian friends and family, disappointments with his own integrity, repeated illnesses, the growing weight of political responsibility, all caps him from going too deep into the dark woods of radical skepticism. Franklin explored a number of religious opinions, even at the end of his life. He remained noncommittal about all the viewpoints of belief. This elusive news has made him susceptible to many religious interpretations. Some devout christians beginning with the 19th century biographer have found ways to mold him into a faithful believer. Franklins extraordinary benevolence and useful life were combined even unconsciously from the gospel. There is something to this notion of christianitys unconscious affect on franklin. He had to employ him direction because of franklins repeated insistence that he doubted key points of christian doctrine. Other christian writers could not overlook that. The english minister john foster wrote in 1818 that love of the useful was the cornerstone of franklins thought and that franklin substantially rejected christianity. One of the most influential interpretations of franklins religion appeared in the classic study of protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. Franklin was a near perfect example of how protestantism drained of its doctrinal reticular ready fostered modern capitalism. Franklins the way to wealth distilled his best thoughts on frugality and industry illustrated the spirit of capitalism in near classical purity and simultaneously offers the advantage of being detached from all direct connection to the religious belief. Franklins virtues were no longer a matter of just obeying god, virtue was also useful and profitable. Franklin admonished by his strict calvinist father about diligence presented moneymaking and success as products of confidence and proficiency in a vocation. He grew up in an intense calvinist setting, redirected that zeal in a profession, namely printing. Theres a lot to recommend in that portrait. As an adult, franklin touted that portrait. Ethical responsibility, industriousness, benevolence, even as he jettisoned christian orthodoxy. Now, many recent scholars of taken franklin at his word by describing him as a deist. He calls himself a deist in his autobiography, thats a decent place to start. Others have called him everything from an atheist, which is ridiculous, to a man who believed in the act of god of the israelites and the apostles. Deism stands at the center of this continuum between atheism and christian devotion. Other than indicating skepticism about traditional doctrine, deism could mean many things in 18thcentury europe and america. It can mean many things. The beliefs of different deists did not always link up. Some said they believed in the bible as originally written. Others doubted the bibles reliability. Some believe god remained involved in life on earth. Others saw god as the cosmic watchmaker, winding up the world and letting it go on its own. Deism meant Different Things to franklin over his life. I am not opposed to calling him a deist. I do so in my book. It does not capture the trajectory of his beliefs. I draw from the analysis of many commentators on his religion. Adding to the themes of franklins skepticism and ambivalence, my book shows how much is personal experiences shaped his religious beliefs, his personal experiences shaped his religious beliefs. Like abraham lincoln, theres an important comparison to be made here. Franklins early exposure to skeptical writings undermined his confidence in christianity. Books alone could not erase his childhood immersion in a puritan piety. His ongoing relationships with evangelical christians made it difficult for him to jettison the vocabulary and precepts of traditional faith altogether. Although his view of providence vacillated, the weight of the American Revolution fostered a renewed belief that history had a divine purpose. Franklin and lincoln, both self educated sons of calvinist parents. Those of the bible committed to memory. They gravitated toward a they gravitated toward a revitalized sense of gods role over history as war and constitutional crises racked america in the 1770s and the 1860s. Neither mans believes can escape the influence of their daily relationships and stressful experiences. It is difficult to overstate just how deep and imprint the bible itself made on franklins or on lincolns mind, or in his ways of speaking and writing. You know that many devout christians today are basically unfamiliar with large sections of the bible. They dont know much about current theological debate. Franklin knew the bible backwards and forwards. It framed the way that he spoke and thought. Biblical phrases that he had learned going to church, to our sermons in puritan churches multiple times a week. They are everywhere in his vast body of writings. It even as he embraced religious doubt, the King James Bible colored his ideas about morality and the purpose of life. It served as his most Common Source of similes and anecdotes. He even enjoyed preying on ignorance of scripture in order to play jokes. He would show them a passage and say dont you remember this from the book of genesis. He would laugh at them because he knew it wasnt in the book of genesis. He got upset when one of those things got published. If he could not play the joke anymore. He once explained the bible saturated environment in which he grew up in a letter to the reverend Samuel Cooper of boston. He was arranging for the publication of one of coopers sermons. Franklin needed to annotate the sermon with the local references. This is what he said, it is not necessary in new england where everybody reads the bible and is acquainted with scripture phrases that you should note the text from which you took them. I have observed in england as well as in france that verses and expressions taken from the sacred writings and not known to be such appear very strange and awkward to some readers. I shall therefore in my addition take the liberty of marking the quoted text in the margin. Franklin did not need cooper to insert the bible references because he knew them by heart. As a child of the puritans, franklin immediately recognized bible phrases when he read them. Even from obscure sections. Him the shadow of scripture loomed over his life. Franklin was a pioneer of a distinct kind of American Religion. Im tempted to call it an early form of what they called sheilaism. Its the book from 1985. The individual conscience is the standard for religious truth, not any external authority. I think his protege thomas pain be a better choice. In the age of reason, my own mind is my own church. I think franklin was too tethered to external christian ethics and institutions to be a forerunner. Instead, he was a pioneer of related kind of faith. That is what i call dr. Oldest moralized christianity. Some may debate if this is actually christianity. You can think about this for yourself. He was an experimenter at heart. He tinkered with a novel form of christianity, one where all beliefs became nonessential. The puritans focused too much on doctrine, he thought. He wearied of presbyterians zeal for expelling people and the lack of interest in the mandates of love and charity. For franklin, christianity was a primitive resource for virtue, but he had no attachment to christianity as a religious system or source of salvation. We cannot know for certain we cannot know for certain whether doctrines such as gods nature are true, that we do know, franklin said it, that christians are called to benevolence and service. Dr. Oral strife is undermining virtue and we know that god calls us to do good. If you had not noticed, doctrine list religion is pervasive in america today. We see it most commonly in major media figures of selfhelp spirituality and success. The late stephen covey, although they differ on specifics, the common message of these authors and their countless followers is that a life of love, service, significance is the best life of all. God will help you live that kind of life, but your faith should be tolerant and empowering rather than nitpicking. A sociologist at notre dame said these characteristically a sociologist at notre dame said american beliefs amount to what he calls moralistic therapeutic deism. Many of its most prominent exponents live out their faith in particular congregations and traditions. Even Oprah Winfrey has testified in that she is a christian. However, she says im not asking you to be a christian. If you want to be one, i can show you how. It is not required. People may need to believe in doctrines or personal understanding of god. It we may need particular beliefs to enable our best life now, in joel osteens phrase. Its a life of good works, resiliency, generosity now. Faith helps us to embody discipline and benevolent success in this life. Thats what god wants for us. Today, its easy to dismiss this because its so often peddled by wealthy media superstars. It is americas most common code of spirituality. For franklin and, when you go back to the 18th century, it was serious intellectual is this. Born out of contemporary religious debates and dissatisfaction with his familys puritanism, like many skeptics, franklin was weary of 300 years of fighting over the legacy of the protestant reformation. Much of that fighting concerned Church Authority and particular doctrine. Franklin grew up in a world of intractable conflict between catholics and protestants, and within protestant denominations themselves. Reformation. What good was christianity if it precipitated pettiness, persecution, and violence. Franklin and his cohorts of deists reckoned that in promoting a doctrine less christianity, they were redeeming christianity itself. How successful that effort was, you will have to decide for yourselves. Could you really have a nonexclusive minimally doctrine morality centered christianity . Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, many of their friends wanted to give it a try. 13 years after franklins death, jefferson wrote that he considered himself a christian in the only sense jesus wished anyone to be. He admired jesuss point of view. To jefferson, jesus was only human. It jesus never claimed to be anything else. Christians including the authors of the new and testament books imposed the claims of divinity on him after he and gone to his grave and not risen again. Franklin did not go as far as jefferson. Franklin preferred not to dogma ties on matters such as divinity. In a classic tension that still marks American Religion right now, franklins devout parents, his sister, George Whitfield all found doctrine less christianity to be dangerous. They agreed that morality was essential and it was better not to fight over minor theological issues. True belief in jesus was necessary for salvation. To the puritans and evangelicals, he was fully god and fully man. Doubting that puts your soul in jeopardy. Jesus made the way for centers to be saved through his death and resurrection. It wasnt enough to just emulate his life, as important as that was. More than a moral teacher, jesus was lord and savior. Honoring christ required belief in doctrinal truth. Franklin wasnt sure about that. Maybe they had gotten it wrong. Perhaps he was the one who is getting back to the original teachings. He was sure that doing good was the grand point. For most of his life, he had a family and friends who asked him about the state of his beliefs. As ive said among the most consistent of those were his sister and George Whitfield. In the last few weeks of his life, one more inquiry came on the stage. Franklin had known yellow president ezra stiles ever since yale gave him an honorary masters degree. Stiles was a congregationalist minister. He realized that franklin was near death. You have merited and received all of the honors of the republic of letters and are going to a world where all glories will be lost in the glories of immortality. But he caused. Would it be impertinent of him to ask about franklins belief in christ . As much as i know of him, i have not an idea of his religious sentiments. I wish to know the opinion of my friend concerning jesus of nazareth. He adored franklin. He still West Franklin would have clear title to that happy immortality which i believe jesus alone has purchased for the virtuous and truly good of every religious denomination. Franklin respected stiles. Five weeks before his death, he penned a response. Its precious that we have this. He asked stiles to keep it confidential. He did not, since we are talking about it here. You desired to know something of my religion. It is the first time ive been questioned upon it. This is simply not true. I dont know why he said that. Others have been asking him about it all his life. Anyway, he said, i do not take your curiosity in this. Here is my creed. I believe in one god, creator of the universe. He governs it by his providence. He ought to be worshiped. The most Acceptable Service we can render to him is doing good to his other children. The soul of man is immortal and will be treated with justice in another life, respecting its conduct in this. At the end of his life, franklin was a providential list, a believer in the duties of worship and benevolence, and he expected god would rule in a final judgment. Thats pretty good. Then he continued. As to jesus of nazareth, my opinion of whom you desire, i think the system of morals in his religion are the best the world will likely see. He still had doubts. I apprehend christs teachings have had a corrupting changes. Hes not sure that he can trust what the new testament said about jesuss life and teachings. I have some doubts as to his divinity. Those a question i do not dogma ties upon. Having never studied it. Franklin never doubted how admirable christs moral teachings were. He did not know if he can accept the claims about jesus. Franklin thought it needless to busy myself with it now when i expect soon an opportunity of knowing the truth with less trouble. There he is joking again. He knows hes going to be dead soon. He is going to find out if he was right or not. He just wasnt sure if he could no the truth about christ, salvation, he was going to find out soon. In spite of his qualms about traditional christianity, he saw no harm in it being believed. If that believe has the good consequence it probably has of making his doctrines more respected and better observed. You can believe if you want, but for franklin, the point was never just belief but virtuous action. I saw only add that having experienced the goodness of that being and conducting meet prosperously through life, i have no doubt of the continuance in the next. Without the smallest conceit of meriting such goodness, god always been good to him. He saw no reason to think that gods kindness would stop when he died. Died he did. On april 17, 1790. He left the enigma of his faith unresolved. In his coat of moralized christianity, he became the founding father of perhaps the most pervasive kind of spirituality in the western world today. Thank you very much. [applause] thank you dr. Kid, that was wonderful. We will now take a break. Our next session will start promptly at 10 00. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. He still had doubts. I apprehend christs teachings have had a corrupting changes. Hes not sure that he can trust what the new testament said about jesuss life and teachings. I have some doubts as to his divinity. Those a question i do not dogma ties upon. Having never studied it. Franklin never doubted how admirable christs moral teachings were. He did not know if he can accept the claims about jesus. Franklin thought it needless to busy myself with it now when i expect soon an opportunity of knowing the truth with less trouble. There he is joking again. He knows hes going to be dead soon. He is going to find out if he was right or not. He just wasnt sure if he could no the truth about christ, salvation, he was going to find out soon. In spite of his qualms about traditional christianity, he saw no harm in it being believed. If that believe has the good if that believe has the good consequence it probably has of making his doctrines more respected and better observed. You can believe if you want, but for franklin, the point was never just belief but virtuous action. I saw only add that having experienced the goodness of that being and conducting meet prosperously through life, i have no doubt of the continuance in the next. Without the smallest conceit of meriting such goodness, god always been good to him. He saw no reason to think that gods kindness would stop when he died. Died he did. On april 17, 1790. He left the enigma of his faith unresolved. In his coat of moralized christianity, he became the founding father of perhaps the most pervasive kind of spirituality in the western world today. Thank you very much. [applause] thank you dr. Kid, that was wonderful. We will now take a break. Our next session will start promptly at 10 00. Thank you
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