Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Washington on Religious Accommodation:

Just to add a bit of information to Ed Brayton's excellent post. I agree that George Washington and John Adams were religious accommodationists, as opposed to strict separationists like Jefferson and Madison. However, one bit of information needs to be added to a quotation of Washington's that Brayton reproduced to put it in context. Washington and Adams, though accommodationists, nonetheless believed that all men of all religions (or no religions) possessed equal religious rights. In other words, they believed, contra Jefferson and Madison, that government could both at once support a particular kind of religion (i.e., Christianity) and not violate the rights of non-Christians. But they were concerned with the rights of non-Christians.

Washington's attitude towards accommodation was remarkably liberal for his time:

I must confess, that I am not amongst the number of those who are so much alarmed at the thoughts of making people pay towards the support of that which they profess, if of the denomination of Christians; or declare themselves Jews, Mahomitans or otherwise, and thereby obtain proper relief. As the matter now stands, I wish an assessment had never been agitated, and as it has gone so far, that the Bill could die an easy death;... [My emphasis.]

1 comment:

Our Founding Truth said...

I must confess, that I am not amongst the number of those who are so much alarmed at the thoughts of making people pay towards the support of that which they profess, if of the denomination of Christians; or declare themselves Jews, Mahomitans or otherwise, and thereby obtain proper relief.>

This has nothing to do with accommodation, the assessment bill was for Christian teachers, even Washington said Christians were a decided majority, and this shows, one, he supported it, then, thought the law would get everyone in an unneeded uproar, two, Washington didn't understand the bill.
It was for secular education, with the option of giving to teachers of their denomination.