The Founding Fathers of the United States. Properly defined, these are the men who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, or those who established the United States Government via the Constitution in 1787. The Founding Fathers can be identified as either “Signers of the Declaration of Independence” or “Framers of the Constitution.”[1]
Recently, along with many of the United States thorough religious identifications the religious affiliations of the Founding Fathers has become the subject of criticism. It was once understood that the Founding Fathers were a predictable assortment of 18th century [Christian] denominations. This attitude has been replaced by an anti-theistic conjecture: That the Founding Fathers were comprised of deists, agnostics, and atheists.
There is little that needs to be said about the religious affiliation of the Founding Fathers. The religious identifications of these men is a matter easily settled, as this information is a matter of civic record:
A total of 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence. Of these 56 men there were 32 Anglicans, 13 Congregationalists, 12 Presbyterians, 2 Quakers, 2 Unitarians, and 1 Catholic.
A total of 39 men signed the Constitution, though 55 participated in the Constitutional Convention. Of these 55 men there were 31 Anglicans, 16 Presbyterians, 8 Congregationalists, 3 Quakers, 2 Catholics, 2 Methodists, 2 Lutherans, and 2 Dutch Reformed.[2]
Even if it were granted that the often cited Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were deists, that George Washington, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison were non-Christian, the Fathers as a group would suffer little.
The Founding Fathers were visibly Christians. Most of which were confirmed, baptised, trinitarian Christians. The attitude prevalent in modern America cannot dissolve the documentation. The animosity toward Christianity cannot repudiate the Fathers.
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[1] Some historians/politicians adopt a more flexible definition including the signers of the Articles of Confederation. Some even include all those who participated in the American Revolution.
[2] Web Sources: http://candst.tripod.com/tnppage/qtable.htm;
http://www.adherents.com/gov/Founding_Fathers_Religion.html.
