
Many of the framers of our constitution practiced Deism, although some would not admit this publicly for fear of being branded an atheist. Thomas Jefferson referred to himself as a Unitarian, but went on to write a treatment of the Biblical gospels which he titled The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, more commonly known as the Jefferson Bible, which exhibits a strong deist tendency for stripping away all supernatural and dogmatic references from the Christ story. Benjamin Franklin wrote in his autobiography, “Some books against Deism fell into my hands; they were said to be the substance of sermons preached at Boyle's lectures. It happened that they wrought an effect on me quite contrary to what was intended by them; for the arguments of the Deists, which were quoted to be refuted, appeared to me much stronger than the refutations; in short, I soon became a thorough Deist”.
Other notable Founding Fathers may have been more directly deist. These include James Madison, possibly Alexander Hamilton, Ethan Allen, and Thomas Paine (who published The Age of Reason, a treatise that helped to popularize deism throughout the USA and Europe). Paine is quoted as saying “In Deism our reason and our belief are happily united”.
Although rarely publicized, Deism is still being practiced and one of the organizations keeping it alive is the World Union of Deists (deism.com). Their motto is “Belief In God + God Given Reason = Deism”, so if your Old Tyme Religion just ain’t doing it for you anymore, you can check out what Deism has to offer.
Whatever you believe in, take The Dude’s advice and pour yourself a tasty beverage, kick back and take it easy, man.