Washington's God: Religion, Liberty, and the Father of Our Country

When you read a biography, it'd be nice to believe that what you read is as factual (and unbiased) as possible. Especially when these biographies are from well-respected authors and historians. But "Washington's God" proves that these experts are as biased as today's "objective" journalists and often as wrong as meteorologists and politicians.

"Washington's God" refutes point-by-point the often alleged idea that Washington was a deist or, at best, a tepid Christian. I felt like authors Michael Novak and his daughter Jana did an excellent job refuting what many respected historians claim Washington's beliefs were. At the same time, they clearly admit that rarely one finds "Jesus," "Christ," or "Christian" in any of Washington's public or private writings. But given the context of religion in the late 18th and 19th century, they explain why this might be. For example, prior to this period, most Anglicans (including Washington) went about their religious duties and ceremonies with little pomp. But around the turn of the century, evangelical denominations like Baptists and Methodists became more prevalent in the colonies/US. Also, Washington was acutely aware that he served ALL Americans and worked hard to never insult or impune others' religious beliefs all-the-while never repressing his.

If you want a rather short, well researched book on Washington's beliefs, I think you'll enjoy "Washington's God." ( )

This book is getting mixed reviews, but I am among those who think it is good. There are 419 footnotes in this 282 page book, and most (the vast majority) are from Washington himself or persons who knew him well.

I believe that the Novaks made the case that Washington was a Christian (at least "well within the mainstream of one vein of Anglicanism for his time") and not a diest(god is a watchmaker). They took the time to define terms, parse documents of support, and provide example after example to prove their points. They also took "head on" those who argue that Washington was a diest or at best, merely a Stoic.

The book includes a selected bibliography and is indexed. ( )