Our founding fathers were not Christians.

[JDPriestly]

35. I have read Jefferson's correspondence with Adams on this issue

quite extensively. They were deists, especially Jefferson. If you consider that to be Christian (and they may have themselves), then they were Christians. The problem is when Fundamentalists start talking about how the Founding Fathers were Christians meaning that they were Fundamentalists. The leaders among the Founding Fathers were not that kind of Christians and distanced themselves from traditional ideas about Christianity. They were deists. They believed in science and were quite excited about the possibilities they saw in science.

Their admiration for Joseph Priestly is proof of that fact.

Yes. There were preachers who were the Fundamentalists of their time.

Cotton Mather preceded the Founding Fathers, but there were other fanatical Fundamentalists after him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_Mather

Apparently, Benjamin Franklin was rather taken in by one of the Fundamentalists for a short time. But his love of science and his practical, rational nature made him immune to the silliness of that.

Benjamin Franklin was not viewed as a very religious man although it was, I believe, he who suggested prayer at the Constitutional Convention. This is an intriguing issue for me. I am interested in finding the truth. One thing is certain. The leading Founding Fathers were not Fundamentalists. They were educated in the Christian faith but did not take it seriously. Several of them were Masons. That they took pretty seriously. Several of them were deists as they very clearly explained in their correspondence time and time again.