George Washington and his Religious beliefs...rebut the fundies...

[SaveElmer]

With the spate of right wing fanatics (James Kennedy and Tim Lahaye at the top of the list) claiming George Washington as a fundamentalist Christian, it behooves everyone to bone up on exactly what Washington's beliefs were and weren't.

I recommend reading the chapter "A Few Simple Beliefs" in the new book "Realistic Visionary: A Portrait of George Washington," by Peter Henriques.

Dr. Henriques was a professor of mine last year. I took a grad course with him on Washington. In fact he was writing the book at the time, and part of our assignment was to read chapters of his manuscript and critique them.

Anyway, a more spot on analysis, and refutation of bogus right wing claims you will not find!!

[porphyrian]

1. Wasn't he a deist? - n/t

[SaveElmer]

3. Not strictly...

Traditional Deists believe in the "Great Watchmaker." Set the rules and don't interfere. Washington may be considered a "Warm Deist" He did believe providence (he rarely used the word God, and never once mentioned Jesus), did intervene, but not always beneficially.

[Bucky]

13. Only 1 report--his Christian stepgrandaughter--of him praying on his knees

But I believe his parish minister years after he died did say Washington was a flat out Deist. The guy may have been bitter because Washington loved sermons but never took communion. Washington was just so inherently practical about everything that I think he probably wavered about over the years about just how Deistic he was. Him not being one for noodling out abstract questions, I think he just never bothered to make up his mind.

[SaveElmer]

23. Well he consistently talked about an intervetionist power...

A bit beyond what a true Deist would believe. Washington was simply an indifferent Christian. He did what a member of society of his rank was expected to do, but his writings, his refusal to take communion, the fact that he did not call for a minister on his death bed, and the fact that not once did he invoke Jesus's name in any of his writings, really speaks to this indifference!

[hobbit709]

2. I had a fundie tell me once

that Jefferson was a Christian. He almost blew up when I busted out laughing.

[SaveElmer]

4. Send him a copy of the Jefferson Bible...

He edited out all the "supernatural" stuff, and just left in the teachings!

[sweetheart]

5. He smoked cannabis too

It was normal back then.

[porphyrian]

6. "Behind every good man there is a woman, and that woman..."

"...was Martha Washington, man, and everyday George would come home, she would have a big fat bowl waiting for him, man, when he come in the door, man, she was a hip, hip, hip lady, man." - Slater in Dazed and Confused

[xmas74]

7. Didja ever look at a dollar bill, man?

There's some spooky shit goin' on there. And it's green too.

I love Slater!

[porphyrian]

8. Heh, heh, who doesn't? - n/t

[xmas74]

9. My family thought it was the stupidest movie they had

ever viewed.

They didn't understand why we got together so often right after it came out on video.

[porphyrian]

18. I take it they weren't children of the 70's.

That movie was more real in many ways than any other I've seen of the period.

[xmas74]

20. I was born in 1974

so they were children of the 60's.

[porphyrian]

21. Yep, generational disconnect.

While anyone can "get" the movie and like it, it's definitely from a post-Summer of Love and Viet Nam perspective.

[xmas74]

22. They thought the characters were losers

who didn't understand anything but partying.

Around the time the movie was released I was pledging a sorority. I immediately identified w/ the incoming freshmen and the hazing. I kept watching and realized that I knew someone in real life who resembled each of the characters.

[Bucky]

14. There's no record at all of Washington smoking pot. Sorry.

He did separate out the male from female plants of hemp (not marijuana; hemp), which is necessary for cultivation of the plant for producing the primo wowie. But that's necessary for any sort of plant genetic experimentation. Washington experimented tirelessly with all sorts of commerical improvements in his commercial plants. He was a very scientific farmer, but from that alone you really can't conclude that he puffed on reefer. It's a cute debate, but sadly one the tokers can't win.

[sweetheart]

15. He had the unenumerated right to, just like you and I do

The point is that he had the right, and surely did imbibe cannabis
during his lifetime without even the concept of it being criminal.

Its not a cute debate, its the 9th amendment.

[Bucky]

16. "...and surely did imbibe cannabis during his lifetime." Please post proof

"and surely did imbibe cannabis during his lifetime"

If you have any evidence to back this up, please post it. I'm not saying it's immoral. I'm not say it's moral. I'm saying it's a made up fact. You might as well say he was smoking Nigeran yellowcake for all the proof there is that Washington smoked pot. I've seen people make the case before, but it rests solely on the contention that he segregated his hemp plants by sex--which is what pot growers do. But Washington experimented with and cultivated new strains of nearly every plant and animal he had at Mount Vernon. I'm openminded to the idea that he might have smoked hemp; I'm just not openminded to bullshit. Offer some proof and we'll talk.

[sweetheart]

17. Look over there, a flying pig!!

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."

Washington had the right to grow his own cannabis, he grew enough
female plants to warrant himself life in prison under the current
abrogation of the constitution.

He had the right to grow them, and to eat them or do whatever he
so pleased, then you have that right too. It has been known for
1000's of years that cannabis can serve as a medicinal remedy and
likely it served as such on his farm too.

I'm sorry, i was not there with washington to smoke a fat one with
him, so i can't say for sure he smoked it, but given the standard of
proof applied today, a man growing many female plants is assumed to
be growing for distribution and consumption, no matter what they say.
Then we need apply that same stupid logic back in time and washington
smoked it. Ya can't have it both ways. Either the constitution is
actually what it is written to say, or black is white, up is down
and washington was a terrorist druggie.

[porphyrian]

19. There's no record of him taking a shit, either.

Are you saying he never did? Can you post proof that he ever shit?

[SaveElmer]

24. Well that's not true...

There is documentary evidence that he was given purgatives on many occasions when ill...and in the Braddock campaign to Fort Duquesne during the French and Indian War, he was severely ill with dysentary...so historically speaking...there is ample documentary evidence that he took a shit!!!

As to the doobage...he was a voracious eater, which I suppose could have been the munchies...but we will never know!!!

[porphyrian]

25. Assumptions, all!

Sure, MOST people who are given purgatives or who have dysentary shit, but the shitting itself is NOT documented. So, it's all speculation. So there. Heh.

[HawkerHurricane]

10. Since 'Fundamentalism' wasn't invented until the 1840's...

HTF could George Washington have been one? Hell, the 'Fundamentals' weren't even written down until the early 20th century!

Lying in the name of thier God.
Thier God is not Jesus.
It's the (so called) literal interpetation of the Bible... Biblelators, the lot of them.

[baldguy]

11. Washington was a Freemason.

Xtian fundies hate Freemasons.

[SaveElmer]

12. Funny how they can put aside their beliefs so easily...

Anything to advance their evil agenda I guess!!!