Our Founding Fathers New Their Bible – Do We?

Hello, I have been hearing comments about what people feel about religion. Some of these comments come from poles taken and questionnaires from the people in this country. After reading and contemplating the results I can come to no other conclusion than that our fellow citizens are bible illiterate. With no clue as to what it really says. And that is to bad because it was not always so. Our Founding Father had a grasp of the scriptures that would put most of today's preachers to shame in comparison. On our farm web site we have a section on our Founding Fathers, their quotes and our national documents, plus a lot more. How much did our Founding Fathers know about the Holy Bible, the following came from the CD called, "AMERICAN QUOTATIONS" by William J. Federer.

Holy Bible (during the period 1760-1805), was the source for 34 % of all quotations cited by our Founding Fathers. After reviewing an estimated 15,000 items, including newspaper articles, pamphlets, books, monographs, etc., Professors Donald S. Lutz and Charles S. Hyneman, in their work "The Relative Influence of European Writers on Late Eighteenth-Century American Political Thought" published in the American Political Science Review, revealed that the Bible, especially the book of Deuteronomy, contributed 34 % of all quotations used by our Founding Fathers.

The other main sources cited include: Baron Charles Montesquieu 8.3 %, Sir William Blackstone 7.9 %, John Locke 2.9 %, David Hume 2.7 %, Plutarch 1.5 %, Beccaria 1.5 %, Trenchard and Gordon 1.4 %, Delolme 1.4 %, Samuel von Pufendorf 1.3 %, Cicero 1.2 %, Hugo Grotius .9 %, Shakespeare .8 %, Vattel .5 %, etc. These additional sources as well took 60 % of their quotes directly from the Bible. Direct and indirect citations combined reveal that 94 % of all quotations referenced by the Founding Fathers are derived from the Bible.


The following is from a speech given by the Honorable Benjamin Franklin. This speech came at a time when the Constitutional Convention was about to come unglued to say the least. God always raises up the right man, at the right time, in the right place. And we call it America, here is his speech, notice I have made bold the references to God, Prayer and the Scriptures. There is a prelude to the speech and a follow up as to what occurred after the speech.


On Thursday, June 28, 1787, Benjamin Franklin delivered a speech to the Constitutional Convention, which was embroiled in a debate over how each state was to be represented in the new government. The hostile feelings, created by the smaller states being pitted against the larger states, was so bitter that some delegates actually left the Convention.
Benjamin Franklin, being the President (Governor) of Pennsylvania, hosted the rest of the 55 delegates attending the Convention. Being the senior member of the convention at 81 years of age, he commanded the respect of all present, and, as recorded in James Madison's detailed records, rose to speak in this moment of crisis:

Mr. President:
The small progress we have made after 4 or 5 weeks close attendance & continual reasonings with each other - our different sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many noes as ayes, is methinks a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the Human Understanding.

We indeed seem to feel our own want of political wisdom, since we have been running about in search of it. We have gone back to ancient history for models of Government, and examined the different forms of those Republics which, having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution, now no longer exist. And we have viewed Modern States all round Europe, but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstances.

In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understanding?

In the beginning of the Contest with G. Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for Divine protection. - Our prayers, Sir, were heard, & they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a Superintending Providence in our favor.

To that kind Providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?

I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth - that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?

We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that "except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages.

And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of
establishing Governments by Human wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.

I therefore beg leave to move - that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessing on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service.



The response of the convention to Dr. Benjamin Franklin's speech was reported by General Jonathan Dayton, the delegate from New Jersey and later Speaker of the House of Representatives, to William Steele:

The Doctor sat down; and never did I behold a countenance at once so dignified and delighted as was that of Washington at the close of the address; nor were the members of the convention generally less affected. The words of the venerable Franklin fell upon our ears with a weight and authority, even greater that we may suppose an oracle to have had in a Roman senate!

Following Franklin's historical address, Roger Sherman of Connecticut seconded his motion. Edmund Jennings Randolph of Virginia moved:

That a sermon be preached at the request of the convention on the 4th of July, the anniversary of Independence; & thenceforward prayers be used in ye Convention every morning. [Dr. Franklin seconded this motion.]

The clergy of the city responded to this request and effected a profound change in the convention, as noted by General Jonathan Dayton when they reconvened, July 2, 1787:

We assembled again; and...every unfriendly feeling had been expelled, and a spirit of conciliation had been cultivated.


I have read this many time and I still get the chills reading it. It is one of the most powerful events in the birthing of our nation.

We need to follow in their foot steps and become students of the Holy Bible and reap the benefits of it. As I have said in other posts, we must recapture the power of who we were as a people. Our Founding Fathers were Called for a purpose and that Call is still relevant today, the Call has never been revoked. We need to understand it and embrace it.

Sleep save, sleep sound my friend.

For all is well down on the farm.

The Old Farmer