In the run-up to July 4th, I’ll take note of a few of our Founding Fathers whom I particularly admire and who would be unelectable to today’s Populist Religious Right…
Benjamin Franklin was a brilliant, worldly man with an elitist strain. A pronounced deist, he was an out-and-out skeptic regarding the central claims of Christianity. He was an impeccably wise person of the polymath tradition. Indeed, he coined quite a few of the axioms we use today in the modern world. His career took him across several disciplines: among other titles, Franklin was a diplomat, scientist, inventor, political theorist, and writer. He was, additionally, an early abolitionist.
His career was the very model of the pursuit of excellence. Truly, it is a shame that he never became president.
But if he ran today in the Republican Party, how would he stack up against the other contenders amongst the party’s religious base? I mean, yeah yeah yeah, it’s easy to see in hindsight how brilliant the Founding Fathers were, what incredible men of distinction they were — only some kind of knave or fool would deny that they were the greatest set of leaders in this country’s history. But let’s get real, here: accomplished men have come and gone through the ranks of the GOP contenders, and the social conservatives have not fallen behind men arguably most like Benjamin Franklin.
Well, Mike Huckabee would probably take issue with the fact that Franklin had “some doubts as to [Jesus'] divinity,” as expressed in a letter, a year before his death, to the president of Yale University. Uh-oh!
While Franklin understood that there may be some utility of religion in keeping the people virtuous — he supported prayer in public places, for instance — he personally seemed to not really be a follower of any Abrahamic faith. Maybe some sort of sophisticated religious rightist thinks it’s about “the issues,” but how many rank-and-file Alabama Christianists would really vote for a man who doubts the divinity of Jesus? Not Jesus Christ, even — Jesus of Nazareth, as Franklin described him.
Sarah Palin would probably see him as out of touch with the ordinary Joe Six-Pack, who knows nothing of invention or diplomacy. And, I mean, gosh — he’d never even had any executive experience as a mayor or governor! Franklin had, quite frankly, lived a life utterly foreign to that of the working class. He wasn’t exactly a populist. He was a philosopher more than he was a PTA’er. Franklin, quite frankly, was an elitist.
But the elitism of the Founders is why we’re supposed to admire them. They were intellectuals. Men of distinction. men of both word and action. Men who, on the whole, were both virtuous and slayers of established dogma. Pick up The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin — or a copy of Poor Richard’s Almanack, even. Even making adjustments for the archaic writing, can you imagine Sarah Palin writing such a tome? Of course you can’t. Not even she can. That’s why she hired a ghostwriter.
Populism is killing excellence. It’s time to look back to the past for the wisdom of the Founders: how they lived, and what they’d do. Men like Benjamin Franklin are the way forward. Not men like Mike Huckabee.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
I agree. The GOP is hijacked by the religious right.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Alex,
“(Franlin) was, additionally, an early abolitionist.”
Hey, just for the record, that ‘early abolitionist’ was centuries behind the Catholic Church, that reactionary depository of superstition and oppression! (sarc)
June 29th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Mormons deny the divinity of Jesus. In 2008 the GOP pawns got their marching orders from the Paul Weyrichs, the Dr Dobsons, the Tancredos, the Limbaughs, and the Hannitys. Politics can trump religion even among so-called religious figures.
Watch it happen again in 2012.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
of course a student of Europen history would *never* believe that. /sarc
June 29th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
3 – I don’t think that first sentence is entirely accurate, although from what I’ve heard they deny the validity of the Nicene Creed and have some…unique beliefs concerning diety. Also, since when are Tom Tancredo, Rush Limbaugh, or Sean Hannity considered “religious figures?”
June 29th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
3. What?
June 29th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
I beg of you people not to turn this thread into a “Are Mormons Christians?” one.
And yes, Mormons believe in Jesus’ divinity.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
You chose the exception rather than the rule.
How about talking about George Washington’s faith that got him through Valley Forge? How about Patrick Henry, or Robert Paine, or John Hancock, or John Jay? The “Huckabee” archetype actually the most common one when it comes to the founding fathers.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Burn the wicked Christians. Throw them to the lions.
It is humorous to read a young kid unknowingly aping the anti-Christian critiques of the 4th century Roman pagans.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
8 – “In the run-up to July 4th, I’ll take note of a few of our Founding Fathers whom I particularly admire and who would be unelectable to today’s Populist Religious Right…”
Please note that I did not say “OUR FOUNDING FATHERS WERE ALL OF THIS MODEL.”
9 – Did you even read what I wrote? This wasn’t an argument against Christianity. WTF are you talking about?
June 29th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
Doug, Alex is spot on, what are you talking about?
June 29th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Alex, what would Romney have said about Benjamin Franklin? You forgot about him.
June 29th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
12 – Is Romney a Populist Religious Rightist?
June 29th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
SARAH PALIN WOULD PROBABLY SEE HIM (BENJAMIN FRANKLIN)AS OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE ORDINARY JOE SIX-PACK WHO KNOWS NOTHING OF INVENTION OR DIPLOMACY.
Mega cheap shot! Sarah’s father was a teacher. Sarah is a student of the Constitution and the Founding Fathers. She loves America more than anybody will ever know. She would die to preserve the freedom of America. She believes in the natural rights of man to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
You think Sarah doesn’t recognize the greatness of Benjamin Franklin. Get real!
June 29th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
#10, To say I see shades of Celsus and even Porphyry in your post would be understatement.
June 29th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
14 – Sarah’s father was a teacher.
Lovely.
What’s your point?
Sarah is a student of the Constitution and the Founding Fathers.
Is she? A student of it? Or an admirer? There is a vast difference.
She loves America more than anybody will ever know.
Maybe. But I wouldn’t say the same about her husband.
She would die to preserve the freedom of America.
Probably, yes.
She believes in the natural rights of man to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Maybe.
June 29th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
New Facebook page. (Yes, I am spamming)
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=97737949647&ref=nf#/group.php?gid=97737949647&ref=mf
June 29th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Let’s take the mirror argument. There are tons of secularists who would have trouble electing, say, a Patrick Henry or a George Washington or a William Bradford.
Men like Patrick Henry or George Washington are the way forward. Men like Huckabee.
June 29th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
I disagree. I’d have no trouble voting for Huckabee if he were unequivocally strong on defense and economic issues. My beef with Huckabee is that he is a conservative in one area only: religion.
June 29th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
Huckabee is conservative on abortion and gay rights…not religion.
June 29th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
Lol, no, he’s conservative on religion.
He opposes abortion and equal rights for gays because he’s a conservative Christian.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
#18 – “Men like Patrick Henry or George Washington are the way forward. Men like Huckabee.”
LOL
June 29th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
hhmmm, I would consider Catholics as conservative on religion. They (church) has a very traditional/conservtive heirarchy and customs.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
You know what I mean.
He applies his conservative Christianity to his politics.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Lincoln had many moments which would have disqualified him a being a correct Theologian. Although he waffled back and forth on it, the fact remains he wrote a book questioning the divinity of Jesus Christ for heaven’s sake! Now how would that sell now? The religous right would never vote for the man, because they think that their theology would have to exercised to the far reaches of a political leader’s quiet moments within his heads about the Faith?! Not that the actions of a leader would create a better culture for Christianity, but the standard is so high that the exact mind-numbing robot like view of the world has to exist in perfect clarity in every major officer holder in the land! That dimishes everyone’s Freedom and reduce and cheapens Christianity to only the judgement of the ballot not to the reality of a greater power that transcends politics!
June 29th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
WTH!?! Is there something such as liberal Christianity?
“Thou shall sometimes not bed your neighbours wife?”
June 29th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
Is that a joke? You deny that liberal Christianity exists?
How about, like, the Episcopal Church? Or half of Catholics, who voted for Obama?
June 30th, 2009 at 12:06 am
[...] much to debate in Alex’s post on Benjamin [...]
June 30th, 2009 at 12:11 am
#27, what parts of the bible (any of them) would you consider liberal?
June 30th, 2009 at 12:20 am
29 – Whether liberal Christianity is legitimate — I don’t think it is — has nothing to do with whether it exists.
June 30th, 2009 at 12:27 am
30 – but your points have been in the context of faith, not the individual. I am sure there are many ‘Christians’, who are liberal on some issues.
June 30th, 2009 at 12:39 am
Ben Franklin’s era preceded a religious revival in America, which was followed by Jacksonian democracy, which led to civil war. I’m not a fan of Sarah Palin populism. It elevates identity over ideas.
June 30th, 2009 at 3:04 am
Of course! You obviously need to get outside the bubble a little more often.
June 30th, 2009 at 8:11 am
Great article Alex. I am sick of the backwards thinking of the populists. Being and intellectual lightweight is not a virtue.
June 30th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
None of the Founding Fathers would be electable today. Just look at Ron Paul. Of all the elected officials in the country, he is, by leaps and bounds, the closest to the Founders in ideology, and he’s a “kook” to both the Right and the Left.