A Decline In Standards

[poliphilo]

George Washington's parson took him aside and suggested that Washington was setting a bad example by leaving church (as was his habit) before the administration of Holy Communion. Washington agreed- and stopped going to church altogether.

Jonathan Miller told that story last night in the first episode of his TV History of Unbelief. He also quoted from Jefferson, Adams, Buchanan and Lincoln to demonstrate that all of them would have been unelectable by today's strict standards of religious conformity.

Lincoln wrote that the more he thought about it, the more he felt bound to reject the Christian scheme of salvation.

But, then again, back in those days, the politics of the Republic attracted men of genius. Who was the last president you could describe in those terms and it not seem utterly ridiculous?

Comments

[cdpoint.livejournal.com]

Call me dense, but I thought a fundamental motivation for the founding fathers was the separation of church and state. I always thought that was a pretty sound principle. Funny how none of the President's "faith-based" zealots note the irony of their sharing a common viewpoint with those against whom they're carrying out this GWOT™.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes indeed. Men like Washington and Jefferson would have been shocked to see how religious zealotry has invaded the politics of the Republic.

[cdpoint.livejournal.com]

Amen, brother!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It is pretty good. I wish he'd do more TV.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

He made a splendid Freudian version of Alice in Wonderland for the BBC back in the mid 60s. Peter Sellers as the King of Hearts, John Gielgud as the Mock Turtle, music by Ravi Shankar- simply amazing. But then (apart from a version of a ghost story by M.R. James- also for the Beeb) he turned his back on film-making....

[kaysho.livejournal.com]

At least Washington's behaviour shows that he had a bit of a sense of humour about his faith, something that religious zealots completely lack.