Washington on Religion

Washington was a sincerely religious man. His speeches and letters are peppered with references to God and the work of God in the world. More than likely, though, he would not have been welcomed in many of the churches that today loudly proclaim Washington's Christian bona fides.

In 1795, four years before his death, our country's first president wrote this:

In politics, as in religion, my tenets are few and simple; the leading one of which, and indeed that which embraces most others, is to be honest and just ourselves, and to exact it from others; meddling as little as possible in their affairs where our own are not involved. If this maxim was generally adopted, wars would cease and our swords would soon be converted into reap-hooks and our harvests be more peaceful, abundant and happy.

[taken from Founding Faith, p. 183, and attributed to Bruce Chadwick, George Washington's War.]

Sound advice, this. Be honest and just in dealing with others; expect the same from them; and do not become involved in the affairs of others unless it affects you.