I am currently reading the book “Head and Heart” by Garry Wills. About George Washington he writes “The Washington scholar Marcus Cunliffe called his religion ‘a social performance.’ The pastor of the church Washington attended as president, Bishop William White, said that Washington regularly left the service before communion, leaving his wife to receive it. When White complained of this, Washington just stopped attending on communion Sundays.” If you have the book, see pages 168, 169.

Maybe we can learn from the presidents, better to use religion than to let it use us.

A more important question: How much does it matter? One could argue that the most blatantly outspokenly religious Presidents didn’t do all that well. Carter and GWB are the two most recent examples.

Interesting to me that Jefferson and Lincoln, 2 of the most gifted with language and leadership, operated without an affiliation to a present day church.

One shared the inspiration in the Declaration of Independence that called forth this nation and guided the other in holding us to it. Two distinguishing moments in this nation’s history.

They are two extraordinary men with a great capacity for humility, insight, commitment, and integrity.

Jefferson and integrity are a tenuous pair at best…

We are all human, I hope.

One can not write the way he did and not understand the value of being your words. He is/was as much a victim of his time as we all are.

I hope we do not use that to diminish his contribution.

The Protestant part makes sense. Didn’t the Protestant work ethic build this nation, albeit with the help of African slaves?

I would not give slavery credit for much.

Slavery did much more harm and destruction to this country and its peopple than benefit.

Collapsing slavery into the country’s wealth is clever way of magnifing the blame and righteousness of those who were slaves. It is unnecessary.

Slavery is and was an unfortunate event. Using it to foster guilt is an aspect of not letting go of it.