Here Madison Sounds Downright Deist
Jonathan Rowe on Jun 27th 2007
God is hardly mentioned at all in Madison’s notes on the debates that took place during the Constitutional Convention. And this shouldn’t surprise us given that the Constitution is a “Godless” document. Ben Franklin at one point called for prayer. But his proposal was ignored as they did not pray.
The following is from Madison’s notes, one of the few times that they discuss God and the Constitutional Convention.
“Reason tells us we are but men: and we are not to expect any particular interference of Heaven in our favor.”
Though, at other times Madison expressed belief in a warm-personal God — though, more of a benevolent unitarian deity, as opposed to the God of Scripture. That is why Madison, like the other key Founders ought to be understood as a “theistic rationalist” as opposed to a “Christian” or a “Deist.”
Filed in The Belfry, The Bureau