The following is an
excerpt from Founding Faith, by
Steven Waldman. It’s an interesting take
on the development of the First Amendment right of Freedom of Religion.
The author suggests
that George Washington promoted freedom of religion as a strategy to hold his
Continental Army together as a fighting unit when disputes between protestant
and catholic troops, and among protestant sects, threatened its readiness. The author suggests another reason for
freedom of religion for Washington...
Though I believe that his role as commander of the
Continental army was the most important factor shaping his vision of tolerance,
there may have been one other influence:
he was a Mason.
Freemasonry began as an association of bricklayers and craftsmen,
in the 1720s in England, evolved into “speculative Masonry,” connecting
non-craftsmen and elites for a variety of callings. Masonry became quite important in the
colonies in the period just before, during and after the American Revolution,
providing a way for social elites from different realms to gather, form bonds,
complete business deals, and promote common values. The Founding Fathers were fairly obsessed
with the question of how to instill enough virtue into citizens that a republic
could flourish. Institutions that could
imbue personal and communal values – such as Masonic lodges and churches – were
viewed as essential building blocks for democracy. …
Though they renounced claims to being a religious
organization, the Masons did have a distinct attitude about faith. First, Masonry maintained substantial ties to
biblical Judaism. The original Masons
claimed to have descended from Hiram Abiff, the master bricklayer for King Solomon’s
Temple, allegedly murdered during construction.
“Rituals firmly placed Jewish biblical tradition at the hearts of all
Masonry,” historian Steven Bullock has written…
By the 1700s, Masonic lodges required members to believe in a Supreme
Being – what they called “the Grand Architect.”
In the years before and after the Revolution, temples typically kept a
Bible in a place of honor and used scriptural passages in their rituals. …
Later, the Masons become even more explicitly and
exclusively Christian – and later still were attacked by evangelicals as anti-Christian
– but during the period when Washington was most involved, the Masons stressed
a broad religious tolerance. … Philadelphia’s St. John’s Lodge included
Baptists and Presbyterians, the lodge in Newport, Rhode Island, even included
Jews.
To what degree was Washington influenced by Masonry? He was open about his involvement... He apparently attended few private meetings,
but did participate in public Masonic rituals.
... Most dramatically, in 1793
Washington led the ceremony laying the cornerstone of the US Capitol: He wore a Masonic apron and sash, placed a
silver plate on the stone, and then baptized it with the Masonic symbols of
corn, oil and wine. ... [H]e was sworn in as president on a Bible
borrowed from a New York Masonic temple, was surrounded in the Continental army
and in his government by other Masons, and was buried with full Masonic
rites. There is no direct evidence that
Masonry influenced Washington’s approach to tolerance – perhaps Washington
developed the sensibility on his own and was attracted to the Masons because
they shared his views – but at a minimum it reinforced Washington’s desire for nonsectarianism.