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| George Washington takes communion with his aids and officers at an outdoor service supposedly held by the Morristown Presbyterian Church which claims he officially joined during the period when the Continental Army was headquartered there. The claim is boosted on right wing web sites trying to prove that Washington was a fervent evangelical Christian. |
Note—Once
again a long and ambitious blog series has overwhelmed and exhausted Ye Olde
Prop. In order to catch my breath and
catch up, we interrupt these biographical essays with a related poem you may
have seen here before.
Back
in 2012 by calendar happenstance George
Washington’s Birthday and Ash
Wednesday coincided. As regular denizens of this refuge for flying electrons knows that
sort of thing often inexplicably moves
me to commit poetry. Well, this year the dates were pretty far
apart, but Ash Wednesday is creeping up
on us this coming week. Close enough for hand grenades, horseshoes,
and Patrick poetry I say.
Since
the entirely specious made it’s
first appearance the story, meant to be allegorical
fiction was swallowed hook, line,
and sinker by American Evangelicals and
some Catholics who would find the mystical revelation an echo of many saint tales. It has also
been cynically promoted by certain hyper-conservative elements as proof that Washington and other Founders were deep and profound Christians in refutation that many of them were rationalists, Deists, or adherents
of heretical sects or theologies.
An
iconic image by artist Arnold Friberg—one of several version created over the years—was
widely used to promote this pseudo
history. The story, image, and propaganda punch got new
wings during the McCarthy era Red
Scare of the early ‘50’s when the original so called prophesy—obviously meant as a metaphor
for the Civil War when it was first penned by Charles Wesley Alexander under his nom de plume Wesley Bradshaw
in April of 1861 and republished by Alexander in his magazine for Union veterans,
The Soldier’s Casket in 1888—was retooled as an anti-Communist screed.
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| Arnold Fribeg's painting of Washington praying at Valley Forge has become an iconic symbol. |
These
days it is a handy tool in the dominionist belt for asserting a claim that the U.S. is a Christian Nation and should be ruled in the name of Christ.
All
of which begs the question—what were
Washington’s actual religious beliefs? Conservatives point out that he was a life-long Anglican and served as a Vestryman in his local parish. True enough.
As the local squire the role
of Vestryman—a lay member of a parish governing council—was an expected duty. Washington from adolescence always was keenly
aware of the duties of a gentleman
and his obligation to fill
them. But in adulthood like many Virginians
of his class he became influenced by the heretical philosophies of the Scottish Enlightenment, and eventually Deism. While
never a deep religious thinker like young Thomas Jefferson, he privately discarded most of the tenets of orthodox Christianity. In
his letters, writings, and public utterances he sometimes used the
word God but more frequently used
Deist constructions like Providence. He virtually
never referenced Jesus Christ.
In
adulthood he often skipped regular Sunday services when he could—his
duties as a soldier and statesman provided ample excuses. When he did attend, he always left after the sermon and before the call to the communion rail.
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| Washington as Grand Master Mason laying the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol. |
Washington’s
real spiritual life was rooted in Freemasonry, to which he was devoted.
The Masonry of his era combined esoteric
mystic ritual with strong Deist elements and more than a dash of republican
(small r) radicalism. Washington famously laid the cornerstone of the Capitol
building wearing his Grand Master
Mason apron. The eye-in-the-pyramid on the obverse of the Great Seal of the United States, seen most commonly on the back of
the one dollar bill is generally
credited to the influence of the First
President on its design.
Anyway,
all of that was rolling around my
fevered brain and contributed to
this opus.
The Vestryman
Ash
Wednesday/Washington’s Birthday 2012
The Vestryman performing the duty
expected of the local Squire
attended
chapel when absolutely necessary
and
when no good excuse like fighting an Empire
or
Fathering a Country was handy.
He sat bolt upright on a rigid pew
contemplated
the charms of Lady Fairfax
or
later dental misery.
When
came the Altar Call, he would stand up,
turn
on his heel, and march straight out
as
if a legion was at his back.
No
filthy priestly thumb ever grimed
that
noble brow.
—Patrick Murfin
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