The Declaration of Independence uses the words 'God,' 'the Creator,' and 'Divine Providence,' but many of the Founders were highly skeptical of both Christianity and also organized religion, preferring the scientific and rational ideals of the Enlightenment.

In this episode, we explore the tensions between religion and reason in the Declaration of Independence.

Topics include the following:

-Theistic and deistic beliefs in the Founders, including Franklin and Jefferson

-The different religious groups in the Colonies, from Baptists and Catholics to Anglicans and Quakers

-Biblical and theological arguments for and against revolution as well as submission to the King

-Grievance #20 in the Declaration, which references the Quebec Act of 1774, which allowed for the establishment of Catholicism in the Canadian colony of Quebec

-Jefferson's Act for Establishing Religious Freedom (1779)

-The Establishment Clause in the First Amendment

An assortment of Dr. Kidd's books are listed below:

Thomas Jefferson: A Biography of Spirit and Flesh (Yale University Press, 2022)

Who Is an Evangelical?: The History of a Movement in Crisis (Yale University Press, 2019)

Benjamin Franklin: The Religious Life of a Founding Father (Yale University Press, 2017)

American Colonial History: Clashing Cultures and Faiths (Yale University Press, 2016)

Baptists in America: A History, with Barry Hankins (Oxford University Press, 2015)

George Whitefield: America's Spiritual Founding Father (Yale University Press, 2014)