Orthodoxy #141 // Robert P. George, Stephen Meyer, Tim Mahoney | Were The American Founding Fathers Christians?
16 snips
May 9, 2025 
Tim Mahoney, founder of Thinking Man Films, teams up with Stephen Meyer, an advocate for intelligent design at the Discovery Institute, and Robert P. George, a Princeton jurisprudence professor. They challenge common beliefs, asserting that the American Revolution was driven by a Providential God rather than just Enlightenment ideals. The trio discusses the religious convictions of key figures like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, and advocates for reclaiming historical narratives to accurately represent their faith and influence on American founding principles.
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Founders Believed In Providential God
- The founders generally believed in a God who intervenes in history, not a hands-off deist god.
- Stephen Meyer and Robert P. George emphasize providence as central to founders' worldview and actions.
Washington's Early Narrow Escapes
- The film opens with scenes from Washington's youth, including his survival of smallpox and battlefield near-misses.
- Tim Mahoney chose Washington as the narrative thread because his life reads like a providential, Moses-like story.
Fog, Trenton Crossing, And Mercy
- Mahoney recounts the fog at New York and Washington's daring Christmas attack at Trenton as providential drama.
- He highlights Washington's mercy at Trenton as a formative moral precedent for the nation.
