There was no law or precedent that said George Washington ought
to take the first presidential oath of office with his hand on a Bible. He was
free to take the oath with his hand on any book, or no book at all. No one,
however, was surprised when he insisted on taking the first oath of office with
his hand on a Bible.
When a
person swears an oath, they swear by that which is greater than themselves. For
Washington, the greatest tangible authority on which he could swear to uphold
the Constitution of the United States was the Bible. He, therefore proceeded to
take the first presidential oath of office with his hand on a Bible.
A Biblical Worldview
There
were no complaints because Washington’s high view of the Bible was that of America’s
founding generation. In fact, a ten-year study to determine where America’s
Founders got their ideas for the nation’s founding documents, found that they
quoted the Bible far more than any other source. Yes, they quoted ancient Greek
and Roman writers and Enlightenment philosophers, but as Cleon Skousen stated,
“The linchpin that united their thinking on every important principle was the
Bible.”
Because they held a biblical worldview, they interpreted
Enlightenment teachings in the light of Scripture. This is why the well-known
Catholic scholar, Michael Novak, said,
Everywhere that reason led, Americans found the Bible. If they read Francis Bacon, they found the Bible. If they read Isaac Newton or John Milton, they found the Bible. In Shakespeare, they found the Bible. In the world of the founders, the Bible was an unavoidable and useful rod of measurement, a stimulus to intellectual innovation (Hyatt, 5 Pillars of the American Republic, 16).
The Bible’s profound influence on America’s founding
was acknowledged in a December 1982
article in Newsweek entitled “How the Bible Made
America.” It contained this insightful statement:
For centuries [the Bible] has exerted
an unrivaled influence on American culture, politics and social life. Now
historians are discovering that the Bible, perhaps even more than
the Constitution, is our founding document: the source of the powerful myth of
the United States as a special, sacred
nation, a people called by God to establish a model of society, a
beacon to the world (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 7).
Not Ashamed of the Bible
It is, therefore, not surprising that the First Continental
Congress opened with an extended time of Bible reading and prayer. As Rev. Jacob Dusche read the entire 35th Psalm everyone in the room was deeply moved and tears could be seen in many
eyes. John Adams described the moving scene in a letter to his wife, Abigail. He wrote,
I never saw a greater effect upon an audience. It seems as if heaven had ordained that
Psalm to be read that day. I saw tears gush into the eyes of the old, grave
pacific Quakers of Philadelphia. I must beg you to read that Psalm
(Hyatt, 1726:
The Year that Defined America, 108).
The Founders’ respect for the Bible was highlighted when
the first English Bible printed in America in 1782 included a recommendation
from Congress. The producer of the Bible, Robert Aitken, had written a letter
to Congress in which he asked for that government body’s sanction on his work.
In the letter, Aitken called this Bible, “a neat Edition of the Scriptures
for the use in schools.” Congress enthusiastically responded to his request and
offered the following recommendation to be included in this first English Bible
printed in America.
Resolved: That the United States in Congress assembled,
highly approve the pious and laudable undertaking of Mr. Aitken, as subservient
to the interest of religion as well as an instance of the progress of the arts
in this country, and being satisfied from the above report, of his care and
accuracy in the execution of the work they recommend this edition of the Bible
to the inhabitants of the United States and hereby authorize him to publish
this recommendation in the manner he shall think proper.
Regarding the Bible’s influence on America’s Founders,
Andrew Jackson, America’s 7th president, declared, “That book,
sir, is the rock on which our Republic rests.” This was echoed by
America's 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt, who said, “No
other book of any kind ever written in English has ever so affected the whole
life of a people.” America’s 16th president, Abraham
Lincoln, declared,
In regards to this great Book, I have but to say that
it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the
world was communicated through this Book. But for it we could not know right
from wrong. All things most desirable for man's welfare, here and hereafter,
are found portrayed in it.
Washington and the Bible
So, why did Washington insist on taking the first presidential oath of office with his hand on a Bible? The reason seems obvious. He, and the founding generation, believed the Bible to hold the moral and spiritual truths that would guide the new nation and make it a peaceful, stable, and prosperous land.
Indeed, it was biblical moral principles that enabled the country
to overcome slavery and Jim Crow, bring voting rights to women, defeat the old
Soviet Union, and produce unparalleled prosperity for the largest number of
people. The contemporary rejection of the
Bible as a source of spiritual and moral guidance does not bode well for the
future of America and would cause Washington to turn over in his grave.
Dr. Eddie Hyatt has a passion to see America return to her founding principles of faith and freedom. He writes and speaks on the topic and this article was derived from his books, 1726: The Year that Defined America and Pilgrims and Patriots 2nd Edition, both available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.
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