Today, December 26th, is the 234th anniversary of the victory by the American rebels over the Hessian mercenaries who were fighting for the government/British.
By the middle of December 1776 the American revolutionaries had been chased out of New York and New Jersey and were in Pennsylvania licking their wounds on the banks of the Delaware River. General Washington knew this was his last chance to save the American Revolution. The Continental Army had dwindled from over 20,000 to just under 2,500 due to troops being killed and captured in battle, to illness and to desertions. To make things even more hopeless, the vast bulk of the remaining soldiers were up for reenlistment at the end of December, just days away. The Deist George Washington decided on a bold all or nothing plan to attack the Hessian at Trenton, New Jersey. Washington fittingly decided on "Victory or Death" as the watchword for the courageous attack. (A great movie about this incredible battle and victory is The Crossing .)
On the evening of December 25, 1776, after having parts of the Deist Thomas Paine's The Crisis read to his men (this is a great example of Deists working together), Washington and his rebel soldiers crossed the treacherous Delaware River and on the morning of December 26, 1776 they attacked the Hessian troops at Trenton and defeated them. This allowed the ill-clothed and ill-fed Americans to confiscate the food, supplies, guns and ammunition from their enemies and use them to further the American Revolution. Most importantly, this victory breathed life back into the cause and motivated many of the soldiers to reenlist and inspired thousands of Americans who had been sitting on the fence to take up arms and join the fight. In short, it saved the American Revolution.
The American Revolution brought about the separation of church and state. This was a wonderfully radical change from the monarchies of the day which claimed their royalty and leaders were ordained by God to rule over the people as they saw fit. This is in accordance with Romans 13:1-7 which forbids any disobedience to "the powers that be" on threat of damnation. This victory by the underdogs, the rebels, over the church/state monarchies lead to free thinking and to the spread of Deism. An example of a single real benefit of this victory is that Thomas Paine's book, The Age of Reason, was banned in England but it was never banned in America.
Currently, Deists are engaged in a revolution in religion. We are working hard to let other people know that they have a true alternative in Deism and that they are not limited to only "revealed" religions or to Atheism. It is not an "either or" situation for people; they do have the Deism option.
On top of this, Deism is very revolutionary in religious thought and beliefs because it is based on God-given reason and Nature, not on man-made dogmas. This is revolutionary indeed!
Thomas Paine made it clear that without the victory of the American Revolution in the political realm the revolution in religion through Deism would not be possible. In The Age of Reason he wrote, "Soon after I had published the pamphlet Common Sense, in America, I saw the exceeding probability that a revolution in the system of government would be followed by a revolution in the system of religion. The adulterous connection of church and state, wherever it had taken place, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, had so effectually prohibited by pains and penalties, every discussion upon established creeds, and upon first principles of religion, that until the system of government should be changed, those subjects could not be brought fairly and openly before the world; but that whenever this should be done, a revolution in the system of religion would follow. Human inventions and priestcraft would be detected; and man would return to the pure, unmixed and unadulterated belief of one God, and no more."
The more we further the revolution in religion by promoting Deism, the sooner people will become aware of the fact that the "revealed" religions and God are not related. They will begin to see that the false promises and teachings in the "holy" books prove that the Supreme Intelligence had nothing to do with these ramblings in spite of the claims pushed on them by the clergy. And their reason will let them know that Deism is much closer to God because, unlike the "revealed" religions, it is dependent on God's gifts to us of reason and Nature.
By doing all we can do to promote this Deistic revolution in religion we are showing our deep and profound appreciation for the American revolutionaries and for their sacrifices of blood, sweat and tears. We are giving even more meaning to their struggle and showing true appreciation and respect for their incredible courage and sacrifices by using the accomplishments and freedoms they made possible for us to use to further the Deistic revolution in religion.
By the middle of December 1776 the American revolutionaries had been chased out of New York and New Jersey and were in Pennsylvania licking their wounds on the banks of the Delaware River. General Washington knew this was his last chance to save the American Revolution. The Continental Army had dwindled from over 20,000 to just under 2,500 due to troops being killed and captured in battle, to illness and to desertions. To make things even more hopeless, the vast bulk of the remaining soldiers were up for reenlistment at the end of December, just days away. The Deist George Washington decided on a bold all or nothing plan to attack the Hessian at Trenton, New Jersey. Washington fittingly decided on "Victory or Death" as the watchword for the courageous attack. (A great movie about this incredible battle and victory is The Crossing .)
On the evening of December 25, 1776, after having parts of the Deist Thomas Paine's The Crisis read to his men (this is a great example of Deists working together), Washington and his rebel soldiers crossed the treacherous Delaware River and on the morning of December 26, 1776 they attacked the Hessian troops at Trenton and defeated them. This allowed the ill-clothed and ill-fed Americans to confiscate the food, supplies, guns and ammunition from their enemies and use them to further the American Revolution. Most importantly, this victory breathed life back into the cause and motivated many of the soldiers to reenlist and inspired thousands of Americans who had been sitting on the fence to take up arms and join the fight. In short, it saved the American Revolution.
The American Revolution brought about the separation of church and state. This was a wonderfully radical change from the monarchies of the day which claimed their royalty and leaders were ordained by God to rule over the people as they saw fit. This is in accordance with Romans 13:1-7 which forbids any disobedience to "the powers that be" on threat of damnation. This victory by the underdogs, the rebels, over the church/state monarchies lead to free thinking and to the spread of Deism. An example of a single real benefit of this victory is that Thomas Paine's book, The Age of Reason, was banned in England but it was never banned in America.
Currently, Deists are engaged in a revolution in religion. We are working hard to let other people know that they have a true alternative in Deism and that they are not limited to only "revealed" religions or to Atheism. It is not an "either or" situation for people; they do have the Deism option.
On top of this, Deism is very revolutionary in religious thought and beliefs because it is based on God-given reason and Nature, not on man-made dogmas. This is revolutionary indeed!
Thomas Paine made it clear that without the victory of the American Revolution in the political realm the revolution in religion through Deism would not be possible. In The Age of Reason he wrote, "Soon after I had published the pamphlet Common Sense, in America, I saw the exceeding probability that a revolution in the system of government would be followed by a revolution in the system of religion. The adulterous connection of church and state, wherever it had taken place, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, had so effectually prohibited by pains and penalties, every discussion upon established creeds, and upon first principles of religion, that until the system of government should be changed, those subjects could not be brought fairly and openly before the world; but that whenever this should be done, a revolution in the system of religion would follow. Human inventions and priestcraft would be detected; and man would return to the pure, unmixed and unadulterated belief of one God, and no more."
The more we further the revolution in religion by promoting Deism, the sooner people will become aware of the fact that the "revealed" religions and God are not related. They will begin to see that the false promises and teachings in the "holy" books prove that the Supreme Intelligence had nothing to do with these ramblings in spite of the claims pushed on them by the clergy. And their reason will let them know that Deism is much closer to God because, unlike the "revealed" religions, it is dependent on God's gifts to us of reason and Nature.
By doing all we can do to promote this Deistic revolution in religion we are showing our deep and profound appreciation for the American revolutionaries and for their sacrifices of blood, sweat and tears. We are giving even more meaning to their struggle and showing true appreciation and respect for their incredible courage and sacrifices by using the accomplishments and freedoms they made possible for us to use to further the Deistic revolution in religion.
