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One of the things I am uncertain of is the view George Washington had toward religion. He makes clear references to God, such as in his First Inaugural Address:
...it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge.
Washington's words, however, convey a sort of Enlightenment sentimentality, of which the friendliness toward organized religion is still unclear. He was, after all, a freemason. So it was interesting when I briefly read about his attitude toward religious pluralism. Here is what impressed me (from Wikipedia):
Washington was an early supporter of religious pluralism. In 1775, he ordered that his troops should not burn the pope in effigy on Guy Fawkes Night. In 1790, he wrote to Jewish leaders that he envisioned a country "which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.... May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid."
As you may know, Guy Fawkes had been executed for his role in the Gunpowder Plot when a band of Catholics attempted to kill James I in 1605 for English oppression and persecution of Catholics during that time. November 5 of each year was turned into a national holiday through the late 1850s, but fireworks and burning the effigy of Guy Fawkes is supposedly still celebrated (incidentally, the Fawkes straw-stuffed effigy is the basis for the modern slang word "guy").For Washington to have toned down the celebration of this day is remarkable; he made what was likely an unpopular decision based on religious tolerance for the beliefs of others. In this sense, he separated himself from the mockery which accompanied certain Enlightenment attitudes toward religion.
