RUSH: I want to share with you George Washington’s first Thanksgiving proclamation. I haven’t read this in a while. Many of you probably heard the Founding Fathers were not religious, this is whole notion that this nation is a nation of Judeo-Christian, that’s a crock. Our Founding Fathers were a bunch of atheists, they were a bunch of agnostics. You’ve heard this.
Well, I want you to listen to George Washington, the father of our country, the man who made it all possible, his morality is why there is a United States. They wanted him to be king. They offered him despite everything they knew, they thought he was the one man who could be king and not become a tyrant, and he turned ’em down. He said, no way. Goes against everything we fought for. He stood for election, the first president.
“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me ‘to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanks-giving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.’”
Thanking God for America, folks, thanking God for the Constitution.
“Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th. day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this country previous to their becoming a Nation, for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the … tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed, for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted,” referring here to the Constitution, “for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.
“And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the People, by constantly being a government of wise, just and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations … and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and Us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best. Given under my hand at the City of New York on the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.”
George Washington.
Does that sound like an atheist or agnostic to you? Don’t think so.