Clearing up the controversy over Washington’s “Valley Forge prayer”

A reader writes:

How could anyone call George Washington a sceptic or even a deist (in the sense that God is not involved in our affairs), or think that he meant for religion and Christianity to remain separate from our national life?

Here is his Valley Forge Prayer:

“Almighty God; we make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection; that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States at large. And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine author of our blessed religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, though Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

LA replies:

The “Valley Forge Prayer” was created by making changes in the last paragraph of Washington’s Circular Letter to the governors of the states, dated June 8 (in some editions June 14), 1783, which Washington at the time considered his final statement of political advice to the nation prior to his resignation as General of the Continental Army. In the circular letter (anticipating the themes of his Farewell Address of 13 years later), Washington urged national unity as the paramount object and concern of Americans. Here is the last paragraph:

I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field, and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation.

Here again is the “Valley Forge Prayer,” which was created by making changes in the above. I’ve bolded the changes. Also the changed version deletes the reference to “their brethren who have served in the field.”

Almighty God; we make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection; that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States at large. And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine author of our blessed religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, though Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The changes are that the prayer in the changed version addresses God directly, as “thou,” and that it ends with the supplication, “through Jesus Christ our Lord.” All the rest of it is the same, except for the deletion I mentioned.

Now, to create this altered verson and present it as being by Washington was wrong. It was an attempt to make Washington seem more of a devout Christian than he was. But the atheists, who seek to deny that the original was a prayer at all, and that it mentioned Jesus, are also quite wrong, since it certainly is a prayer to “God,” even though it is addressed to God in the third person, and not just to a deist “Supreme Being,” and it urges Americans to follow the example of “the Divine Author of our blessed religion,” i.e., Jesus Christ.

Madalyn Murray O’Hair’s 1969 article, “Rewriting of History by Christians,” which is widely quoted by the atheists, dishonestly makes it appear that the original was not a petition to God and was not a prayer. It keeps putting “prayer” in scare quotes, even though Washingon in the original said, “I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection… ”

Posted by Lawrence Auster at May 12, 2009 11:27 AM | Send