George Washington, wealthy planter and fox hunting sportsman, was without a trace of Puritanism. He was so completely indifferen

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问题 George Washington, wealthy planter and fox hunting sportsman, was without a trace of Puritanism. He was so completely indifferent to its pious irascibilities that he appears never to have made any comment on them. Indeed, he seemed, according to the evidence, to have had no instinct or feeling for religion, although he attended church twelve or fifteen times a year.
The name of Jesus Christ is not mentioned even once in the vast collection of Washington’s published letters. He refers to Providence in numerous letters, but he used the term in such a way as to indicate that he considered Providence as a synonym for Destiny or Fate. Bishop White, who knew him well for many years, wrote after Washington’s death that he had never heard him express an opinion on any religious subject. He added that although Washington was "serious and attentive" in church, he never saw him kneel in prayer.
Nevertheless, he believed in the stabilizing power of religion. He had no religious feeling himself, but thought religion was a good thing for other people—especially for the common people. Anyone who understands American life will recognize the modern captain-of-industry attitude in this point of view.
In his Farewell Address, which unquestionably represents his most mature opinions, the name of God does not appear, but he had a good word for religions, to wit: "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. "
Reading this, we pause and reflect. He considered religion a matter of policy. Of that we might have been sure—knowing, as we do, his type of mind. But the statement does not come up to expectations, he has not tied religion up to property. Any modern captain of industry would do that. However, we are not yet at the end of the statement. In the same paragraph, a few lines further on, he says:
Let it simply be asked, where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion.

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答案 乔治-华盛顿不仅是一个富有的种植园主,也是一个猎狐专业户,但他跟清教主义一点儿都不沾边儿。清教徒虔诚得有点儿出格,他都视而不见,也从没对此发表过任何评论。证据显示,虽然他一年要做12到15次礼拜,但似乎确实对宗教没有什么天性或感触。 耶稣-基督这个名字在华盛顿卷帙浩繁的公开书信中一次都没有提到过。他只在大量的书信中提到了上帝这个词,但他把这个词当作是命运或天意的同义词来用。怀特主教是华盛顿多年的旧相识,在华盛顿去世后,他写到,他从来没有听到华盛顿在任何宗教话题上发表过评论。他还写到,尽管华盛顿在教堂“既严肃又专注”,他却从没看到过华盛顿下跪祈祷。 然而,他认为宗教有保持社会稳定的力量。他自己是对宗教没有什么感觉,不过,他认为宗教对其他人,特别是对普通大众来说是个好东西。对那些理解美国人生活方式的人,也会从中明白美国现代工业领袖的态度了。 华盛顿的告别演说毫无疑问代表了他最成熟的观点看法,演说中他对上帝的名字只字不提,不过他对宗教表示了好评,就是“在所有的心性和习惯中,宗教和道德对政治繁荣是不可或缺的支持力量。” 读到这儿,我们停下来反思一下。他把宗教看作是政策性的东西。这样的话,我们本可以确信我们对他的思想已有所了解,不过这份报告并没有达到我们的预期,因为他没有把宗教与财产挂钩。任何一位现代工业领袖都会把宗教与财产联系在一起。但是直到报告的末尾我们也没有看到这样的说法。在同一段落中,他进一步说道: 我们只需要简单地问一句,宗教的誓言是法庭的调查工具,如果宗教职责背离了这些誓言,那么财产、名望以及生活的保障又会去哪儿呢?我们要保持谨慎,没有宗教的话还可以用道德来维持我们的政治繁荣。

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