Ben Franklin on Muslims (and Evangelicals)
We seem to be having some difficulty as a society understanding the implications of a pluralistic society, especially when it comes to religion. So let's take a look at something one of our founding fathers, Ben Frankin, said when the English preacher George Whitefield came to Philadelphia. Whitefield was an early Evangelical and he and his followers were strongly resisted by local government and clergy. Ben took direct action, even though he was a Diest and disagreed with Whitefield on key points.
When local clergy stopped giving Whitefield a place to speak, Franklin helped build a new hall for him -- and for clergy of any other religion. Franklin boasted that it was "expressly for the use of any preacher who might desire to say something to the people at Philadelphia; the design in building not being to accommodate any particular sect, but the inhabitants in general; so that even if the Mufti of Constantinople were to send a missionary to preach Mohammedanism to us, he would find a pulpit at his service." For Franklin, evangelicals represented the democratic spirit railing against authority and insular institutions.
[quote from Steven Waldman, "The Framers and the Faithful" in Washington Monthly]
posted by Clemens @ 1:22 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
This is an interesting post. I recently finished Walter Isaacson's biography on Franklin, which was quite a good read.
It was also interesting to see Isaacson's more positive appraisal of Franklin's work in France, whereas David McCullough's assessment of Franklin in his biography of John Adam's is rather negative.
Thanks. I don't remember McCullough being all that negative about Ben in Paris. Certainly, ol Ben seems to have had the time of his life. But Adams was certainly disgusted with him.
Post a Comment
<< Home