PIETY AND PRESIDENTS PT. 1
The U.S. Constitution famously prohibits any religious test or requirement for public office. Still, almost all of the nation’s presidents have been Christians and many have been Episcopalians or Presbyterians, with most of the rest belonging to other prominent Protestant denominations.
For Power/Trip, we're mostly going to focus on the religious beliefs of presidents from 1950s onward, because that's when the close bond between Christianity—evangelical Protestantism, in particular—and the American presidency began to form. (And with it, the religious right as we know it.) Scroll down to learn about each president in chronological order, or click a name in the religious ranking below or the side menu to skip straight to one.
Presidents to pay particular attention to:
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER 1953-1961
Affiliation: Presbyterian
"I am the most intensely religious man I know... A democracy cannot exist without a religious base. I believe in democracy."
Raised Christian
1953: first and only president to write and read his own prayer at his Inauguration
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"I wanted, then, to make this faith clear without creating the impression that I intended, as the political leader of the United States, to avoid my own responsibilities in an effort to pass them on to the Deity. I was seeking a way to point out that we were getting too secular."
1953: joined Presbyterian Church to prove his commitment to Christian values + first president to be baptized while in office
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As the Cold War loomed, Christian leaders encouraged Americans to turn to God and away from secularism.
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"Our form of government makes no sense unless it is founded in a deeply felt religious belief, and I don't care what it is."
1954: added "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance
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"In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource, in peace or in war."
More info: https://www.history.com/news/eisenhower-billy-graham-religion-in-god-we-trust
JOHN F. KENNEDY
1961-1963
Affiliation: Roman Catholic
1960: second Roman Catholic to run for the presidency
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nativist and anti-Catholic sentiments had decreased somewhat by then, but still controversy around his faith
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Fair Campaign Practices Committee issued a special statement that "no candidate for public office should be opposed or supported because of his particular religious affiliation."
"Whatever one's religion in his private life may be, for the officeholder nothing takes precedence over his oath to uphold the Constitution and all its parts -- including the First Amendment and the strict separation of church and state."
LYNDON B. JOHNSON
1963-1969
Affiliation: Disciples of Christ
Sworn in after Kennedy's assassination
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w/hand on Kennedy's copy of the Catholic Missal instead of a Bible
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"I will do my best. That is all I can do. I ask for your help -- and God's."
Background
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raised by mother with deep Baptist roots & father who's religious beliefs varied overtime
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joined the Disciples of Christ Church, which emphasized good works
Christian duty
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committed to civil rights & welfare programs that he believed were a Christian's duty
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declared 1966 the "year of the Bible"
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asked Rev. Billy Graham to preach at his funeral
"From our Jewish and Christian heritage, we draw the image of the God of all mankind, who will judge his children not by their prayers and by their pretensions, but by their mercy to the poor and their understanding of the weak. We cannot cancel that strain and then claim to speak as a Christian society."
RICHARD NIXON
1969-1974
Affiliation: Quaker
Background
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born into a devoutly religious/strict Quaker family
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family attended an evangelical Quaker meetinghouse
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in his youth, he accepted the "literal correctness of the Bible, the miracles, even the whale story."
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1933: after attending a theological course by Dr. J. Herschel Coffin and the death of his oldest brother, Nixon stopped taking Biblical miracles literally
While president, Nixon regularly attended Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church and reportedly told his chief of staff that he prayed every night.
Close relationship with the Rev. Billy Graham
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acted as Nixon's spiritual adviser
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became a White House regular, preaching on several occasions at White House worship services instituted by the president.
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Nixon would occasionally mention God and religion in his public speeches, although not with the same frequency as some of his successors.
Religious intolerance
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publicly encouraged religious tolerance, but taped conversations from the White House catch him making anti-Semitic remarks (released by the National Archives since 1996)
GERALD FORD
1974-1977
Affiliation: Episcopalian
Background
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raised Episcopalian and remained so his whole life
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not a particularly strict religious upbringing
Close relationship w/evangelical leader Billy Zeoli
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met Zeoli thru weekly Bible study meetings for Congressman
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Ford's spiritual mentor while V.P. & President
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Zeoli sent him weekly devotional notes, each containing a Bible verse and a short prayer
Ford framed the contentious pardon of Nixon in religious terms (see video below)
Avoided using his spiritual convictions as a political tool
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1976 presidential election: refused Billy Zeoli's advice to publish a book on his faith
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---> lost the race to the self-declared "born-again" Christian Jimmy Carter
"I have always felt a closeness to God and have looked to a higher being for guidance and support, but I didn't think it was appropriate to advertise my religious beliefs."
"I do believe, with all my heart and mind and spirit, that I, not as president but as a humble servant of God, will receive justice without mercy if I fail to show mercy."
JIMMY CARTER
1977-1981
Affiliation: Baptist (evangelical/born-again)
Raised Baptist
age 11: baptized in Baptist Church
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began studying Christian theology after father's death
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age 23: pastor's sermon led him to recommit his life more deeply to Christ
Won election partly because of his faith (contrasting JFK)
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1976: proclaimed himself a "born-again" Christian in presidential primaries
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won bc:
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a) public disillusionment with public morality during the Nixon and Ford years
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b) evangelical Christians felt seen
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For those of us who share the Christian faith, the words 'born again' have a very simple meaning -- that through a personal experience, we recommit our lives as humble children of God, which makes us in the realest possible sense brothers and sisters of one another." - Carter at 1978 National Prayer Breakfast
Post-presidency
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resumed teaching Sunday school classes
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wrote two books explaining his religious beliefs
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felt maligned with Southern Baptist Convention as it became increasingly conservative
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"I feel a threat in my own church from Baptist fundamentalists."
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1993: joined Cooperative Baptist Fellowship when they broke away from the Southern Baptist Convention
RONALD REAGAN
1981-1989
Affiliation: Presbyterian
Background
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Raised and baptized in the Disciples of Christ Church
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Divorced
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Not a regular churchgoer
Won against Carter
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received the support of the newly mobilized religious right in the 1980 presidential campaign
Encouraged Christianity as president
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1981: attempted assassination --> deepened his faith
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1982: supported a constitutional amendment to allow voluntary school prayer
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1983: awarded Rev. Billy Graham the Presidential Medal of Freedom and proclaimed '83 the "Year of the Bible."
"My daily prayer is that God will help me to use this position so as to serve Him. Teddy Roosevelt once called the presidency a bully pulpit. I intend to use it to the best of my ability to serve the Lord."
Disappointed some leaders of the religious right
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prioritized economic initiatives and foreign affairs over domestic social issues
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didn't reinstitute school prayer
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didn't outlaw abortion
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1989: still, left office with huge evangelical approval
GEORGE H.W. BUSH
1989-1993
Affiliation: Episcopalian
Born into a New England Episcopalian family
Reluctant to speak openly about personal religious beliefs
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less loud-and-proud than Reagan
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conservative Christians questioned his sincerity
1980: switched from pro-choice to pro-life
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Became pro-life when became Reagan's running mate
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caused conservative Christians to mistrust him as an opportunist who allowed his religious convictions to be swayed by political expediency
"I felt uncomfortable, very honestly, talking about the depth of my religion when I was president... I think Lincoln was right: you can't be president without spending some time on your knees professing your faith and asking God for strength, and to save our nation. But I believe strongly in the separation of church and state. I don't believe a president should be advocating a particular denomination, or particular religion."
WILLIAM J. CLINTON
1993-2001
Affiliation: Baptist
Background
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Baptized at age 9
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attended one of Rev. Billy Graham's revivals as a child
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Comfortable speaking with evangelical church-goers
"My faith tells me that all of us are sinners, and each of us has gone in our own way and fallen short of the glory of God." - 1992 presidential campaign
1993: signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act
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designed to make it harder for the federal govt to interfere with a person's freedom of religion unless there is a "compelling governmental interest"
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wanted law to apply to federal, state, and local govts
GEORGE W. BUSH
2001-2009
Affiliation: Methodist (evangelical/born-again)
Raised Episcopalian, but not religious himself until 1984
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gained reputation as a frat-boy partier with a young wife, two daughters and a drinking problem
Converted to evangelical Christianity
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1984: met an evangelist in TX and converted
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Later fully rededicated his life to Christ
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took a Bible study class
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gave up alcohol entirely
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"There is only one reason that I am here in the Oval Office and not in a bar. I found faith. I found God. I am here because of the power of prayer."
2000: ran for election on platform of Christian morals
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promised to restore Christian morality to White House
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won evangelical & conservative Christian support bc open/willing to discuss his faith
Actions in office
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Created Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in his first executive order
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Responded to 9/11 with good vs evil religious rhetoric
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"Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty have always been at war. And we know that God is not neutral between them."
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but asked for tolerance of Muslims and their faith
More info: https://slate.com/human-interest/2004/09/does-god-endorse-bush.html
If you got this far, color me impressed.
Here's a graphic representation of every U.S. presidents' religious affiliation as a reward.
(I jest, you're awesome regardless if you read all that.)
