Were our Founding Father’s saints, were they without sin?

“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone…” – John 8:7

There are those that have been sold the narrative that our Founding Father’s words should have no power because they owned slaves. The fact that some owned slaves is not in question. So why do we hold slave owners in such high esteem. I would ask why do we hold our Biblical heroes in such high esteem. King David murdered for his lust of a woman, Noah slept with his daughters, Abraham slept with his wife’s servant, and Paul stoned Christians. That is the very foundation and nature of God, that He uses all of us just as we are in spite of ourselves. The Christian world view is that “we have all fallen short” but by the Grace of Jesus Christ we are made righteous.

The Founding Father’s set up a form of government that looks to our Creator for our rights where “All men are created equal”. Even those that owned slaves signed on to an ideal that God created us all equal in his eyes. Frederick Douglass refused to condemn those Founder’s that owned slaves because whether consciously or only by Divine Providence, they set up a form of government that could not exist in the opposing views of Natural Law and Slavery.

“Now, take the Constitution according to its plain reading, and I defy the presentation of a single pro-slavery clause in it. On the other hand it will be found to contain principles and purposes, entirely hostile to the existence of slavery.” – Frederick Douglas

Were all our Founding Fathers slave owners?

Absolutely not. Prominent Founder’s like Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and Benjamin Rush were staunch abolitionists that fought slavery because of their Christian Faith. Founders like Ben Franklin owned slaves, but during the Revolution began questioning himself and ended up becoming president of an abolitionist group.

The pure philosophy of Natural Law stands on its own no matter that it may have been interpreted with a whole people group excluded. It is in fact without prejudice of any kind.

“The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges every one: and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind, who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions: for men being all the workmanship of one omnipotent and infinitely wise Maker” – John Locke

Do not let the stain of sin blemish the Blessings of Liberty that God granted on this great country. Understand that Jesus died for those sins and that it is in Him that we are made Righteous and that our Founders found their righteousness in Christ also.