“Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principles.”

True

I think George was sheltered in this regard. The immorality of religious folk is rampant. Between pedophile priests and the immroality of the so called moral Taliban and al Quaeda types etcetera. I have even know atheists to be "moral". I guess it is how one really defines "religious principle".

The key to understanding this quote is to realize that most "organized religions" and so called "religious people" actually have nothing to do with the "religious principles" he refers to. Atheism is in no way in conflict with most "religious principles". It is sorta like having to understand "what is is"...

Absolutely, we hold this truth to be self evident. "A" from Reston, wow, exactly right on. Waffler is again in the shallow end making off topic non-depth of experience and lack of reason comments. Washington here is speaking of such things as the Christian concept that each and every individual is an heir to the King of the Universe. Each heir, from birth, is a noble sovereign with each and every right inherent and inalienable. Each heir is nobly equal before the law. Another religious (Judeo / Christian) principle would be that of property, ownership, and the inalienable right against theft. Since the national morality (not a specific pedophile priest) has drifted from the here subject and stated religious principled morality, compelled compliance, license, victimless crimes, larceny with impunity have all become the despotic norm. Eminent domain has left the domain of the once noble sovereign to now be enforced by an abstract ethos that claims inherent right. The statist theocracy that now infests this land is but a heinous type and shadow that has forbiden Washington's reason, experience, and religious principles. (see 'A' from Reston's comment)

Now if we could only agree on what 'religious principles' are, we could comment better. Religious principles, to me, are those 'as you sow, so shall you reap' kind of ideas that place responsibility squarely in the hands of the individual rather than a church or theocracy. The Golden Rule pretty much is the basis for religious principles. Since government should never be the one to guide us in matters of the spirit (as politics is but the quest for power) religious/spiritual pursuits should be separate and outside of the jurisdiction of the politicians. Washington was a Deist, by the way. Deists like Jesus, but Christians don't seem to like Deists...

Like I said Mike the immorality of religious folk is well known.

GW is wrong as are most religious persons who espouse such stupidity.

It is amazing to me that most people skim over the fact that it was men and women who embraced moral, religious principles that established the greatest country in the history of the world. When you compare where we are now to where they were then, one cannot help but make the case that as we as a nation have turned our backs on God, morals and religious principles, we have gone the way of Rome.