Franklin on Faith: The Definitive Guide to the Religion of the First American (Historical Treasures from America's Founding)

Known to historians as "the First American," Benjamin Franklin is without a doubt the most accessible of America's founding fathers. His writings have inspired millions of Americans, and even now, more than 200 years after his death, his wit and humor still brighten lives all across the world. But what was this great man's view on faith? Was he really a Deist as so many historians have proposed? Was he a humanist like so many of his French friends? Is there any possibility that he could have been a Christian? In this unique volume, Bill Fortenberry has collected everything that Franklin wrote about his faith. From Franklin's admission that he became a Deist at the age of fifteen, to his letter to Ezra Stiles 69 years later, Fortenberry catalogues exactly how Franklin's religious views progressed throughout his life and gives us a glimpse of a side of Franklin that few Americans have ever seen.