"[I]t would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge. In tendering this homage to the Great Author of every public and private good, I assure myself that it expresses your sentiments not less than my own, nor those of my fellow-citizens at large less than either. No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency; and in the important revolution just accomplished in the system of their united government the tranquil deliberations and voluntary consent of so many distinct communities from which the event has resulted can not be compared with the means by which most governments have been established without some return of pious gratitude, along with an humble anticipation of the future blessings which the past seem to presage."
--George Washington paying homage to God in his First Inaugural Address, delivered in New York on April 30, 1789.
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What is the purpose of a posting that is "the exception that proves the rule," other than to distort George Washington’s (GW) views about religion? As your quote indicates, GW’s First Inaugural Address contained many references to a deity, such as one to "that Almighty Being who rules over the universe," and another about how "no people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States." But it is worth noting that he never used the word "God," although he clearly believed in “divine providence” on a personal and a national level.
To be honest, you should acknowledge that GW made no references to any deity directly or indirectly in his Second Inaugural Address, and in his most emotional public speech at Newburgh, NY to disgruntled officers of the Continental Army threatening to desert for lack of pay, also made no references to God except an exasperated, "My God!"
While outwardly appearing as an Anglican (vestryman, like just about every other high-ranking Virginia gentleman of his era), Washington was not a devout, observant or orthodox Christian. Historians like Peter Henriques and Gregg Frazer, who have combed through his private letters, note no references to Jesus Christ. Frazer aptly labels GW, influenced by Enlightenment rationalism and Freemasonry, as a “theistic rationalist.”
Washington favored a type of generalized, non-sectarian “civil” religion, as indicated in his farewell address to the nation in 1796 that, "Religion and Morality are indispensable supports" to republican governance. As commander-in-chief during the War of Independence, and as President of the United States, he abhorred and feared religious sectarianism.
He was very self-conscious about being a symbol of national unity. He noted how "inveterate and distressing" religious disputes "endanger[ed] the peace of society," and how he hoped that the Constitution had established "effectual barriers against the horrors of spiritual tyranny."
JMS - I don't understand your criticism. I quoted an excerpt from President Washington's First Inaugural and, in this post, did so without commentary.
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