On This Day in History
November 20, 1728

Ben Franklin publishes Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion

On this day in history, November 20, 1728, a 21 year old Ben Franklin published "Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion,"   a statement of his religious beliefs as a young man. He does not go so far as to accept Christ's deity, but does generally adhere to the Christian concept of God. Later in life, his views became even more orthodox and in agreement with mainline Christianity, though he never did claim assurance that Christ was divine.

In "Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion,"  young Franklin begins by concluding that he is inconsequential in the scope of the universe and that God must be above being concerned with whether or not he is worshiped by such a puny being. He does, however, conclude that God must appreciate and enjoy being worshiped by His creation, because He must have emotions like we do, or else He would not have put them into us.

Benjamin Franklin

Franklin concludes also that it his duty to worship God, since He is all powerful and since he owes his existence to Him. He also concludes that God wants human beings to be happy and takes pleasure in their virtue and happiness. He ends with his own system of daily adoration, petitions and self-reflections for approaching God.

A quote from the work: "I love him therefore for his Goodness and I adore him for his Wisdom. Let me then not fail to praise my God continually, for it is his Due, and it is all I can return for his many Favours and great Goodness to me; and let me resolve to be virtuous, that I may be happy, that I may please Him, who is delighted to see me happy. Amen."

• You can read the complete work, Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion here
• And you can learn more about Benjamin Franklin at our Facts about Benjamin Franklin page
• Read what happened on other days in American history at our On This Day in History section here.

This Week in History

• November 20, 1728 - Ben Franklin publishes Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion
• November 21, 1775 - Continental Congress writes to Oswald Eve
• November 22, 1783 - Maryland patriot leader John Hanson dies
• November 23, 1730 - General William Moultrie is born
• November 24, 1778 - North Carolina wins the Battle of Midway Church
• November 25, 1783 - Last British soldiers evacuate the United States
• November 26, 1727 - General Artemas Ward is born

This book is as exact a reproduction of this wonderful little book     published in 1895 as we could produce.  You will find words spelled and hyphenated the way they are in the original. 

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