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James Wilson: Presbyterian, Anglican, Thomist, or Deist?: Does it Matter? (Chapter 7 of The Founders on God and Government)

Abstract

Excerpt: James Wilson is buried in America\u27s Westminster Abby-Christ Church, Philadelphia. This Anglican church is only blocks away from the First Presbyterian church in Philadelphia, where Wilson rented a pew until the end of his life. Some scholars report that Wilson joined the Anglican Communion in 1778, perhaps at the behest of one his best friends, William White, the first Anglican bishop of Philadelphia. Others claim he that never abandoned the Presbyterianism of his native Scotland. Still others pay no attention to his denominational commitments, arguing that he was actually a Thornist or a deist. Finally, some scholars say nothing about his religious identification or beliefs, apparently concluding that these things are unrelated to his political and legal accomplishments

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