Washington and the Members of Congress then marched in a procession to St. Paul's Church for Divine Service. That Congress should have gone to church en masse as a part of the inauguration was no surprise, for Congress had itself booked these inaugural services.
That is, while the new Constitution had established the presidency, it outlined nothing specific about the opening activities. Resolved, That after the oath shall have been administered to the President, he - attended by the VP and members of the administration of delegates - go on to St.
The House quickly authorized the same resolution. Once the presidential oath had been administered and the inaugural address delivered, according to official congressional records :
The President, the VP, the Senate, and House of Representatives, &c, then proceeded to St. Paul's Chapel, where Divine Service was performed by the priest of Congress.
The service was performed according to The Book of Common Prayer, and included a number of prayers taken from Psalms 144-150 as well as Scripture readings and lessons from the book of Ruth, the gospel of Saint John, and the third Epistle of John. - - - - - -
the first inauguration - conducted under the watchful eye of those that had framed our presidency and written its Constitution - incorporated countless religious activities and expressions.
one. Washington swore his oath on a Bible opened to a specific passage ; many successive presidents have done the same. For example, in Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural, he selected :
Revelation 16:7 : And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments. In 1873, Ulysses S. Isaiah 11:1-3 : And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots : And the essence of the Lord shall rest upon him, the tradition of knowledge and understanding, the spirit of advocate and might, the essence of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord ; And shall make him of quick understanding in the dread of the Lord : and he shall not judge after the appearance of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears.
In 1881, James A. Garfield selected :
Proverbs 21:1 : The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord ; as the rivers of water, He turneth it whithersoever He will.
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Rick Green and David Barton David Barton and Rick Green point us to Psalm 121:1-6 : I'll raise mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help. My assistance cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He won't suffer thy foot to be moved : He that keepeth thee won't slumber. Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The sun shall not smite thee by day nor the moon by night.
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Rick Green and David Barton explain that Many major internet sites and encyclopedias identify the 4th of July as “America’s largest religious holiday,” and the compendium outlines “secular” as “pertaining to things that aren’t regarded as non secular or sacred.” the events leading in to America’s birthday were anything except temporal. As George Washington recognized, “The hand of Providence has been so conspicuous in all this that he has got to be worse than an infidel that lacks religion, and more than evil, which has not gratitude enough to recognize his obligations.” And John Adams endorsed : “The general elements that the fathers achieved autonomy were the general elements of Christianity.”
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