My comments with respect to deists were very much directed at
our "founding fathers" who were, not surprisingly, probably more
liberal and anti-authoritarian in their leanings than many of
their peers (the rejection of orthodoxy was probably more common
among the leaders of the revolution than among the balance of
the delegates signing the Declaration). However, the belief that
religion was primarily a matter of personal conscience was much
more widely held and was probably more of a factor in the
Constitutional exclusion of the government from passing any laws
respecting religion or requiring any religious test (i.e.,
statement of belief) for holding office. The move towards
greater religious orthodoxy didn't really become a force until
the end of the 18th century and early in the 19th. It was a
major factor in Jefferson's Presidential campaign in 1800
(against John Adams) with the then equivalent of the religious
right campaigning hard to defeat him. Jefferson won despite
their opposition and despite widesp