Happy Birthday, John Adams

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfvXem__AxQ

John Adams, second president of the United States of America was born on this day in 1735. He assisted Thomas Jefferson in the writing of the Declaration of Independence. He is the author of the Massachusetts constitution.

One of the more moving events for Jan and me not long after we relocated out here to Massachusetts, was visiting the First United Parish in Quincy, the Unitarian Universalist congregation where Adams, his beloved wife Abigail, their son John Quincy and his spouse Louisa are all interred in a crypt beneath the church.

Currently on the UU minister’s list serve there is a regularly re-visted conversation about whether Adams’ sometime political enemy, sometime ally, and eventually deep friend, Thomas Jefferson can legitimately be claimed as a “Unitarian.” Jefferson lived in Virginia where there were no Unitarian congregations, although he wrote at various times throughout his life quite sympathetically of Unitarianism, and certainly advocated religious views that were at the very least in line with currents of Unitarian thought; nonetheless he never joined a Unitarian church. This could not be said of Adams, whose congregation transformed from a progressive Congregationalist church to Unitarian during his lifetime and with his support. Adams’ wife Abigail, better known for her political insight, was also a forceful advocate of Unitarian theologies and made sure their children were raised within the liberal faith.

Would that these values which sit so close to the foundation of the republic be recalled.

Long live the revolution!