re: #5 John Vreeland

A Puritan? Was Adams actually a Christian? His grandson founded the Unitarian Church near me, and I understand their religious philosophy was somewhat similar.

He was raised a Congregationalist, and then his branch of the church went Unitarian. It was a thing. Definitely a Christian, from all I’ve read of him, albeit not the kind these modern loonies think the Founders all were, and definitely, regardless of religious belief, out of the Puritan cultural mold.

(And my understanding is that JQA declined to swear on the Bible not because he was not a believer, IIUC, he was also quite devout, although not particularly orthodox, but because he didn’t think it was fitting to mix up religion in politics. Another good example for the modern loony.)