...US presidency at its inception, when George Washington, in his 1789 Inaugural address, declared that "it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first...that Almighty Being who rules over the universe." In the years since, presidents have spoken of a higher power, prayed and been prayed for, sought divine...

...basic principle that God is the authority in the universe, beginning with our first President. . . "I would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first...that Almighty Being who rules over the universe." (George Washington, 1789) America lost one million men in the Civil War, fighting slavery, and defending...

...begins therefore with an introduction based on the propriety of what is to follow, arguing that: ... it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first...supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe.31 The evocation of God is not a mere figure of speech, but an essential touchstone for the...

...openly acknowledged the new country's dependence on God: "It would be peculiarly improper," he declared, "to omit in this first official Act, my fervent supplications...Being who rules over the Universe, who presides in the Council of Nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that his benediction...

...of men, ' and we must therefore offer prayers to "that Ahnighty Bcing; who rules over the umverse, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect,"i The House of Representatives then responded to Washington's speech by ]oimng in the call...