An equivalent of the “divine spark” in ancient Stoic philosophy is the logos spermatikos, which was transmitted through Roman Republicanism, Christianity, and Enlightenment thinkers. While George Washington’s writings and speeches do not explicitly use the term, his quiet Christian faith relies heavily on Christian divine providence, natural rights endowed by a Creator, and the moral foundations of REPUBLICANISM, which align closely with the concept: an innate, divinely sourced capacity in every human for reason, virtue, and equality, which underpins human dignity and rights. I will teach you the ancient Stoic philosophy. This teaching of the “divine spark” reflects the Stoic notion of a universal rational principle (LOGOS) shared by all, not exclusive to any particular race or gender, fostering equality and natural law, as seen in Cicero’s influence on the United States Founders. Washington’s views emphasize divine intervention in human affairs, inherent rights, and the need for virtue in self-governance embodying in its core the spark or primeval fire as an inner divine guide enabling republican ideals.
Washington’s philosophy was shaped by Enlightenment deism, the Christian concept of providence, and classical republicanism through readings of Cicero, Seneca, and Locke, which incorporate and secularized Stoic elements. Whether intentional, directly or indirectly is debatable, but the connections exist and form a lineage and heritage, because of its roots. Washington’s letters and public statements connected divine endowment to republican missions like liberty, unity, and moral equality, while human rights are framed as inalienable gifts from a higher power, not granted by governments.
Divine Providence as Foundation for Virtuous Self-Government
Washington viewed republicanism not as mere political structure but as a divine mission requiring moral virtue and unity, which is similar to the Stoic idea that shared divine reason leads to equal participation in society. He saw the American Republic as providentially guided, with humans’ innate moral capacity being essential for its advancement.
In his Circular to the States (June 8, 1783), Washington reflected on the Revolution’s success as evidence of divine favor, urging citizens to cultivate virtue for the republic’s endurance.
“I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another (…) and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristicks of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion.”
This ties to republicanism emphasizing an inner divine moral compass (humility or justice) as key to self-government, reflecting ideas of Stoic equality through shared Logos.
In his Farewell Address (1796), he warned that religion and morality are “indispensable supports” for republican prosperity:
“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports…Let it simply be asked: Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”
Here, the “sense of religious obligation” implies an innate divine prompt toward morality, essential for republican virtue relating to the divine spark as the source of rational, ethical equality in Stoicism and Cicero’s natural law.
During the Revolutionary War, in a letter to John Armstrong (March 11, 1792), he attributed setbacks and triumphs to divine will, again reinforcing republicanism as a providential experiment:
“As the best of men are liable to mistakes, shall we lay all the blame of this heavy misfortune to the score of natural causes & our half surprized & mangled troops?”
This humility before “natural causes” (divine order) also relates to Stoic acceptance of universal Logos governing all, with human reason participating in it for republican resilience.
These statements connect the divine spark to republicanism by portraying it as a collective mission enabled by an internal divine moral faculty, fostering equality and justice over hierarchy. This history in Republican and democratic principles embody “American values.”
On Human Rights: Natural Rights as Divinely Endowed
Washington endorsed the idea of inherent human rights as gifts from a Creator, directly reflecting the Declaration of Independence’s language influenced by Locke’s Stoic-Ciceronian natural rights, and implying a divine essence in humans that grants equal dignity much like the Stoic apospasma (fragment of Zeus) conferring universal worth.
In his letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island (August 17, 1790), Washington affirmed religious freedom as an “inherent natural right”:
“It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for, happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.”
This frames rights as innate and rooted in the World Soul, not granted by humans, aligning with the role of the divine spark or logos in Stoic equality. Every person, regardless of faith, possesses an inner divine reason making them worthy of rights in accordance with the ancient idea.
In his very first Inaugural Address (April 30, 1789), George Washington invoked divine providence for human liberties.
“No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency.”
The “Invisible Hand” or providential agency is a divine force endowing humans with the capacity for self-determination, tying to human rights as protected expressions of this endowment.
In Washington’s General Orders (July 2, 1776), he urged troops to uphold “the blessings of liberty” as a sacred duty, implying rights are divinely ordained:
“The fate of unborn Millions will now depend, under God, on the Courage and conduct of this army.” allthingsliberty.com This connects to the spark by viewing liberty as a universal human inheritance, rooted in divine will.
This history reveals the trajectory into modern human rights, secularizing the Stoic divine spark into Creator-endowed dignity.
DIVINE ESSENCE IN HUMAN BEINGS IN REPUBLICANISM
Washington’s consistent appeals to providence and human moral potential demonstrate belief in a divine inner guide, similar to Epictetus’ or Marcus Aurelius’ idea that Zeus has placed in every human being a “fragment” of himself.
In a proclamation for Thanksgiving (October 3, 1789):
“It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor.”
Humans in this sense have an innate duty to recognize divine order, in recognizing the Logos as a kindled soul. In letters during the war, he credited “divine interposition” for victories, as in a 1778 letter: “The hand of Providence has been so conspicuous in all this, that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith” viewing human events as divinely infused, with individuals participating through reason and virtue.
The divine spark is the moral-reasoning faculty, but Washington relies more on the “moral light” of PROVIDENCE. George Washington happens to profess a Christian eclectic faith, particularly due to his involvement in Freemasonry; and synthesizing diverse philosophical traditions, including Stoic virtue, Christian providence, and Enlightenment rationalism into a cohesive worldview. In fact, I will demonstrate that numerous founders engage in this eclectic approach in their Christian expression. Freemasonry, which Washington joined in 1752 later becoming a Master Mason, is inherently eclectic, expressing ancient Greek and Roman philosophy (e.g., Stoic cardinal virtues), Egyptian symbolism, Biblical narratives, and Renaissance esotericism to promote universal brotherhood, moral improvement, and liberty.
Masonry’s emphasis on the INNER LIGHT teaches an ideal of cosmic moral forces shared between Christian theology and ancient Indo-Aryan philosophy, with Washington embodying this eclecticism in his deist-providential views. This attitude allowed Washington to draw indirectly from Stoicism through Cicero without clinging or limiting this expression to rigid dogma, thus applying it to American REPUBLICANISM and rights.
The supporting evidence of this eclecticism in Washington’s faith can be gleaned from his Masonic correspondence or letters in the Library of Congress, which reveal that he viewed Masonic principles and ideals aligned with Classical Republicanism, combining ancient wisdom with modern liberty. Washington laid the U.S. Capitol cornerstone in Masonic regalia (1793), symbolizing the republic’s foundation on eclectic moral principles. Washington’s philosophy integrated Masonic tolerance of a universal divine truth across faiths with Stoic-influenced virtue, which he expressed in his Farewell Address’s call for moral unity.
Washington’s statements show a conceptual connection, portraying the logos as the innate basis for republican virtue and human rights, while his Masonry expresses an eclectic approach.
Contemporary popularizations of Stoicism often strip out the divine or theological elements to make it palatable as self-help for a secular audience. This diluted modernized Stoicism focuses on resilience and mindset hacks, ignoring the cosmic Logos or divine spark’s role in ethics and equality. Joseph Folley expresses the same concern in How Influencers Hijacked Stoicism explaining that this has led to vital differences from ancient Stoicism, making the full historical and philosophical depth less appealing or known. You can’t remove the divine without losing the essence of Stoicism, which is unfortunately what’s happened in pop culture. In context, Stoicism’s resurgence is tied to practical advice for hard times, but its ancient popularity waned post-Roman Empire due to Christianity’s dominance, which absorbed elements like the divine spark into imago Dei. Today, people reference Stoic leaders like Marcus Aurelius, but ignore the deeper cosmology.
The American Minervan 
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