Benjamin Franklin held complex and evolving views on religion, identifying more as a deist than a traditional Christian for much of his life. Regarding Jesus, Franklin expressed respect for his moral teachings but did not necessarily accept his divinity in the orthodox sense. In a letter to Ezra Stiles in 1790, shortly before his death, Franklin wrote that he believed in one God, the creator of the universe, and that the soul is immortal. He stated, "As to Jesus of Nazareth, my Opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the System of Morals and his Religion, as he left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is likely to see; but I apprehend it has received various corrupt changes, and I have, with most of the present Dissenters in England, some Doubts as to his divinity." This statement indicates that Franklin admired Jesus as a moral teacher and reformer but remained skeptical of the theological doctrines surrounding his divine nature. Franklin’s perspective reflects the Enlightenment emphasis on reason and ethical conduct over dogmatic religious belief, positioning Jesus as a exemplary human figure rather than a supernatural deity in his personal philosophy.
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