Interesting email from one reader: “Another motive for calling oneself a Deist in the 18th century was to qualify yourself for membership in the Masonic Order. Belief in a Supreme Being was and is a requirement for membership, although the only other definition was an adherence to “that natural religion upon which all men of good will agree.” Deists qualified, atheists didn’t, and the Masons were one of the central networks of the Founders. It was also an excellent back channel of communication between the patriots and the English Whigs who sympathised with them.”