The LOC.GOV Wise Guide : In God We Trust

Though hardly remembered today, John Haynes Holmes (1879-1964) was one of the most important American religious radicals of the 20th century. A socialist, antiracist and pacifist, he was also among the very first popularizers of Mohandas Gandhi's ideas in the United States. A Unitarian minister, he was the founder of the Community Church of New York. He actually left the American Unitarian Association (AUA) in 1918 over differences in attitude towards World War I. Holmes steadfastly opposed his country's participation in both world wars. He also helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909 and was a founder, and later chair, of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

North Corridor, Great Hall. Religion mural in lunette from the Family and Education series by Charles Sprague Pearce. Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C. 2007. Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction Information: Reproduction No.: LC-DIG-highsm-02028 (original digital file); Call No.: LOT 13860 [item] (ONLINE) [P&P]

John Haynes Holmes, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing slightly right. Louis Fabian Bachrach. 1939-1941. Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction Information: Reproduction No.: LC-USZ62-112447 (b&w film copy neg.); Call No.: LOT 11823 <item> [P&P]

Holmes was the subject of an April 2008 lecture sponsored by the John W. Kluge Center. The program can now be viewed as a webcast on the Library’s Web site. The Library’s webcast page divides presentations into several categories, including religion, so there is sure to be something for everyone.

Religion plays a central theme in the collections of the Library. In the Great Hall are two monumental Bibles: the Giant Bible of Mainz, signifying the end of the hand-written book, and the Gutenberg Bible, marking the beginning of the printed book. An online exhibition explores the significance of the two Bibles and the relationship between the Mainz Bible, the Gutenberg Bible and 16 selected Bibles from the Library’s collections.

“Illuminating the Word: The St. John’s Bible” is another exhibition that extols the craft of hand-designing and printing a Bible. The Bible in question combines the practices of calligraphy and illumination with the latest capabilities of computer technology and electronic communication.

Religion has not only influenced art and culture but has also provided the foundation for nations, including America. The Library exhibition, “Religion and the Founding of the American Republic,” demonstrates the religious fervor of the American colonists of 1776 and how their zeal affected the new nation’s politics.

Many of the Library’s other exhibitions are available online, including those that are physically on display. Four major themes underlie most of the exhibitions—the presentation of great libraries and written traditions; the exploration of America’s past and character; the examination of world cultures and history; and the celebration of events, individuals, and works that shaped the 20th century and beyond.

A. North Corridor, Great Hall. Religion mural in lunette from the Family and Education series by Charles Sprague Pearce. Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C. 2007. Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction Information: Reproduction No.: LC-DIG-highsm-02028 (original digital file); Call No.: LOT 13860 [item] (ONLINE) [P&P]

B. John Haynes Holmes, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing slightly right. Louis Fabian Bachrach. 1939-1941. Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction Information: Reproduction No.: LC-USZ62-112447 (b&w film copy neg.); Call No.: LOT 11823 <item> [P&P]