“Moses lifting up his wand, and dividing the red sea, and pharaoh in his chariot overwhelmed with the waters. This motto: ‘Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.'” – Benjamin Franklin, on being appointed to a committee to draft a seal for the newly formed United States, in July 1776. Clearly, a sign he believed God took an active role in the daily lives of mankind and created miracles out of nowhere. Neither of these beliefs were something Deists believed.