Frigidus wrote:Phatscotty wrote:Frigidus wrote:Phatscotty wrote:Someone has to stick up for Jefferson...
Yeah, Jefferson just couldn't get enough of his "creator"...
Um....you are of course aware it was Jefferson pen who wrote "that they are endowed by their Creator..."
Could you go on your point a bit further before I pull out my Jefferson Bible?
He didn't believe in a creator.
TJ was a Deist. He was a Christian in that he believed in the moralistic teachings of Christ. But it seems that he did not subscribe to the divinity of Christ. He even wrote the Jefferson Bible that excludes 'mysticism' and the miracles that Christ performed.
As far as TJ goes, he was quite introverted and many people considered him to be quite pretentious and abrasive. However, he was universally recognized as the best writer and to not have serious political enemies (being of such a young age) that John Adams was insistent that TJ write the DOI. It was a task that Benjamin Franklin otherwise might have performed had he not been getting up in years and was suffering the first signs of senility.
TJ was well liked by much of the American populus as evidenced by his being elected (though not before being beat by John Adams). However, Jefferson was disliked Jefferson by many of his contemporaries and was at the root of America splitting into a two party system (many political reasons). But he could be quite the a-hole at any rate. In 1807 he had his former VP Aaron Burr tried for treason but when he was subpoenaed to testify he hid behind executive privilege. In the end AB was acquitted.
But relating it back to religion; here are some quotes from TJ:
"And the day will come, when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme Being as His Father, in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva, in the brain of Jupiter."
"The god who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time: the hand of force may destroy, but cannot disjoin them."
"I have sworn on the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."
"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just."
"I do not find in orthodox Christianity one redeeming feature."
"In every country and every age, the priest has been hostile to Liberty."
Obviously besides the deep political divides, the nation being very Christian at that time; many of persons had a deep distrust and contempt for TJ's differing values. He was at odds with many Christians. But to call him an atheist is also just ignorant. He referred to a god or supreme power on several occasions and he spent many of days drafting and redrafting the DOI and had he been atheist then the term 'The Creator' would not have made the cut.
