tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237087217187172116.post1814522575362879129..comments2024-03-28T10:44:30.518-06:00Comments on American Creation: Jefferson wasn't a Deist, OK?Brad Harthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17669677047039491864noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237087217187172116.post-75732738082669637392016-11-13T21:50:49.992-07:002016-11-13T21:50:49.992-07:00Your whole spiel merely demonstrates that you'...Your whole spiel merely demonstrates that you're ignorant of the history of Deism. There are two types: Classical English Deism and French Deism. Classical English Deism, the sort followed by the founding fathers, believed in providence and even in reward and punishment in an afterlife. French Deism following Voltaire is the watchmaker stuff, God creates the world and disappears. Crack a book man.dave bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03481248763950817890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237087217187172116.post-90844511659389876902008-07-13T08:39:00.000-06:002008-07-13T08:39:00.000-06:00I think that Jefferson THOUGHT he was a Restoratio...I think that Jefferson THOUGHT he was a Restorationist, but whether his opinions of the early Christianity were accurate, is another matter entirely.Jonathan Rowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04079637406589278386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237087217187172116.post-91660302745383813282008-07-12T21:41:00.000-06:002008-07-12T21:41:00.000-06:00A lot of other Restorationists wouldn't fit with t...A lot of other Restorationists wouldn't fit with the early church either. I think what I mean by restorationist is that Jefferson saw the current state of Christianity to be a sham or a shell of its former glory. The whole purpose behind his assembling his own Bible was to uncover the few pearls of truth that he felt had not been tarnished. <BR/><BR/>I don't mean that Jefferson should be compared to other early Christians. You are right when you say that he fits very poorly with that group.Brad Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17669677047039491864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237087217187172116.post-42205248877949367742008-07-12T21:02:00.000-06:002008-07-12T21:02:00.000-06:00A Restorationist, Brad? I wouldn't even go that f...A Restorationist, Brad? I wouldn't even go that far. He wouldn't even fit into the early Church of say, 100 AD.Tom Van Dykehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07121072404143877596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237087217187172116.post-35987397856796500322008-07-12T21:00:00.000-06:002008-07-12T21:00:00.000-06:00Such an angry fellow.I don't think he successfully...Such an angry fellow.<BR/><BR/>I don't think he successfully talked away Jefferson's invocation of "supernatural interference." Facts are stubborn things.Tom Van Dykehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07121072404143877596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237087217187172116.post-20118277817611081092008-07-12T10:43:00.000-06:002008-07-12T10:43:00.000-06:00Tom,You might want to check out this comment.Tom,<BR/><BR/>You might want to check out this <A HREF="http://www.positiveliberty.com/2008/06/peter-marshall-christian-nationalist.html#comment-707094" REL="nofollow">comment.</A>Jonathan Rowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04079637406589278386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237087217187172116.post-62725158259132726382008-07-12T00:06:00.000-06:002008-07-12T00:06:00.000-06:00Glad to have you Mr. Van Dyke. Excellent post. I...Glad to have you Mr. Van Dyke. Excellent post. <BR/><BR/>I agree for the most part with your assessment of Jefferson. To call him a true deist -- though I believe he was closer to deism than Washington, Madison, etc. -- is ridiculous. The man clearly believed in a God, though his personal views on this God were very different than his fellow Christians of orthodox persuasion. <BR/><BR/>For me, I like to think of Jefferson as a restorationist. After all, he believed that the Christian religion had strayed from its original purity and that organized religion was nothing but a shell of its former glory. <BR/><BR/>-Jefferson loved Jesus but not Christianity.<BR/><BR/>-Jefferson loved scripture but despised its current interpretation.<BR/><BR/>-Jefferson believed in reason and not faith.<BR/><BR/>-Jefferson defended the moral doctrines of Jesus, but combated the pious rules of orthodox Christianity. <BR/><BR/>-Jefferson embraced the internal benefits of religious devotion but detested the outward demonstrations of Christian zealots. <BR/><BR/>By embracing a personal creed like this, Jefferson is clearly not a candidate for deism. At the same time is obviously not a devout orthodox Christian. So what is he? Again, I would argue that the man was a passionate RESTORATIONIST, who believed that the doctrine of Christ was the best the world had ever seen, but had been polluted over the nearly 2000 years since his death.Brad Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17669677047039491864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237087217187172116.post-69271305110605372462008-07-11T21:44:00.000-06:002008-07-11T21:44:00.000-06:00"Like many other upper-class, educated citizens of..."Like many other upper-class, educated citizens of the new republic, including George Washington, Jefferson was a deist."<BR/><BR/>Personally, I find that such statements to be vain. The individual is trying to project his philosophy upon those who many have great respect and admiration for.<BR/><BR/>The value of the founders was not their philosophy, but their actions, and the principles they embodied in our Constitution.<BR/><BR/>Regarding Jefferson, I've always view him as a man who desired that others <I>think and reason</I> for themselves. I'm uncertain how he'd feel about being quoted as an authority upon how we should conduct ourselves.<BR/><BR/>... in any event, that's my opinion and I'm sticking it ;-)<BR/><BR/>p.s. "Say nothing of my religion. It is known to my god and myself alone. -- Thomas Jefferson"bpabbotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17047791198702983998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1237087217187172116.post-27378396568419892042008-07-11T20:33:00.000-06:002008-07-11T20:33:00.000-06:00Great post. Glad to have you on board.Great post. Glad to have you on board.Jonathan Rowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04079637406589278386noreply@blogger.com