Thomas Jefferson, Atheist or Agnostic?

[greblc]

Has there ever been a Declared Atheist or Agnostic elected to a National Office?

[gfnrob]

1. Ever hear of the Jefferson Bible??

[greblc]

3. It rings a bell.

So your saying he was a Christian?

[CarbonDate]

2. Neither. Jefferson was a Deist.

He believed in a creator, but did not believe in revealed religion. Basically, Deists believe in understanding the creator by studying the creation. In other words, knowing God through science.

He wasn't a Christian, except in the sense of believing in the teachings of Jesus; he did not believe in the Jesus's divinity, though.

[Quixote1818]

7. I don't think Jefferson would have called himself a Deist

even though he held a lot of Deist beliefs. His views were all over the place and he prided himself as being different from everyone on the planet: “I am of a sect by myself, as far as I know.” Is how he described himself. I think he wanted everyone to find their own unique spiritual identity. That is the purest definition of a "free mind".

See my other post

[Jack Rabbit]

12. His church preference was Unitarian

We UUs claim him, although he never foramally joined any church.

[Quixote1818]

4. This discribes his beliefs

In the book Jefferson and Religion by Eugene R. Sheridan, Jefferson’s beliefs are summed up in this way: “Jefferson’s demythologized version of Christianity, like so many other aspects of his life and thought, resists easy historical categories. It was anti-Trinitarian in its concept of God, Christian in its acceptance of the morality of Jesus, skeptical in its rejection of biblical revelation and church dogma, deistic in its conviction that the clergy had deliberately corrupted the pure doctrines of Jesus to serve their selfish purposes, rationalistic in its assumption that human reason was the only valid source of religious truth, and humanistic in its equation of religion with morality. In the end Jefferson probably best described his peculiarly eclectic faith when he observed of himself: “I am of a sect by myself, as far as I know.”

[keopeli]

6. Excellent post!

[greblc]

9. I posted this because MN Congressman elect Keith Eliason

is Muslim. I think he will receive a great deal of press because of it. I know Jefferson had issues with Faith and must have had some difficulties amongst his peers. I should read more about it but what opinions did Christians have of Jeferson during his time?

[Blue Belle]

11. So did JFK... because he was Catholic...

before he was President, Catholics were often thought of as second class citizens, but his Presidency helped to change that. I hope Keith Ellison's election will do a lot for changing the Muslim stereotype in this country.

[keopeli]

5. Jefferson was a Deist.

Deism is a religious philosophy and movement that became prominent in England, France, and the United States in the 17th and 18th centuries. Deists typically reject supernatural events (prophecy, miracles) and divine revelation prominent in organized religion, along with holy books and revealed religions that assert the existence of such things. Instead, deists hold that correct religious beliefs must be founded on human reason and observed features of the natural world, and that these sources reveal the existence of one God or supreme being.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism

[Mr_Spock]

8. He thought Unitarianism would be the dominant religion in the US

I like the way he thought about religion - very open minded...

[gorbal]

10. Quote from Jefferson

"I rejoice that in this blessed country of free inquiry and belief, which has surrendered its creed and conscience neither to kings nor priests, the genuine doctrine of the only true God is reviving; and I trust there is not a young man now living in the United States who will not die a Unitarian."

http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/jeffstein.htm

interesting article...here is another one from a UU site-

http://www.famousuus.com/bios/thomas_jefferson.htm