(June 29, 2016 at 12:03 am)Darwins Disciple Wrote: I just returned from visit of Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home, third President of US. I was on a grounds tour with about 30 visitors. It was very impressive and extolled many of Jefferson's accomplishments. He was a master at trade, politics, architecture, agriculture, philosophy and a great thinker.
On the tour, there was a copy of Jefferson's Bible. The guide explained Jefferson, and many of founding father were more deist, rather than Christian. They would not recognize modern day Christians. Jefferson had removed and cut out large tracts of the Bible. He considered much of the mystical stuff and parlor tricks as ignorant superstitions. More importantly, the guide said that Jefferson cut out was more shocking then what he left in,...HE CUT OUT JESUS RESURRECTION!
I LAUGHED out loud (at the sacrilege) in the face of the other Christian visitors. It just goes to show, the founding fathers were very different from what Christians would like to believe.
Then you and your guide are ignorant of basic history of Thomas Jefferson.
The "jefferson bible" was not a bible Jefferson use to create his own version of Christianity. Jefferson was a devoute in his belief in God and did attend church all of his life.. And in the 1790's fought hard to defend his faith and expell the idea that he was an atheist. Further more Jefferson was noted in being a church goer all of his life. even going alone when his family couldnt join him.
https://www.monticello.org/site/research...us-beliefs
No, the 'jefferson bible' was not a bible at all, but the compliantion or rough draft to another works mentioned below.
Jefferson first excised passages from the New Testament in 1804. He created this first compilation, known as The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth, from two English New Testaments he received from Ireland, published in 17912 and 1799.3 By 1805, Jefferson had apparently considered revising the compilation, but did not do so. It was not until late 1819, after William Short, his former private secretary in France, encouraged him to do so, that Jefferson began work on what would become The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth.4 Short wrote, " . . . I see with real pain that you have no intention of continuing the abstract from the Evangelists which you began at Washington. The reason you give for confining yourself to classical reading & mathematical truths should not, I should think, operate against this agreeable task—& if agreeable to you, I know nothing which could be more so, & at the same time more useful to others. You observe that what is genuine is easily distinguished from the rubbish in which it is buried—if so, it is an irresistible reason for your continuing the work—for others, it would seem, have not found it thus distinguishable."5
https://www.monticello.org/site/research...s-nazareth
He did not complete the work as stated in the above many saw this as an act of atheism in the 1790, and he fought long and hard to disprove that.
And if you note i took all my quotes from monticello.org
So again, it looks like you and your guide are ignorant of the history of Thomas Jefferson. It seems both of you have fallen prey to the secular propaganda that is trying to rewrite history. the term "the jefferson bible" is key here. this is the propagandist's term to describe the literary work Jefferson Himself titled "the life and morals of Jesus Christ." and "the philosphy of Jesus Christ."
Why would he do such a thing if he were not trying to start his own version of Christianity.. IDK maybe for the same reason Concordances compile information by subject, or maybe He did it for the SAME reason I do it... So that one can have quick access to everything (in this case Jesus said about morality/philosphy) in one place. Remember they did not have google. (i've done the same thing concerning bapptism, Music, forgivness, Hell, and the like. Like Jefferson I cut and paste whole passages and write my personal notes to tie things together. It's call studying the bible in "holy roller" terms.. but it seems in atheist speak it means people like this are atheists.
If you read the last few lines of the last link it gives a good reason what why Jefferson compiled or worked on his book"
"The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth was very likely among the works on morality that Jefferson read every evening before retiring to bed. He wrote in 1819, "I never go to bed without an hour, or half hour's previous reading of something moral, whereon to ruminate in the intervals of sleep."14
It sounds like he wanted a quick reference to the teachings of Christ so as to have something to read at night.
