(April 13, 2013 at 12:57 am)radorth Wrote:(April 11, 2013 at 8:00 pm)festive1 Wrote: And that's just fine and dandy with me too, so long as it is not extended to making policies imposing those religious views on others (ie. teaching creationism in schools, not allowing divorce, etc.).
When Jefferson was president of the D.C. schools, was he imposing Christianity on children by permitting Bible reading? If he had them read his "Jefferson Bible" as it is called, would that be violating his own "wall of separation"?
(Not that I think it should be read there, but the question needs to be answered)
There is a quote of Jefferson's at his memorial in DC. It says:
Quote:I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.No matter your views on Jefferson, there's no denying he was intelligent. He viewed himself within the context of his times, which is more than most people. I daresay, society has progressed a little since the late 18th century. The Bible, NKJ or Jeffersonian or otherwise, has no place in 21st century schools. I don't hold Jefferson, or any historical figure, to our modern standards, because this was not their historical context, and it is dishonest and unfair to hold them to such.
Jefferson is not my favorite historical person. I have my own opinions of him, which I will gladly post in a thread on Jefferson, should anyone feel the need to open one. This, however, is not the place to debate Jefferson.