Was Thomas Jefferson a Christian?

[low preference guy]

That shut your silly ass up, didn't it?

Jesus!

 

[Dr.3D]

If you mean fire and brimstone and such, well I already know that. For me, hell would be the absence of God.

That is my concept of hell as well.
Hell is like the city dump where anything that is thrown away goes and sometimes it catches fire and the fire seems to go on forever.

 

[Deborah K]

Blasphemer!

 

[heavenlyboy34]

Blasphemer!

I can't help it...I have to post this. I think of it every time I hear/see the blasphemy charge thrown around.

 

[Deborah K]

That is my concept of hell as well.
Hell is like the city dump where anything that is thrown away goes and sometimes it catches fire and the fire seems to go on forever.

The kind of hell that LPG is talking about is from Dante's Inferno. Unfortunately, a lot of religious see Hell that way and God and Heaven as Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. I see them as different dimensions because I don't believe there are only 3.

 

[Dr.3D]

The kind of hell that LPG is talking about is from Dante's Inferno. Unfortunately, a lot of religious see Hell that way and God and Heaven as Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. I see them as different dimensions because I don't believe there are only 3.

Oh for sure, as I seem to recall, there are many mansions.

 

[Deborah K]

I can't help it...I have to post YouTube - Monty Python's - Life of Brian-5. I think of it every time I hear/see the blasphemy charge thrown around.

Hehe, cute!

 

[Deborah K]

Oh for sure, as I seem to recall, there are many mansions.

mansions????

 

[Dr.3D]

mansions????

Yes, you made me think of this particular verse when you mentioned dimensions.

John 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.(KJV)

 

[Deborah K]

Yes, you made me think of this particular verse when you mentioned dimensions.

Ahh... I never took that into consideration. Interesting.

 

[robert68]

Thomas Jefferson, on the non-Christian origins of the Common Law

For we know that the common law is that system of law which was introduced by the Saxons, on their settlement in England, and altered, from time to time, by proper legislative authority, from that, to the date of the Magna Charta, which terminates the period of the common law, or lex non scripta, and commences that of the statute law, or lex scripta. This settlement took place about the middle of the fifth century; but Christianity was not introduced till the seventh century; the conversion of the first Christian King of the Heptarchy, having taken place about the year 598, and that of the last about 686. Here, then, was a space of two hundred years, during which the common law was in existence, and Christianity no part of it. If it ever, therefore, was adopted into the common law, it must have been between the introduction of Christianity and the date of the Magna Charta. But of the laws of this period, we have a tolerable collection, by Lambard and Wilkins; probably not perfect, but neither very defective; and if any one chooses to build a doctrine on any law of that period, supposed to have been lost, it is incumbent on him to prove it to have existed, and what were its contents. These were so far alterations of the common law, and became themselves a part of it; but none of these adopt Christianity as a part of the common law. If, therefore, from the settlement of the Saxons, to the introduction of Christianity among them, that system of religion could not be a part of the common law, because they were not yet Christians; and if, having their laws from that period to the close of the common law, we are able to find among them no such act of adoption; we may safely affirm (though contradicted by all the judges and writers on earth) that Christianity neither is, nor ever was, a part of the common law.

 

[swirling_vortex]

Thomas Jefferson's faith would be described as a Unitarian Christian. Basically, Unitarians believe in the morality of Jesus (be good to thy neighbor), but don't necessarily accept one belief system. They focus more on the message rather than the miracles. Jefferson himself cut snippets out of the Bible and composed them into what he felt was the non-corrupted message of Jesus. Those snippets were published as the Jefferson Bible after his death. However, I don't know what Unitarians officially believe (outside of the Wikipedia page) because I've never been to one of their churches.

 

[heavenlyboy34]

Thomas Jefferson's faith would be described as a Unitarian Christian. Basically, Unitarians believe in the morality of Jesus (be good to thy neighbor), but don't necessarily accept one belief system. They focus more on the message rather than the miracles. Jefferson himself cut snippets out of the Bible and composed them into what he felt was the non-corrupted message of Jesus. Those snippets were published as the Jefferson Bible after his death. However, I don't know what Unitarians officially believe (outside of the Wikipedia page) because I've never been to one of their churches.

If you mean Universalist Unitarian (UU), it's my understanding that it's an "umbrella" faith that tolerates all religions but has its own set of beliefs that are Christian in nature. See the UUA site here.