Thomas Jefferson’s Christianity: In His Own Words
The meaning of the Founders’ statements and their religious beliefs is often used in contemporary religious and political arguments. In many ways, Americans place these early American leaders on a pedestal and elevate them to a status of demigod. The truth is, many of the Founders are complex figures who we attempt to understand through their words and that which was written about them. One such Founder, Thomas Jefferson, is often considered quite the contradiction himself whether it be his stance on slavery or his view on the size of government. Both sides of the coin often also try to neatly place this complex historical figure into the box of their choice. But when it comes to Christianity, what does Thomas Jefferson say about his own doctrinal beliefs? In the Declaration of Independence, attributed to Jefferson, he declared that humans had the powers of the earth “ which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them ” and “that they ...