[dukeman]

Barton has something to say about the so-called "Jefferson Bible." The libs like to point to that volume because Thomas Jefferson literally cut and pasted the New Testament to take out the passages telling of the miracles and diety of Jesus, but leaving the moral teachings.

When asked about this by an audience member, Barton said Jefferson would have slapped anyone who called the book the Jefferson Bible. More importantly, the libs (as usual) have taken the book wholly out of context. Jefferson's purpose was to produce a volume useful to those missionaries who were trying to take the Gospel to the Indians. He reasoned that it might be more effective to first teach the moral lessons of the New Testament to the Indians before getting to the deity of Jesus and the redemption which comes from His death and resurrection. So, the "Jefferson Bible" was an evangelistic tool, and not a statement of agnosticism. And the libs hate evangelism!

[DBrow]

I learned something new! Thanks again.

[LS]

That may be true, but TJ was NOT a Christian, and he explicitly denied the divinity of Christ or the reality of miracles. I think the existing works overly minimize the religiousity of the Founders, but in Jefferson's case, I can't find any evidence that he was a believer.

See Edwin Gaustad, "Faith of the Founders," 2nd ed.