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Laxman

(2,419 posts)
12. Just A Couple Of Quotes From Jefferson To Ponder....
Sun Dec 7, 2014, 06:25 PM
Dec 2014

that seem to be lost on the religious right while they're busy worshiping the Founding Fathers. The first from Query XVII of Notes on the State of Virginia:

"The rights of conscience we never submitted, we could not submit. We are answerable for them to our God. The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg. ... Reason and free enquiry are the only effectual agents against error.


and the second from a letter to John Adams:

1823 April 11. (Jefferson to John Adams). "The truth is that the greatest enemies to the doctrines of Jesus are those calling themselves the expositors of them, who have perverted them for the structure of a system of fancy absolutely incomprehensible, and without any foundation in his genuine words. And the day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter. But we may hope that the dawn of reason and freedom of thought in these United States will do away all this artificial scaffolding, and restore to us the primitive and genuine doctrines of this the most venerated reformer of human errors."


A remarkable man. Sometimes so wrong but mostly so right.
Freedom FROM religion. Downwinder Dec 2014 #1
Exactly. William769 Dec 2014 #2
There is no freedom OF religion unless there is freedom FROM religion Major Nikon Dec 2014 #4
Amen! Delphinus Dec 2014 #5
Thank you. countmyvote4real Dec 2014 #9
Wish I could rec this 1000 times. hifiguy Dec 2014 #28
Exactly. Initech Dec 2014 #31
HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!! WillyT Dec 2014 #3
K&R stage left Dec 2014 #6
Yikes lordsummerisle Dec 2014 #16
None of those provisions are enforceable Major Nikon Dec 2014 #19
ok. stage left Dec 2014 #32
Yes, unlikely Major Nikon Dec 2014 #33
The theocratic antagonists og1 Dec 2014 #7
Indeed friends, indeed. 99Forever Dec 2014 #8
This is surely something we need to commemorate! logosoco Dec 2014 #10
Jefferson is not popular with the Christian Fundies vlyons Dec 2014 #11
Just A Couple Of Quotes From Jefferson To Ponder.... Laxman Dec 2014 #12
American Taliban n/t PeoViejo Dec 2014 #13
Well I sure like this excerpt William! sheshe2 Dec 2014 #14
Me too! William769 Dec 2014 #15
That is a lot of backbreaking work! sheshe2 Dec 2014 #17
This really took with moi.. "As a practical matter, this meant that what we believe or don’t believe Cha Dec 2014 #18
I love this Proclaimation.. from Yesterday.. thanks again William~ Cha Dec 2014 #20
Great read. rpannier Dec 2014 #21
What the Christian Right wants in their phony "Religious Freedom" is for THEIR pastor to have Veto blkmusclmachine Dec 2014 #22
Good read - thanks for highlighting it. blm Dec 2014 #23
K&R nt raouldukelives Dec 2014 #24
Thanks! Xyzse Dec 2014 #25
I like it. Android3.14 Dec 2014 #26
sigh, it figures heaven05 Dec 2014 #27
If you haven't read murielm99 Dec 2014 #29
thank you, I shall heaven05 Dec 2014 #30
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