Reply #75: Jefferson wasn't a good "deist" according to his 2nd Inaug. Address [View All]

[Kathryn7]

"By the late 18th century Deism was the dominant religious attitude among Europe's educated classes; it was accepted by many upper-class Americans of the same era, including the first three U.S. presidents."


Jefferson believed he was "in the hands" of the God of the Bible who led His people to the land of plenty. This isn't a deist "hands off god".

“I shall need, too, the favor of that Being in whose hands we are, who led our fathers, as Israel of old, from their native land and planted them in a country flowing with all the necessaries and comforts of life; who has covered our infancy with His providence and our riper years with His wisdom and power, and to whose goodness I ask you to join in supplications with me that He will so enlighten the minds of your servants, guide their councils, and prosper their measures that whatsoever they do shall result in your good, and shall secure to you the peace, friendship, and approbation of all nations.” Thomas Jefferson 2nd Inaugural Address