Historical View, Thomas Jefferson
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2014 1:09 am
I am wondering if anyone here can help me. I am currently reading a book by Gordon S. Wood called Revolutionary Characters; What Made the Founders Different. Found it at a thrift store and was intrigued. Very wordy but interesting.
Chapter 1 is The Great George Washington and Mr. Wood states he "was not a religious man, though he attended church regularly to keep up decorum," and rarely mentioned Christ in his writings. "Washington had no dislike of the clergy or organized Christianity as Jefferson did." He compares them in that Washington would never have said, as Jefferson did, that "our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, any more than our opinions in physics or geometry."
Then, only sentences later, he says that Washington "became convinced, as he declared in his Farewell Address, that religion was in indispensable prop for both morality and republican growth."
I vaguely remember seeing Jefferson quoted as saying we absolutely need the values and ethics brought forth by the Bible to be able to govern ourselves (or words to this effect).
Maybe I'm just confused. I'm sure someone (many?) here are far more knowledgeable of history than I and I would love some feed back and history lesson.
Thank you,
In Christ's precious name,
Chapter 1 is The Great George Washington and Mr. Wood states he "was not a religious man, though he attended church regularly to keep up decorum," and rarely mentioned Christ in his writings. "Washington had no dislike of the clergy or organized Christianity as Jefferson did." He compares them in that Washington would never have said, as Jefferson did, that "our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, any more than our opinions in physics or geometry."
Then, only sentences later, he says that Washington "became convinced, as he declared in his Farewell Address, that religion was in indispensable prop for both morality and republican growth."
I vaguely remember seeing Jefferson quoted as saying we absolutely need the values and ethics brought forth by the Bible to be able to govern ourselves (or words to this effect).
Maybe I'm just confused. I'm sure someone (many?) here are far more knowledgeable of history than I and I would love some feed back and history lesson.
Thank you,
In Christ's precious name,