I guess he didn't write the Declaration of Independence after all.
2007-03-21 05:19:30 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Thomas Jefferson became an atheist late in his life, although he was a professing "real christian" most of his life. He denied all churches but believed in 'the values and morals of jesus'.
He, however, recognized the need for religion in society and wrote a religiously ambiguous Declaration of Independence that all sects could relate with.
2007-03-21 05:29:32 · answer #1 · answered by James, Pet Guy 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Thomas Jefferson was a Deist. He believed in a sort of supreme being, but that "creator" never took an active part in humans, never listens to prayers, never intervened, etc.
However he hated (and I mean HATED) christianity.
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Also using the word "god" or "creator" doesn't make you a believer. Einstein used "god" often and always employed the word metaphorically to represent the nature of the universe. However people assumed (and oddly still do) that meant he believed in god. In 1940 he published a paper which clarified that he didn't believe in any personal god and that he found the very idea naive. He received a LOT of vicious and cruel hate mail for this.
Abraham Lincoln was also an agnostic (bordering on atheist according to his closest friends) and he would have his speech-writers replace the word "god" in their drafts with "maker" since maker could mean the natural forces of the world.
2007-03-21 12:24:29 · answer #2 · answered by Mike K 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jefferson was not an Atheist. He was a Deist.
And what does that have to do with writing the Declaration? Do you understand what that document is?
2007-03-21 12:31:28 · answer #3 · answered by riverstorm13 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The founding fathers of the United States were Deists. That means they were not Christian but they did believe that nature itself was evidence of a god.
However, they were very intelligent and realized that religion MUST be kept separate from gvt and made provisions for it in the Constitution. Modern day people should be ashamed with how much its crossing over the line originally set. The founding fathers must be rolling in their graves.
2007-03-21 12:27:28 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is commonly held that Thomas Jefferson was a Deist... he believed in God the creator but that once we are created and born, God no longer has a hand in our life.
2007-03-21 12:24:07 · answer #5 · answered by Rogue Scrapbooker 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
He was a deist. They believe in God and his creation, however they advocate natural religion, emphasizing morality, and denying the interference of the Creator with the laws of the universe. They believed in the Prime Mover theory, basically, that God created everything and just sits back and observes the world.
2007-03-21 12:29:09 · answer #6 · answered by kyeann 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. Jefferson didn't believe in Christianity. He believed that nature itself was evidence of God.
2007-03-21 12:24:01 · answer #7 · answered by nora22000 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jefferson was a deist with agnostic leanings. Is it really true that you have no grasp on history?
2007-03-21 12:25:07 · answer #8 · answered by Some Dude 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
not Yahweh specifically. he was more of a deist
2007-03-21 12:28:45 · answer #9 · answered by The Tourist 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋