Liberal Atheists are at it again.

[JimL]

JimL, we know he believed in a God. We know he followed Jesus.
What would be the odds that he followed Jesus and his teachings but believed in a completely different God than Jesus did? It makes no sense.

Also the God of the DOI has to be a personal God, not some nebulous God of deism, a cosmic watchmaker, because it specifically refers to a God of judging and a God who gives inalienable rights to mankind. I know of no other God than the God of Christianity and of Abraham that fits that description that he could possibly believe in.

Jefferson simply believed in god. That he believed in the type of god that Jesus's moral doctrines depicted, doesn't mean that he believed in the god of the biblical Jesus, aka Yahwey, because he didn't. He thought the Hebrew god of Moses, as well as that of the biblical Jesus, to be reprehensible. He also didn't believe in most of the things written about Jesus himself, so to say he was a follower of Jesus is only to say that he accepted that which he agreed with about the biblical Jesus, and discarded that which he didn't agree with.

[Sparko]

Jefferson simply believed in god. That he believed in the type of god that Jesus's moral doctrines depicted, doesn't mean that he believed in the god of the biblical Jesus, aka Yahwey, because he didn't. He thought the Hebrew god of Moses, as well as that of the biblical Jesus, to be reprehensible. He also didn't believe in most of the things written about Jesus himself, so to say he was a follower of Jesus is only to say that he accepted that which he agreed with about the biblical Jesus, and discarded that which he didn't agree with.

You speak as if you are an expert, yet everything I and others have given in evidence says otherwise, while you have not given any evidence to the contrary except a few out of context quotes and your own opinion on the matter. Jefferson was a theist, and he claimed to be a Christian. Therefore the God he believed in was the Christian God, at least from his own point of view.

[One Bad Pig]

Jefferson simply believed in god. That he believed in the type of god that Jesus's moral doctrines depicted, doesn't mean that he believed in the god of the biblical Jesus, aka Yahwey, because he didn't. He thought the Hebrew god of Moses, as well as that of the biblical Jesus, to be reprehensible. He also didn't believe in most of the things written about Jesus himself, so to say he was a follower of Jesus is only to say that he accepted that which he agreed with about the biblical Jesus, and discarded that which he didn't agree with.

No one is claiming that his beliefs were orthodox, Jim.

[Sparko]

No one is claiming that his beliefs were orthodox, Jim.

right. JimL is purposefully misunderstanding in order to perpetuate his false narrative. Where have we seen this tactic before in him?

[Cow Poke]

You speak as if you are an expert, yet everything I and others have given in evidence says otherwise, while you have not given any evidence to the contrary except a few out of context quotes and your own opinion on the matter. Jefferson was a theist, and he claimed to be a Christian. Therefore the God he believed in was the Christian God, at least from his own point of view.

Guys, you're dealing with somebody who admits he's an atheist, but uses the faith tag "agnostic", proclaiming those two things are the same, and we're all agnostics anyway. He has ZERO credibility in the faith arena.

[Jedidiah]

Jefferson simply believed in god. That he believed in the type of god that Jesus's moral doctrines depicted, doesn't mean that he believed in the god of the biblical Jesus, aka Yahwey, because he didn't. He thought the Hebrew god of Moses, as well as that of the biblical Jesus, to be reprehensible. He also didn't believe in most of the things written about Jesus himself, so to say he was a follower of Jesus is only to say that he accepted that which he agreed with about the biblical Jesus, and discarded that which he didn't agree with.

Any twist to avoid acknowledging the truth here.

[JimL]

No one is claiming that his beliefs were orthodox, Jim.

No, they are claiming he is Christian simply because he holds to the same moral philosophy of a human being by the name of Jesus. According to Christianity Jesus is god along with Yahwey and the holy ghost and Jefferson didn't believe any of that, ergo he didn't believe in the same god.

[One Bad Pig]

No, they are claiming he is Christian simply because he holds to the same moral philosophy of a human being by the name of Jesus. According to Christianity Jesus is god along with Yahwey and the holy ghost and Jefferson didn't believe any of that, ergo he didn't believe in the same god.

No, [we] are claiming that Jefferson was a Christian because he claimed to be one. According to orthodox Christianity, those are true. Once again, no one is claiming that Jefferson was orthodox. I repeat, no one is claiming that Jefferson was orthodox. Do I need to repeat it again in big bold letters for you to get the point?

[Tassman]

It's always hilarious when someone responds seriously to what was obviously a joke.

[Cow Poke]

No, [we] are claiming that Jefferson was a Christian because he claimed to be one. According to orthodox Christianity, those are true. Once again, no one is claiming that Jefferson was orthodox. I repeat, no one is claiming that Jefferson was orthodox. Do I need to repeat it again in big bold letters for you to get the point?

So, OBP.... in your honest opinion, do you think Jefferson was orthodox?

[Cow Poke]

No, they are claiming he is Christian simply because he holds to the same moral philosophy....

No. Because he claimed to be one, and we don't know his heart.

[Tassman]

No. Because he claimed to be one, and we don't know his heart.

But we do, from his own writings. In spite of right-wing Christian attempts to rewrite history to make Jefferson into a Christian, little about his philosophy resembles that of Christianity, as can be ascertained via his quotes:

https://www.nobeliefs.com/jefferson.htm

[Cow Poke]

But we do, from his own writings. In spite of right-wing Christian attempts to rewrite history to make Jefferson into a Christian, little about his philosophy resembles that of Christianity, as can be ascertained via his quotes:

https://www.nobeliefs.com/jefferson.htm

So, you're calling him a liar.

[Tassman]

So, you're calling him a liar.

The "liars" are the right-wing Christian attempts to rewrite history to make Jefferson into a Christian. By any doctrinal standard he was not.

[tabibito]

There is some merit to JimL's argument: Jefferson would not, after all, be accepted as a Christian today by the majority consensus churches.
However, as someone else already stated, atheists are very much inclined to claim that people were Christians when those people (self professing Christians) indulged in behaviour that we know to be opposed to the fundamental principles of Christianity.
Jefferson claimed that the Bible mis-represents the true God, while at the same time claiming to believe in the God of Jesus. And he did very much (contrary to expectation) believe that adherents of all religions (not just competing Christian sects) should be entitled to the freedom to practice their beliefs WITHOUT INTERFERENCE.
Atheists therefore have no call on Jefferson when they decide to curb religious freedoms.