In the United States, despite what some people might think, we don’t have an offical national religion; nor should we. What we have instead are the Founding Fathers, and our secular worship of them out does just about anything this side of the Vatican.
This is interesting because many of the Founding Fathers were Deists, and not Christians. This most definately includes Thomas Jefferson.
Jefferson was a great many things, and among those, it turns out, was theological editor. One day he was hanging around the house and decided to take a pair of scissors to the Bible. When he was done cutting out the parts that didn’t belong, he was left with about 46 pages of what we now refer to as The Jefferson Bible.
I’m bringing this up today, because back on Saturday the LA Times had an article about it where they brought up a very interesting point.
The big question now, said Lori Anne Ferrell, a professor of early modern history and literature at Claremont Graduate University, is this:
“Can you imagine the reaction if word got out that a president of the United States cut out Bible passages with scissors, glued them onto paper and said, ‘I only believe these parts?’ “
Well, I’d say it would depend on the president. I have a wretched feeling that most of them, particularly our current one, would leave in much of the Old Testament and emphasize the parts about faith and vengence and violence, while leaving out the parts about helping the poor and the weak. It could be I judge too harshly, but that’s how I feel it would likely turn out.
I haven’t read The Jefferson Bible. I’m still too busy reading the regular one (next post in the series coming this week!). But I’ll definately pick it up at some point, cause it sounds pretty darn interesting.
Anyone here read it? If so, what are your opinions?
