But that’s the problem…..you DIDN’T quote him. Ya see Joyce, I really do not care if he was a stone cold atheist. But the fact remains that he did indeed believe in God…not a god or gods. If he believed in calling God Allah, then I would expect the wording to be exactly as he wrote. A biographer you’re not.
I realize I was a tad unyielding but one of my tick points is when one quotes a second or third party when the original person is figuratively standing right there. In this thread, I use Thomas Jefferson’s writings in his own hand for my main references. In that way, I avoid someone else’s spin on what he wrote. You like to write “god” which is your right to do but you’re applying your own bias’s into what Jefferson actually wrote. Now, I also realize you somehow thought I was kidding when I wrote that you should be the person in question. No, you’re not on stage BUT, when we say we’re “getting into someone’s head” that’s what we are talking about. You can’t possibly get into someone’s head without being that person. You can’t understand what the man thinks unless you think like he does. Go into Jefferson’s own writings and be absolutely amazed at what YOU wrote. When you can do that, Then you’ll truly know what Jefferson was or was not.
What makes you think I haven't read Jefferson, Bobby? Not only have I read him, but I'm not at all amazed by what I wrote. I think this thread is about to go as downhill as the one on COVID which was closed right after I said I wasn't going to reply to you anymore. Since I don't want to see that happen here, I'm going to end my conversation with you at this point.
It’s NOT a conversation, it’s either your way or no way. If you can’t understand what I’ve gone over with you no matter how simple I make it and you get all huffy and have hissy fits then there is indeed no use to attempt any kind of intelligent conversation. Alas, a little typical of some that I have had the fortune or misfortune of meeting in academia. A shame really. Some time back, there were some moments when I thought you’d be different than the closed minded “I’m always right” type of educator. Now, do reflect on your proposal that the other thread was closed. It has never been closed nor will it more than likely ever be closed. Your statement is inaccurate. You are just not in it any longer. If you wish to study Jefferson, then let’s study Jefferson and have a good time doing it without all the extraneous hoopla you wish to interject nor the self imposed inaccuracies.
Here’s a very interesting take and one that I think refutes the whole concept of Jefferson’s supposed deist label.
It is indeed. For lack of either drive or figuring out which direction to go, we all find ourselves parroting those who we trust to have completed a certain amount of research be it in favor of our own thoughts or not. In this case, new information allows us to take our own studies in a direction so as to verify the statements made or find them lacking. Either way, I think the interview sheds a slightly different light on Jefferson and helps us understand some of his other choices in his later life. It’s a bit off topic but for one, New York has decided to take down Jefferson’s statue stating that he, as a slave owner was a racist. Now, if we look at what Jefferson’s financial obligations were after the death of his father, we can see the more Christian side of him simply because he didn’t release his slaves. Because of the debts his father left him to pay, if he had freed his slaves the state would have picked them all up and applied the re-sale of them to his fathers debts. It was a choice. Either allow the slaves to be re-sold and help clear up his debts or keep the slaves so as to make sure they were taken care of. Now, I’m not writing that if Jefferson were to be a Deist that he wouldn’t have made that same decision but I am writing that his decision falls more in line with the teachings of Jesus than it does otherwise.