Republicans Say the Darndest Things!

She posts the dumbest shit, I had to mute her. So thanks for bringing that here. :frowning:

It just boggles my mind the co-opting of religious imagery. When was the last time you saw DJT in a church or at a religious service? He is probably as areligious a president as Jefferson (perhaps there were others). Of course, I will note the absence of the edict on the crucifix. That backlight is much more likely to be flames of perdition and fumes of sulphur.

Hard disagree. Jefferson didn’t believe in a lot of the miracle stuff, but was a deist, had actual spiritual beliefs. DJT is definitely more areligious.

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Well there was that time he sent tear gas on folks to get a photo op at a church. does that count?

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Trump has antipathy towards Muslims. That’s sufficient for some to be considered a devout Christian. .

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IIRC, Jefferson also was quoted as saying that a nation’s leaders needed to be subject to a moral code such as what is found in the Bible.

I’ll see if I can find a link for this . . .

He edited the bible in what is known as the Jefferson Bible - here is what the googles has to say about it -

What is unique about the Jefferson Bible?

Why Thomas Jefferson Rewrote the Bible Without Jesus ...

It didn’t include major scenes like the resurrection or ascension to heaven or miracles like turning water into wine or walking on water. Instead, Jefferson’s Bible focused on Jesus as a man of morals, a teacher whose truths were expressed without the help of miracles or the supernatural powers of God.

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I suppose I view deism as less of a religion and more of a philosophy. That may be inaccurate. In terms of public religious practice, did Jefferson attend religious services?

Most likely . . . and for the reason that many do today. They’re expected to do so and not out of an actual sense of piety

Sounds like he was just a boy scout?

So nothing like current evangelical Christian morals espoused by most Republicans in Washington?

I think that’s inaccurate.
Religion = believing in god(s).
Deism = believing in a God who is not in a book.

Jefferson didn’t call himself a Deist, though it’s a decent description of him. He attended services and prayed and such, but rejected all of the magical aspects of Christianity. But still thought there was a Creator.

Either way, he was very deeply interested in religion and God and the Bible and Morality and Spirtuality, in a way that makes him a bad comparison to Trump; who really couldn’t give less fucks about the whole thing.

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In today’s world many people describe themselves as spiritual but not religious. I tend to classify public services, especially those arranged by a organized religion, as religious services. Prayer can be religious or spiritual (or both or neither). If Jefferson went to services sincerely, even if he denied the miraculous, i would label him religious. I am just unaware if he attended regularly or not.

From monticello.org: Jefferson's Religious Beliefs | Monticello

In the end, categorizing Jefferson’s religion should be done with some caution. He was baptized and raised Anglican (and married and buried by Anglican ministers), but he rejected many of the tenets of that church. He regularly attended church of various denominations, but he declared that “I am of a sect by myself.” In simple terms, Jefferson is a theist (he believes in God). If a more precise label is sought, he might be labeled a Unitarian (a theist who rejects the Trinity), although there are many variations in Unitarians (some who believe Jesus was more than human, others who do not). In 1822, he boasted that “I confidently expect that the present generation will see Unitarianism become the general religion of the United States,” but he never formally joined that church. Technically, he was not a deist if the term is understood to mean belief in a god who created the universe and then left it to “run” on its own according to natural laws, a “clock-maker” god. Jefferson did believe that God actively engaged in time, sustaining creation on an ongoing basis; yet, in his rejection of Biblical miracles and belief that natural laws were the language of God, he certainly is deistic.

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Thanks for the reference. Based on that I would consider him religious.

I do disagree, however, that belief in God/gods is sufficient to be described as religious.

Yeah, that’s odd to me.

Imo, “Spiritual but not religious” means believing in magic but not God.

Jefferson was -sort of- the opposite of that. He believed in a God but not magic.

All hail the natural laws, which occur whether i hail them or not!!
Jefferson’s Bible probably includes the phrase: “and for the next seven million years, He rested.”

Oh, and made the freakin universe, but Jesus doing stuff, naah.

At this point, that’s gotta just be a bit he does, right?

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Yeah, tbh, as I read it, I was looking for a date, as it seemed like the sos.

Maybe the last one was Easter?