Posted on 03/05/2018 9:51:42 AM PST by Kaslin
And just to put a point to it, he has no idea what “cheap grace” is all about either. For that he should read “The Cost of Discipleship,” or its progenitor, “On Denominationalism “ by Richard (not Reinhold) Niebuhr.
That explains his "Statecraft as Soulcraft" crapola.
Will has no idea whatsoever what this means, and apparently others as well.
For this reason Bonhoeffer held that Christians will always be a rather small minority of the world.
“When it comes to Jefferson’s religious beliefs you aren’t on solid ground making a blanket statement like that.”
That is an interesting comment. May we see your data?
Will hasn’t been a conservative for years.
Jefferson was a complex guy, too say the least. He was fascinated by religion and wrote a lot about it. Sometimes he sounds like a deist and sometimes he doesn't. He mentions a creator in the Declaration of Independence as you have noted. But in the first draft of the Declaration he doesn't mention a creator. Did the term get put in at Adams' insistence? I don't know.
He was criticized for being an atheist during his political career. Some of that was no doubt mud slinging but it's possible there was some truth to it.
I think he knew his place in history and he also knew that his non orthodox views might get in his way, so he was cagey about them. I don't think calling him a Deist is a bad guess, but it is a guess.
Personally, I prefer Torquemada’s approach in this particular situation.
I think it is very evident that National Review no longer seriously pretends to be a vehicle for analytic thinking. He reminds me of some of the phony pseudo intellectual cretins, I used to take apart in college.
“I don’t think calling him a Deist is a bad guess, but it is a guess.”
More than a guess. It is a conclusion that best fits the information available.
Which is...
Jefferson's letter to Joseph Priestley (April 9, 1803).
Jefferson's letter to Samuel Miller (January 23, 1808).
Jefferson's letter to John Adams (October 13, 1813).
Jefferson's letter to Thomas Law (June 13, 1814).
Jefferson's letter to Benjamin Waterhouse (June 26, 1822).
Jefferson's letter to Thomas Jefferson Smith (February 21, 1825).
Start with that.
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