[BlueDragon]

Catholic or not, it was the idea of the clergy using the Bible as a way to protect themselves (or the despot) from the law, or scrutiny.

True enough, it not matter who attempted hiding their own duplicity was what Jefferson appears to had been driving at.

Truth can stand by itself, it does not need a bible or scripture or a priest in any case to intervene on it's behalf.

Careful now, lest in too tight adherence to the above way of thinking one end up arbitrarily trashing what Truth there is within Judeao-Christian Holy Writ, and can be uttered also from the mouth of a priest, both those I had previously mentioned -- Anglican, and the more Romanist sort of Catholic, so-called "priest".

Those both can recognize and speak truth upon occasion, at the very least, the question there being -- how to determine when they are, and when they are not.

[Bubba Gump Shrimp]

how to determine when they are, and when they are not.

and thus we have checks and balance, and a jury of our peers in the most desperate of situations

one man, one priest, one written scripture cannot or will not have prejudice over the common good of the republic

if not, we would be no better than Iran