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"I consider the government of the United States as interdicted by the Constitution from intermeddling with religious institutions, their doctrines, discipline, or exercises. This results not only from the provision that no law shall be made respecting the establishment or free exercise of religion, but from that also which reserves to the states the powers not delegated to the United States. Certainly, no power to prescribe any religious exercise or to assume authority in religious discipline has been delegated to the General Government. It must then rest with the states, as far as it can be in any human authority." --Thomas Jefferson to Samuel Miller, 1808.

How far did Jefferson believe human authority over religion went?

With respect to human authority over religion, I think that Jefferson would have agreed with the honest interpretation of sec. 1 of the 14th Amendment.

Jefferson certainly despised organized religions because they don't let people think for themselves. I think that his concern with government religious power was to prevent organized religions from not only pirating government power to force their beliefs down everybody's throats, but also to keep their hands out of people's wallets with respect to religious taxes.

How far did Thomas Jefferson believe human authority over religion went?

About as far as an ant can throw an alligator. Presented below is an excerpt from Jefferson's Notes On Virginia.

"...our rulers can have authority over such natural rights only as we have submitted to them. The rights of conscience we never submitted, we could not submit. We are answerable for them to our God. The legitimate powers of government [over religion] extend to such acts [including behavior one may claim and sincerely believe to be his religious duty] only as are injurious to others."

God has authority over a man's religion. The government, therefore, as no authority over man's religion. Therefore, ever man has a right under the civil governments of the temporal world to obey his God, and the duty to obey no other, in matters of religion. Therefore, the government has no authority or right to even give a man suggestions, hints or advice regarding the things that are God's.

A government that issues advice or recommendations on the things that are God's, trespassed on the authority of God and the natural rights of man. The 1864 law that put "In God We Trust" on the three cent piece was a suggestion from the government that we have a duty to trust God. Therefore, it was a sinful trespass on the authority of God and and and infringement one of the sacred natural right of man.

"In God We Trust" on our nation's coins is an offense against God and should be removed.