[toenail]

"Long before the Constitution, there was the New Testament. In it's pages you'll find a similar happening as you described above: the eroding of the essential, pure original message. One chip at a time...until it's no longer recognizable."

That reminds me of a quote:

"It is not to be understood that I am with him (Jesus Christ) in all his doctrines. I am a Materialist; he takes the side of Spiritualism; he preaches the efficacy of repentence toward forgiveness of sin; I require a counterpoise of good works to redeem it. Among the sayings and discourses imputed to him by his biographers, I find many passages of fine imagination, correct morality, and of the most lovely benevolence; and others, again, of so much ignorance, so much absurdity, so much untruth, charlatanism and imposture, as to pronounce it impossible that such contradictions should have proceeded from the same being. I separate, therefore, the gold from the dross; restore him to the former, and leave the latter to the stupidity of some, the roguery of others of his disciples. Of this band of dupes and imposters, Paul was the great Coryphaeus, and the first corruptor of the doctrines of Jesus."

-- Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to W. Short, 1820. Thomas Jefferson, a Deist (not a Christian) was, of course, the author of the Declaration of Independence and of the Virginia Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom.

[NatureGirl]

Of this band of dupes and imposters, Paul was the great Coryphaeus, and the first corruptor of the doctrines of Jesus

Amen to that!

[LarryLied]

Thomas Jefferson, a Deist (not a Christian)

Late in life, Jefferson acknowledged he was a Unitarian and proselytized on their behalf. He was not a deist.

[Shermy]

Toenail, you're like a hangnail. You should only cite off hand remarks, contemperaneous politically motivated pandering to the religious, and vague statements. Just ignore the majority of statements by our deist and agnostic forefathers for the exceptions to prove a "rule." And please, don't quote a document that most of our forefathers actually contributed and signed which might throw a monkey wrench into the gears, like:

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

Bunch of pagans if you ask me. :)

[Texas Eagle]

I am a Materialist; he takes the side of Spiritualism; he preaches the efficacy of repentence toward forgiveness of sin; I require a counterpoise of good works to redeem it.

No King but King Thomas !........I don't know.....doesn't quite carry the same weight......

[A6M3]

Reply to post #17: On September 6, 1819 Thomas Jefferson Wrote: the Constitution is a mere thing of wax in the hands of the judiciary, which they may twist and shape into any form they please. On September 28, 1820, Jefferson wrote to William Jarvis: you seem to consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions; a very dangerous doctrine indeed,and one that would place us under the depotism of an oligarchy. our judges are honest as other men, and not more so... and their power [is] the more dangerous, as they are in office for life and not responsible, as the other functionaries are, to the elective control. The Constitution has erected no such single tribunal, knowing that to whatever hands confided, with corruptions of time and party, its members would become despots. On November 4,1820 Thomas Jefferson wrote to Jared Sparks: I hold the precepts of Jesus as delivered by Himself, to be the most pure, benevolent and sublime which have ever been preached to man...