And on his best day Thomas Jefferson was barely a deist. He may have been a capable politician, but he was no theologian nor was he a Christian.
The vast majority of signers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were Calvinist Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, Anglicans and Congregationalists.
"Whatever the cause, the Calvinists were the only fighting Protestants. It was they whose faith gave them courage to stand up for the Reformation. In England, Scotland, France, Holland, they,... did the work, and but for them the Reformation would have been crushed... If it had not been for Calvinists,... and whatever you like to call them, the Pope and Philip would have won, and we should either be Papists or Socialists." ~ Sir John Skelton
Men loathe Calvinism in direct proportion to their disdain for the Scriptures. As Spurgeon wrote in his IN DEFENSE OF CALVINISM -- ...
"... It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith, without works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation after having once believed in Jesus. Such a gospel I abhor..."
All the gospel of Rome.
But Jefferson was a man of incredible intellect and insight. His characterization of the Presbyterian and Calvinist temperament and disposition towards tolerance of contrary views was spot on. They were insufferable 250 years ago and they remain so today. When ever they have establish numeric superiority they have moved quickly to impose their beliefs on everyone else. They are the antithesis of the freedoms that make America unique.
Even in a forum that is dedicated, in theory, to discussing religion, they shout down opposing views and insist that their faulty interpretations of scripture and the beliefs of other religions are accepted over objective evidence to the contrary. Far too often the resort to insults, lies, fabrications and innuendo to make their point when the truth fails them. It would be funny if it weren't so serious and sad.
On his best day Spurgeon was a verbose anti-Catholic bigot who had no concept of humility.