[Mark Bahner]

"Jefferson made his famous statement about wanting everyone in the USA to "die a Unitarian" while the debate over prohibiting Massachusetts from levying state taxes to fund the Unitarian and Congregationalist churches was at a peak. If Jefferson was so opposed to taxes supporting religion, why was he a member of a church whose leaders endorsed the concept?"

Because the leaders of HIS church--he was a VIRGINIAN--did NOT support state tax monies to churches.

Why don't you simply look on the Internet? Use a search engine, like Google. The evidence is absolutely overwhelming that Jefferson did NOT support giving state tax monies to churches:

Jefferson, pioneer for separation of church and state

WHERE DID THE PHRASE "SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE" ORIGINATE?

The phrase originates in Thomas Jefferson's 1802 letter to the Baptist Association of Danbury, Connecticut. Jefferson was responding to the Danbury Baptists' complaints that Connecticut's law was oppressive to their religion (among other things, Connecticut's law allowed towns to levy taxes for the support of a religion designated by the majority of voters; since Connecticut was overwhelmingly Congregationalist, the law effectively forced Baptists throughout the state to support Congregational churches). The Baptists, who knew of Jefferson's advocacy of separation, "honored [Jefferson] as an apostle of religious liberty. Much of their address sounded like [Jefferson's] bill for establishing religious freedom in Virginia, and they hoped that the sentiments of their 'beloved President' would prevail so that 'hierarchy and tyranny' would vanish from the earth" (Dumas Malone, Jefferson the President: First Term, 1801-1805, p. 109).

The man COINED the phrase "separation of church and state" for God's sake!

[LarryLied]

Only one month before his death, Franklin questioned the divinity of Jesus. So Franklin can only be a true Unitarian if Unitarians at the time of Franklin's death questioned the divinity of Jesus.

They didn't "question" His divinity. They denied it in no uncertain terms¹. And they weren't the first Christians to do so. Arians, Racovians, and Socinians were all anti-trinitarians of one sort or another. Theophilus Lindsey organized the first successful Unitarian congragation in England. Benjamin Franklin attended the first gathering along with his friend Joseph Priestley (another Unitarian).

the leaders of HIS (Jefferson's) church--he was a VIRGINIAN--did NOT support state tax monies to churches.

William Ellery Channing was the foremost Unitarian in America at the time and he did support state taxes going to his church. Channing helped Daniel Webster develop the case he argued when Massachussetts attempted to write separation of church and state into their constitution.