No wonder so many said, and say, they were not Christians, eh?
Of course they... and we (identifying myself as a Orthodox Christian).... say that Jefferson (and all Unitarians) are NOT Christians.
We admit (indeed, happily affirm!!) that Jesus Christ was the most perfect Moral Teacher the World has ever known.
Good Grief... Shall the very Giver of the Moral Law be Immoral??
And we admit (indeed, happily affirm!!) that Jesus Christ was a paragon of Justice and Reason.
Good Grief... Shall the very LOGOS of God be ILLOGICAL??
But the term, CHRISTIAN, is a definitional term with distinct meaning..
A CHRISTIAN is one who affirms that Jesus Christ was the greatest Moral Teacher who ever lived...
...the greatest Rational Philosopher who ever lived...
...AND....
That after being nailed to a piece of wood for claiming to be God... having a Roman Stake shoved through His heart for Our Sins....
....buried dead in a Grave for three days....
...The Man who claimd to be Lord of heaven and earth, though dead and buried....
Got up and walked out of that Grave.
O grave, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?
The Garden Tomb.
March 18, 2002AD and still empty.
CHRISTIAN is a term with definitional meaning.
Of you do not believe that Siddharta Gautama was an Enlightened Bodhisattva... then why not just claim to be a Taoist? You have the RIGHT to be a simple Taoist, and it is SILLY for you to claim to be a Buddhist if you are not!!
And if you do not believe that Jesus Christ physically resurrected from the Grave... then why not just claim to be a Unitarian? You have the RIGHT to be a simple Unitarian, and it is SILLY for you to claim to be a Christian if you are not!!
Christianity is a Term with definitional meaning. It means: "the Grave is Empty; Our Lord, though once dead, walked away therefrom."
If you would be Christian, we would gladly you have you....
...but respectfully, Larry, it is intellectually SILLY to claim to be a Christian -- or a Buddhist -- if you AIN'T.