Thomas Jefferson: High Priest of Deism

Thomas Jefferson is a brilliant, mis-understood and inconsistent historical figure. His eloquent writings formed the basis of the Declaration of Independence and the Virginia constitution among others. He is mis-understood by many people today as he is lumped by many into a superficial bucket of founding fathers who "built our country on Christianity" as many Fundamentalists would tell it. His behavior was inconsistent in that he wrote documents that proclaimed equality but kept slaves for most of his life.

As the "High Priest of Deism", he represented a system of thought shared by many of the founding fathers. Deism, in the 18th century, could range from the concept of "God as disinterested creator" to that of "closet atheist".

Deism in the theistic sense can be described as a belief in a supreme being that, Newtonian style, designed a self-sustaining Universe, set it in motion and moved on to bigger and better things. An agnostic form for the supreme being might be common, but the concept still held to that of external being vs. integrated energy in the style of Star Wars or some New Thought theology.

It was very difficult to be an atheist in the 18th century. The Deist moniker perhaps allowed many who were to clothe their beliefs in something more acceptable, while privately maintaining a more humanistic philosophy that was also consistent with the Enlightenment and the Age of Reason.

Jefferson opposed any form of Platonic or NeoPlatonic philosophy. He was supremely rational and distrusted "government by the priesthood". His Natural Theology descended from Aristotelian thinking and proposed that God was to be found by experiencing the natural world and avoiding hyper-imagination that might be found in thought that evolved from Platonic roots. Jefferson created the famous Jefferson Bible, which was a treatment of the Gospels with all miracles, superstition and supernatural content removed.

Despite his lack of respect for weak-headed religion, he was known to give to all denominations in his city in equal measure. Jefferson was painted as a diabolical atheist by his political enemies who had no problem using slippery slope fallacious arguments to defame his character for political gain. At the time, many evangelicals (mostly Calvinists in those days), predicted that outbreaks of murder, rape, sex and violence would occur if Jefferson were elected president. Ironically, this same constituency was delighted with the separation of church and state that mad its way into the constitution.

Jefferson, Adams and other prominent Revolutionary figures found their way to Deism in different ways. Jefferson and Adams were somewhat polar opposites. Jefferson had some history and ties to the Anglican church, but approached philosophy from a strictly rationalist viewpoint. Adams was something of a reformed Puritan, muddling his way through Congregationalist, then Unitarian church attendance during his lifetime.

Sadly, despite Jefferson's ideals and clear rationalism, his personal life was riddled with inconsistencies. It is difficult for us to understand the choice to keep slaves while espousing equality in his writings. However, it is also hard for us to understand the degree of prejudice that was woven into the consciousness of the time regarding the inferiority of people of color. We have to be careful judging historical figures through our modern perspectives and context.