Deism is a religious perspective that was spawned by the Enlightenment (159). Through Deism, people have a new choice of religion rather than following certain parts of Christianity. Deists believe that the universe is the product of an all-powerful creator without necessarily having an organized religion. The article explained the differences between Old learning and New learning. Old learning focused on the Bible as being the absolute truth and only certain people had the ability to read and understand it. These people would include preachers. New learning, however, focused mainly on reason and logic. Newton, Bacon, and Locke were important leaders.
Through these principles, Thomas Jefferson took a different approach to the Gospels. To understand Jesus’ life, he decided to eliminate all of the parts of the Bible that went against what Deists believe. The miracles, the virgin birth, and the resurrection are not found in the Jefferson Bible since they are unable to be proven true scientifically. With doing so, Jefferson wanted to get rid of all of the corruptions in the Bible, so he completely eliminated the entire Old Testament since it reflected things that Deists don’t believe in. Jefferson then only kept teachings that directly had to do with Jesus.
Through these principles, Thomas Jefferson took a different approach to the Gospels. To understand Jesus’ life, he decided to eliminate all of the parts of the Bible that went against what Deists believe. The miracles, the virgin birth, and the resurrection are not found in the Jefferson Bible since they are unable to be proven true scientifically. With doing so, Jefferson wanted to get rid of all of the corruptions in the Bible, so he completely eliminated the entire Old Testament since it reflected things that Deists don’t believe in. Jefferson then only kept teachings that directly had to do with Jesus.
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