Lambert’s article offers many religious principles that Deism advanced. Contrary to author religions Deists believe that God does not intervene with how the natural works, but instead is said to have created the world and then stand by to allow it to run itself. God did give the people guidelines called the laws of nature. Deists acknowledged that God created the world, but only used natural processes that still occur today. Lambert adds that Deism believes “God uses all nature for his own purposes” (167). Deism also declares that there is no need for organized religion, and that humans can only know God through reason and observation.
The principles of Deism made a strong impact on the way Jefferson viewed religion and the gospels. Lambert supports this by saying, “Thomas Jefferson became a Deist and began to separate between what he considered moral teachings of Jesus versus Christians’ corruptions of those teachings” (174). This is when Jefferson began forming his own Bible that discarded the Old Testament and stripped the New Testament of miracles and superstitious events. Jefferson also believed that “morality was more important than doctrine” (177). He thought that to be moral is what separated a civilized society from an unsophisticated, uncultured society. Due to Jefferson’s Deist beliefs he did not support most of the “important” stories of the gospels, those addressing the birth, baptism, and death/resurrection. For example, Jefferson does not include the virgin birth nor does he include anything about the resurrection.
The principles of Deism made a strong impact on the way Jefferson viewed religion and the gospels. Lambert supports this by saying, “Thomas Jefferson became a Deist and began to separate between what he considered moral teachings of Jesus versus Christians’ corruptions of those teachings” (174). This is when Jefferson began forming his own Bible that discarded the Old Testament and stripped the New Testament of miracles and superstitious events. Jefferson also believed that “morality was more important than doctrine” (177). He thought that to be moral is what separated a civilized society from an unsophisticated, uncultured society. Due to Jefferson’s Deist beliefs he did not support most of the “important” stories of the gospels, those addressing the birth, baptism, and death/resurrection. For example, Jefferson does not include the virgin birth nor does he include anything about the resurrection.
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