History Forum / General / General Topics / December 2003

Excuse me, but I have not made any comment on the above.  I'M not trying to
say anything.  There is at least one dipshit around here that likes to post
TODAYS FOUNDER QUOTE.  The dipshit in particular ( I call him dipshit since
he called me buckwheat to begin the name calling)  get his out of context,
partial quotes  from a highly conservative web site which he never
identifies but which most people are familiar with.
Thus, in respect of fairness I decided to post a daily FOUNDER'S RELIGIOUS
QUOTE series.
With regards to the quote above, it is exactly what Jefferson said, but I
think you are overlooking some very important portions of it to focus on a
couple items from it.

He was talking about his Statute for religious freedom that was recently
passed into law in his state of Virginia. he was talking about how popular
it was among some in Europe, and how helpful it could be in Europe

"If all the sovereigns of Europe were to set
themselves to work to emancipate the minds of their subjects
from their ignorance and prejudices, and that as zealously as they
now endeavor the contrary, a thousand years would not place
them on that high ground on which our common people are now
setting out."

How was also talking about another ill he had authored  which goes hand in
hand with religious freedom:

" To know the worth of this, one must see the
want of it here. I think by far the most important bill in our whole
code is that for the diffusion of knowledge among the people. No
other sure foundation can be devised for the preservation of
freedom, and happiness. If any body thinks that kings, nobles, or
priests are good conservators of the public happiness, send them
here. It is the best school in the universe to cure them of that folly.
They will see here with their own eyes that these descriptions of
men are an abandoned confederacy against the happiness of the
mass of people. The omnipotence of their effect cannot be better
proved than in this country particularly, where notwithstanding
the finest soil upon earth, the finest climate under heaven, and a
people of the most benevolent, the most gay, and amiable
character of which the human form is susceptible, where such a
people I say, surrounded by so many blessings from nature, are
yet loaded with misery by kings, nobles and priests, and by them
alone.
Preach, my dear Sir, a crusade against ignorance;
establish and improve the law for educating the common people.
Let our countrymen know that the people alone can protect us
against these evils, and that the tax which will be paid for this
purpose is not more than the thousandth part of what will be paid
to kings, priests and nobles who will rise up among us if we leave
the people in ignorance. . . ."

In short I think that you will find, if you read it carefully, that he was
bashing the Kings, Priests and Nobles of Europe  for their control of
education and everything else and for denying freedom, including religious
freedom to the people.  For holding the people in ignorance

In short, the above quote is not at all out of character with Jefferson's
views on church and state or state and education