When I was studying religions, this is one of the quotes that got my attention. My first thought was, yes if the religion of Islam were the only one then it best be deep sixed! But then I contrast this leader take, with that of Jefferson, pretty much the architect of the American democracy. He was not fond of religion, but on the other hand he sure did not reject God, nor did he reject Jesus, but he did not accept Jesus as God. I forget the exact quote attributed to Jefferson about religion, but it pretty much denounce most as self serving often doing evil in the name of religion. But yet he would not denounce religion, instead seeing value in the teachings of Jesus, even though many men practice their Christian religion badly.
"Though he often expressed his opposition to many practices of the clergy, and to many specific popular Christian doctrines of his day, Jefferson repeatedly expressed his admiration for Jesus as a
moral teacher..."
"it is Jefferson who coined the phrase "
wall of separation between church and state" in his
1802 letter to the Danbury Baptists of
Connecticut. During his
1800 campaign for the presidency, Jefferson even had to contend with critics who argued that he was unfit to hold office because of their discomfort with his "unorthodox" religious beliefs."
Jefferson believed this country was founded on the principles of the Christian religion, the teachings of Jesus, but that the government had no role what so ever in establishing a religion, although he himself rewrote the bible, called the Jefferson Bible. He reordered and deleted that which he though improved on the delivery of the teachings Jesus. He was not a supporter of Islam in any way, although he said and I can not quote exactly, the government should be walled from religion so that even a Mohammadan can live here.
The term Pantheist had not yet been coined in Jefferson's time, but I would say that is what he was.
But yet he could use the concepts of creator and what is the creators work and what is mens work to set this nation on very well planned course. You need not even believe in a creator but you can grasp the idea of what any man or men should not be permitted to take from you, your rights.
You may note the similarities between what I say Jefferson believes and what I have posted in here about my own believes. Yes true very much the same. Not all that odd either, Jefferson was and INTP personality as am I, my IQ is about the same as has been reported for Jefferson. I suppose like minded views on religions would be in order.
