Great Thomas Jefferson quote... - Democratic Underground

waiting for hope

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Jan-25-06 09:56 PM
Original message

Great Thomas Jefferson quote...

"Because religious belief, or non-belief, is such an important part of every person's life, freedom of religion affects every individual. State churches that use government power to support themselves and force their views on persons of other faiths undermine all our civil rights. Moreover, state support of the church tends to make the clergy unresponsive to the people and leads to corruption within religion. Erecting the "wall of separation between church and state," therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society.'
Thomas Jefferson, speech, 1808
3rd president of US (1743 - 1826)

Didn't know whether to post this here or under Religion, but I thought it was extremely relevant to what's going on today. We need to push forward some of the Founding Father's ideas into the neocons faces for they are about to continue ripping the Constitution to shreds....

Refresh | 0 Recommendations

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

rurallib

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Jan-25-06 09:59 PM
Response to Original message

1. Probaly should take down the Jefferson Memorial

and put a church there. Can't have a memorial to someone who hates religion.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

Mythsaje

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Jan-25-06 10:00 PM
Response to Original message

2. Where we get our 'talking points' from

Jefferson and Madison, not some right-wing 'think tank.'

<g>

Yup. Jefferson's spinning in his grave like a spindle on a sewing machine at full speed.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

thefool_wa

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Sun Feb-12-06 10:28 AM
Response to Reply #2

8. Two of my faves

Franklin had a good thing or two to say as well.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

IselaB

(235 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Jan-25-06 10:13 PM
Response to Original message

3. Conservatives always say

"nowhere in the Constitution does it mention separation of church and state." But it was Jefferson who used the phrase "a WALL of separation." But what did he know?

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

waiting for hope

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Jan-25-06 10:24 PM
Response to Reply #3

4. Welcome to the DU!

:hi:

I think Conservatives wouldn't know anything if it didn't suit their purpose....

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

Lefty48197

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Tue Feb-07-06 10:49 PM
Response to Reply #3

5. Certainly Limbaugh, Hannity, and the NRA know more about

the Constitution that than Jefferson fella don't they?

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

hydrashok75

(843 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Sun Feb-12-06 09:09 AM
Response to Reply #5

7. Interesting grouping there ;)

But Jefferson has plenty of quotes that the NRA (rightfully so) uses regularly...so I wouldn't go too far down tha road. Two outta three ain't bad :).

On topic--it's amazing how the right wing religious nuts conveniently forget so much of what Jefferson wrote. He's my favorite antidote to religious statism. The real issue to me isn't having religious people working in govt, its having religious people use govt to inject their religion into public policy. Our fair leader in the Oval Office is quite convinced he's doing God's work...so if God doesn't mind the NSA tapping your phone, why should we? :D

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

thefool_wa

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Sun Feb-12-06 10:33 AM
Response to Reply #3

9. First Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...

This is really the only way it is addressed in the constitution and, at least to me (and apparently to Jefferson), prohibiting the government from establishing a state government is tantamount to the separation of church and state.

I would be interested to hear, in specific terms, what those out there who deny the constitutionality of the separation of church in state interpret this to mean.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

LiberalPartisan

(844 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Sat Feb-18-06 07:07 PM
Response to Reply #9

11. They interpret 'free excercise thereof'

To allow preaching anywhere they choose. And of course they choose government property because they believe the US was founded as a 'christian nation'. They really are agitating for an old testament theocracy and they are traitors to the Constitution for doing so.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

BillORightsMan

(921 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Fri Feb-10-06 01:47 AM
Response to Original message

6. More Jefferson

"The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on occasion that I wish it to be always kept alive ...What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that its people preserve the spirit of resistance."
- Thomas Jefferson

"It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are 20 gods, or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."
- Thomas Jefferson

"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."
- Thomas Jefferson

"I hope we shall crush in its birth
the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations,
which dare already to challenge our government
to a trial of strength and bid defiance
of the laws of our country."

and my favorite...
"A little rebellion now and then is a good thing" -Thomas Jefferson
:patriot:

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

thefool_wa

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Sun Feb-12-06 10:34 AM
Response to Reply #6

10. Most excellent collection (nt)

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

jody

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Tue Feb-21-06 07:12 AM
Response to Original message

12. Jefferson also said "The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws

of such a nature. They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes....Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."

Thomas Jefferson's "Commonplace Book," 1774-1776, quoting 18th century criminologist Cesare Zaccaria in Chapter 40 of "On Crimes and Punishment", 1764.

The right of self-defense is among the most basic of all civil rights and existed before any form of government.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

hydrashok75

(843 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Feb-22-06 09:21 PM
Response to Reply #12

13. That sorta dovetails with the convo...

...we've had in the gungeon, but I'm glad people can see the civil liberties angle contained therein. It sounds corny, but its true: armed folks are citizens, disarmed folks are subjects.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top

DU AdBot (1000+ posts)

Thu May 02nd 2024, 12:53 PM
Response to Original message

Advertisements [?]

Top

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators

Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.