Examining The “Finer” Things

Regarding the Founders and their religious views, Carlos De La Rosa’s blog titled “The Finer Brush” stated:

…there were a variety of views, values, and ideals at work when “the country was set up.”

The problem with this statement is that it lacks definition. It may be true that the Founders had varied views, values and ideals, but it’s one thing to say Jeff valued Unitarianism over Methodism; it’s quite another to say Jeff valued atheism over Christianity.

I know “Finer” isn’t implying Jefferson preferred atheism to Christianity, but my point is that without definition, it’s difficult to determine how accurate that statement is. Perhaps a “finer brush” is needed…?

And while we’re on the subject of brushes, it seems that “The Finer Brush” was painting quite broadly when it says:

A strong current runs through conservative commentary painting the people of the framers’ time as having a uniform political, economic, religious, and moral world view. This is a false abstraction…

I would ask what was it in the thoroughly (and dare I say it…robustly?) documented Wallbuilders articles (“Thomas Jefferson and Religion at the University of Virginia” and “The Founders and Public Religious Expressions”) that was a false abstraction about Jefferson’s religious views?

To be fair, Carlos did write:

I bring up the example of Jefferson not to paint him with the broad brush of a ‘Deist’ label. Just the opposite. I actually wish to show that there is a great deal of nuance beneath the label of “Founder’”

However, the Wikipedia article he cites did exactly that: labeled Jefferson a Deist (among other things), but said very little (i.e., to be read,  “said nothing at all”) about his religious views from the Wallbuilders articles’ perspective. Hmmm.

But the bigger issue at hand here is much more profound than a Founding Father’s religious views or a political act like the 3/5^ths Compromise. The deeper issue is that “great moral teacher” that Founding Father believed in, and what we believe about Him.

As He asked Peter two millennia ago, so He asks us today, “Who do you say that I am?”

It is that question that makes all the difference.