a) Interesting exchange.Quote Originally Posted by Irthriuth
sacred would imply some divine right, and god doesn't exist. I agree that some institutions can be useful, but that's just my selfish opinion. of course I am willing to use the word sacred for things I care about, but in reality everything, including our institutions, are pretty meaningless.
"God does exist. Go read the Declaration of Independence." T #279
b) Good advice T #279. You should heed it.
I did a character string search of the entire TJ/DOI and found only one hit for the character string god.
Jefferson was careful to qualify the term."Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" TJ/DOI
"God" by global convention, is supernatural.
BUT !!
Jefferson stipulated in his one use of the word "god", as quote: "Nature's God".
God cannot be both natural, and supernatural at the same time. Jefferson stipulated "Nature's God".
So it is not merely unwise, but ignorant and factually false to assert that:
based upon assertion of authority, from that one source."God does exist." T #279
Anyone that's studied Thomas Jefferson should understand, Jefferson was no theological push-over.
"In the fevered state of our country, no good can ever result from any attempt to set one of these fiery zealots to rights, either in fact or principle. They are determined as to the facts they will believe, and the opinions on which they will act. Get by them, therefore, as you would by an angry bull; it is not for a man of sense to dispute the road with such an animal."
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), U.S. president. Letter, 24 Nov. 1808, to his grandson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph