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Mr. Jefferson was not advocating religious "freedom" for jews, Muslims,
Buddhists, atheists, feminazis, or deists when he supported free exercise of religion, but
rather that the CHRISTIANS in this CHRISTIAN nation, which was founded BY CHRISTIANS,
EXCLUSIVELY FOR CHRISTIANS, have the right to join whichever CHRISTIAN church they so
chose.
http://www.constitution.org/tj/jeff10.txt
I do not know that it would reconcile the genus irritabile vatum who are all in arms
against me. Their hostility is on too interesting ground to be softened. The delusion into
which the X. Y. Z. plot showed it possible to push the people; the successful experiment
made under the prevalence of that delusion on the clause of the Constitution, which, while
it secured the freedom of the press, covered also the freedom of religion, had given to
the clergy a very favorite hope of obtaining an establishment of a particular
form of Christianity through the United States; and as every sect believes
its own form the true one, every one perhaps hoped for his own, but especially the
Episcopalians and Congregationalists. The returning good sense of our country threatens
abortion to their hopes, and they believe that any portion of power confided to me, will
be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly: for I have sworn upon
the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.
But this is all they have to fear from me: and enough too in their opinion. And this is
the cause of their printing lying pamphlets against me, forging conversations for me with
Mazzei, Bishop Madison, etc., which are absolute falsehoods without a circumstance of
truth to rest on; falsehoods, too, of which I acquit Mazzei and Bishop Madison, for they
are men of truth.
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