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Comparing Thomas Jefferson's View On Church And State

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Thomas Jefferson was a pioneer on the topic of church and state and how those two things have no power over the other in any way, shape, or form. Jefferson explains this when he mentions “Almighty God hath created the mind free, and manifested his supreme will that free it shall remain by making it altogether insusceptible of restraint.” Jefferson believes that God created us to be free of everything, including religion. That is why Jefferson didn’t want to give up that freedom even to the government he was so strongly a part of. Jefferson then goes on to talk about how it is extremely wrong when a church forces a man to support or change his personal views just because of an outside source, Jefferson even calls it “tyrannical” some of the methods that the church had to gain control of people. Jefferson also said how it was wrong to require a public official to be of a certain religion, much like how the Baptists were afraid the John F. Kennedy would gain presidency then hand over the power to the catholic church, Jefferson also said that a man brought to power specifically for religious reasons tend to be “corrupt the principles of that very religion it is meant to encourage,” the official becomes very bias to that church that he is representing. The man elected to office by religion can then suddenly start judging others and deciding things that are right with the church he is representing, not the U.S. constitution or any other laws that could contradict the rules from his church. Jefferson closes the article by stating how his state, the state of Virginia, will not compel or require any citizen to attend, worship, support, or minister any church or religion that that specific citizen did not choose to do so. …show more content…

Thomas Jefferson was an excellent visionary on the topic of separation of church and state, he articulated through supporting religion yet upholding civil liberties that could also be lost along the

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