“Freedom requires religion, just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God.
- Mitt Romney
What does a ‘window to a soul’ have to do with the Constitution? or freedom for that matter?
Okay, crimes against history often occur whenever most conservative Christians see the word “God” anywhere in statue or memorial concrete. For example, noted idiot Pat Robertson, when he “entered the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, looked up at the statue of that incredibly handsome and powerful man” and read Jefferson’s words engraved:
“I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every from of tyranny over the mind of man.”
Robertson went on his his sermon to say that this quotation, taken out of context, proves that Jefferson would be against the tyranny of “the IRS, the SEC, the EPA, the NLRB, the FEC, the FCC, the EEOC, the ICC, and the ATF, plus an alphabet soup of federal departments and agencies.”
Because I know the context of Jefferson’s quotation, I know that were he alive today, TJ would (if he survived the violent aneurysm) beat the hell from Romney and Robertson.
In this passage, Jefferson is attacking the “tyranny” of the Christian clergy of Philadelphia.
Those words came from a letter written to Benjamin Rush in 1800 in response to Rush’s warning about the Philadelphia clergy attacking Jefferson during the campaign of 1800. (Jefferson was seen as an infidel by his enemies during the race against the conservative President John Adams). The complete statement reads as follows:
“The returning good sense of our country threatens abortion to their hopes, & they [the clergy] 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: & enough too in their opinion, & this is the cause of their printing lying pamphlets against me.”
“Freedom requires religion…” can you fathom what Jefferson would say to that?!
Jefferson wrote “that our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, any more than our opinions in physics or geometry.” (America, 1779.)
America, 2007: “Freedom requires religion, just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God.”
Can anyone explain how freedom opens the soul’s windows? Or, how freedom requires “communing with God”?
Who wrote this speech? It’s just not supportable. There’s no logic here – even religious dogma should follow logically. I read a good deal of Theology at my Jesuit University, this is a spitballing of aphorisms. I’m flabbergasted.
7 Responses to “Romney’s Criminal Religion Speech”
“can you fathom what Jefferson would say to that?!”
Jefferson’s response might be:
“No nation has ever existed or been governed without religion. Nor can be. The Christian religion is the best religion that has been given to man and I, as Chief Magistrate of this nation, am bound to give it the sanction of my example.”
Look the quote up…(Jefferson said it on his way to Church, btw.)
You say you “know” that Jefferson would “beat the hell from Romney and Robertson.”
Projecting your own bias, bigotry and hatred (not to mention thoughts of violence) on to a great man really does Jefferson a disservice. (How dare you assume to speak for him?!)
I am not a religious person myself, but I have found religious people to be much more rational and actually much less judgmental than rabid secularists.
Looks to me like Jefferson is calling the church a form “of tyranny over the mind of man.”
Jefferson liked the ideals of Jesus but did not like the church.
If we define a Christian as a person who believes in the divinity of Jesus, then it is safe to say that some of the key Founding Fathers were not Christians at all. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Tom Paine were deists–that is, they believed in one Supreme Being but rejected the supernatural elements of the Christian Church; they believed God could best be read in Nature.
Like Jefferson, every recent President has understood the necessity of at least paying lip service to the piety of most American voters. All of our leaders, Democrat and Republican, have attended church, and have made very sure they are seen to do so.
But there is a difference between offering this gesture of respect for majority beliefs and manipulating and pandering to the bigotry, prejudice and millennial fantasies of Christian extremists. Though for public consumption the Founding Fathers identified themselves as Christians, they were, at least by today’s standards, remarkably honest about their misgivings when it came to theological doctrine, and religion in general came very low on the list of their concerns and priorities–always excepting, that is, their determination to keep the new nation free from bondage to its rule.
Robertson went on his his sermon to say that this quotation, taken out of context, proves that Jefferson would be against the tyranny of “the IRS, the SEC, the EPA, the NLRB, the FEC, the FCC, the EEOC, the ICC, and the ATF, plus an alphabet soup of federal departments and agencies.”
When Allie clutches her pearls about Robertson ‘projecting his own bias, bigotry and hatred on to a great man doing Jefferson a disservice.’ (How dare Robertson assume to speak for him?!) Then maybe she’ll deserve more than dismissal.
Something to say?
BIGOT!!!!!
Left by CEsplin
December 8, 2007 at 1:45am