Atheist Billboard Falsely Accuses President Thomas Jefferson of Anti-Christian Remarks
An Atheist billboard campaign in Costa Mesa, Calif., has falsely attributed an anti-Christianity quote to President Thomas Jefferson.
The group responsible for the sign, Backyard Skeptics, attributed this quote "I do not find in Christianity one redeeming feature. It is founded on fables and mythology," to the former president who was often thought to be a Christian – as were most of the founding fathers.
The Orange County Register reported problems occurring when there was no proof of Jefferson ever saying it.
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Experts at the Jefferson Library Collection at Monticello are often asked about the quote, and said it was written in a letter to Dr. Wood, but there's no evidence showing it was in fact him or any evidence of a letter, reported the Orange County Register.
The purpose of the sign and a few others spread around the city was to "expunge the myth that this is a Christian nation," and also to "share the idea that you can be good and do good without a religion or god," said Bruce Gleason a member of Backyard Skeptics, who admittedly said he should have done more research on the quote before putting it on the billboard that was unveiled Wednesday.
The Los Angeles Times reported Jefferson kept a personal book of pieced together portions of the New Testament and the four Gospels that excluded the virgin birth, Jesus' resurrection, and his miracles calling it the "Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth," later referred to as the "Jefferson Bible."
A previous article by The Christian Post talked about the founding father being identified as a Christian although questioning it greatly. CP said, "without acknowledging Jesus' divinity and resurrection, Christianity [is] baseless."
