Bruce Feiler - Where God Was Born, Abraham, Walking The Bible

What Jefferson Thought of Islam
Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Christopher Hitchens has posted an acerbic attack on Rep. Ellison on Slate. While acknowledging that the act of being sworn in on the Koran was a masterstroke against the Religious Right, he challenges the new congressman to denounce his onetime affiliation with Louis Farrakhan: "If Ellison now wants to use his faith to justify an appeal to pluralism and inclusiveness and diversity, he needs to repudiate the Nation of Islam, and in much more unambivalent terms than any I have yet heard from him."

He points out that Jefferson included Islam in his list of protected religions and saves his coup de grace for the Jefferson Bible, when the future president trimmed out all the miracles from the gospels and published a much smaller book.

As far as I can find, he avoided any comment on the religious dimension of the war. But then, he avoided public comment on faith whenever possible. It was not until long after his death that we became able to read most of his scornful writings on revelation and redemption. And it was not until long after his death that The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth was publishable. Sometimes known as "the Jefferson Bible" for short, this consists of the four gospels of the New Testament as redacted by our third president with (literally) a razor blade in his hand. With this blade, he excised every verse dealing with virgin birth, miracles, resurrection, and other puerile superstition, thus leaving him (and us) with a very much shorter book. In 1904 (those were the days), the Jefferson Bible was printed by order of Congress, and for many years was presented to all newly elected members of that body. Here's a tradition worth reviving: Why not ask all new members of Congress to swear on that?
And here's a tradition worth inaugurating: The Quran repeats and plagiarizes many passages of the New Testament, including some of the most fantastic and mythical ones. Is it not time to apply the razor and produce a reasonable Quran as well? What could be more inclusive? What could be a better application of Jeffersonian original intent?

Labels: Islam, Politics in America

Posted by B Feiler at 12:53 PM
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