gonna get back also does this whole
religion thing it's its
a I'm frankly very concerned I a
nationally when Supreme Court's came out
and so that's just tradition you know
that the senate opens with a prayer
what's the big deal
my first response was yeah I know
what's the big deal but once you start
breaking down the lines
you know it's the old to get the camel's
nose in the air the edge in the tent
better for i'm concerned.
that and in fact I i think frankly we we
pass this
way back during the bush senior
administration
when bush junior negotiated deals
actually was during the reagan the
second year the second rating Reagan's
second term
and Bush junior was the layers on
between is daddy's
upcoming presidential campaign and the
fundamentalist Christian community
and they started doing these Facebook
faith-based initiatives that became
george bush seniors thousand points of
light
where it's like basically let's give
government money to religious groups
and jerry falwell was there with his
hands out any became a multimillionaire
in the process and pat robertson's now a
billionaire
and I mean you've got all these
religious guys got really really rich of
the snow a lot it was government money
and continues to be and now we're giving
money to
to to secular air to religious church
schools
onto to give religious indoctrination in
education a kid's
and adjusted it's going on on on gay
bigger and bigger and bigger and bill
clinton continue to by the way
and in fact expanded the program because
hey
you know votes and then George W Bush
put on super steroids
and Obama has inherited and hasn't done
anything to stop it and so
why I think that we have a problem
here in this country and like I started
to say my
in my a discussion with the bishop
Jefferson was constantly worried that
that the priests were gonna get inside
the government
in fact he you know the
I I've told the story before but it is
so worth repeating
I live about a 20-minute walk
from the Jefferson Memorial I
Louise I live on a in a boat a little
cabin
no 1986 chris-craft cabin cruiser on the
on the awash in channel in the wash in
channel the wash in channel dead ends
into this
pond in front of his pool in front of
the Jefferson Memorial
and so on a nice weekend day-lewis I was
walk down there
as jefferson Memorial
you know and there and if you ever
you know I ever make it to DC it's
really worth going to see and
there's this little circular say no
Jefferson
edged into the dome above this giant
fifteen foot statue of Thomas Jefferson
in the middle memorial
and it says and a sec wrong page
it says I have sworn upon the altar of
God
eternal hostility against every form of
tyranny up
imposed upon the mind of man as all sets
now you would think you know in and it's
obviously a call from jefferson and you
would think that basically what he's
saying is I'm a bible thumping Christian
and I've sworn in for on the altar of
God hostility against anything it's
gonna
be a tyranny over the mind Zimmer
context
is everything my friends let me read you
the actual letter from which that quote
com
its this was
in 1800 Thomas Jefferson was vice
president at the states he was
challenging John Adams to become
president Adams want to run for a second
term
Jefferson ran against him he was vice
president Jefferson beat him
there's a book coming out this fall
called the revolution is 1800 by Dan
sisson
and with a little help from me mostly
dancers and he's a brilliant historian
your love this book we will be talking
about a lot this fall
and the revolution 1800 was the election
thomas jefferson
so years
here is this and so Ben Ben rush was a
good friend of jefferson's he was a
doctor
position any was a deist he was not a
Christian E
he he he was a DST believed that you
know something
some incredible intelligence started it
all
and establish the the laws of nature in
it major just been
rolling along ever since then
and so Jefferson a couple months before
the election just two months before the
election
1800 so be like September
have 1800 writes this note this letter
to ban rush
and in it he asks am too hot let anybody
see this letter
his letter didn't come on till Jefferson
was dead
and here it is remember the quote
thats at the top of the Jefferson
Memorial I have sworn upon the altar
up God eternal hostility against every
form of tyranny imposed upon the mind of
man
okay that's the quote here is the letter
dear sir I promised you a letter on
Christianity which I have not forgotten
I do not know that it would reconcile
the genus
irritable vadim which is Latin for the
species have angry priests
who are all in arms against me
their hostility isn't too interesting
aground to be softened
the delusion on the clause of the
Constitution is talking about the first
amendment
the delusion on the clause in the
Constitution which while it secure the
freedom of the press covered also the
freedom of religion
has given to the clergy a very favorite
hope
obtaining an establishment a particular
form of Christianity throughout the
United States
and as every sect believes its own form
the one true one everyone perhaps hoped
for his own
but especially the episcopalians in the
Congregationalists
and then he turns to his been elected
he refers to that is the returning but
since our country
if he gets elected you concede the
referred to
John Adams presidency is the time of
which is you'll recall
and he says the returning good sense a
far country
threatens abortion to their hopes
priests
and the preacher's believe that any
portion up power confided in me such as
been elected president 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 to
in their opinion and a quote
the context rather changes the quote is
it not
I can't tell you how many right-wingers
ago on the strong America is a Christian
nation jumpings Christian he's a swore
on my older brothers because tortillas
turning over the binary the charity he
was talking about was religion
he went on he was so this was in his
autobiography
quoting from jefferson's autobiographies
is where the preamble to the Virginia
statute for religious freedom which is
by the way
one of the three things on his tombstone
that he was most proud of that he was
the author of
that the creation of the University
Virginia
and the Declaration of Independence
doesn't even say that this guy was
president
I'm and now back to his autobiography
is where the preamble to the Virginia
statute for religious freedom declares
the coercion
is a departure from the plan the Holy
author of our
religion and a member was proposed by
inserting the word Jesus Christ
so it should read a departure from the
plan to Jesus Christ the Holy author of
our religion
the insertion is a story about the
debate before the Virginia House of
Burgesses
and this is on the verge Virginia
resolution for religious liberty in
other words the
government should not interfere with
religion he said the insertion of Jesus
Christ was rejected by a great majority
in proof that they meant to comprehend
within the mantle
up its protection the Virginia statute
for religious freedom
with it within the man to love its
protection the Juno and the Gentile the
Christian
and the Mohammed TN the Hindu
and the infidel up every denomination
this is from his autobiography from
notes on Virginia it is legitimate
powers to govern extender such actions
as
only are are injurious to others it does
me no injury for my neighbors say there
are twenty gods or no God
neither picks my pocket a bright spot
I could go on but I won't I just want
them I it
really concerns me when the Supreme
Court
and the preacher resolve America are
conspiring together
as as Jefferson site intrudes the
alliance between church and state in
england has ever made their judges
accomplices in the frauds
the clergy
