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Team 5, Question 2

Posted on by under deism

In Jefferson’s idea society, reason and free inquiry are used as “effectual agents against error” (160). He believes that by using reason and free inquiry, all false beliefs will be removed from society. To fully remove false beliefs, all facets of government must allow free inquiry. When the Roman government followed such a structure, Christianity was introduced to the empire. Because false beliefs had been removed, the society was able to accept Christianity and use it to build a better empire and society. Jefferson warns of uniformity and it’s devastating effects throughout history. He believes that differing opinions will help society and is actually advantageous to religion. Free inquiry must be promoted so that reason will naturally follow and with both in place, citizen’s right will be protected and the government will be fully free of false beliefs.

When writing to Benjamin Rush, Jefferson describes himself to be a true Christian, meaning that he is “sincerely attached to his doctrines” (163). To Jefferson, conscious was the most important and central teaching to Christianity. He refers to the false forms of Christianity to be myth based and praises all human excellence. When Jefferson compares Greco-Roman philosophers, Jews, and Christianity, he creates his syllabus. He finds the philosophers to be too inwardly focused. Their teachings are almost to the point of his understanding but destroy the tranquilities of one’s mind by being so unrestrained. The philosopher’s teachings lack the empathy that Jesus’ had. When analyzing the Jews, Jefferson finds that although they follow deism in the sense that they are monotheistic, they lack the understanding of a benevolent and caring God. Jesus was sent to teach the Jews a loving and humbling message of loving thy neighbor. This is how Jefferson also views Jesus, as a teacher. Although Jesus did not possess a full lifetime of morals, Jefferson views his as the most perfect. Because the Jew’s lacked the teachings of Jesus, theirs was not a wholly just society. By applying those teachings and using them authoritatively, a just society could be created and thus creating a doctrine that all future just societies could follow.

Jefferson’s views of equality and liberty within his writings reveal an enlightenment-influenced view of religion and Christianity. In his Notes on Virginia and his letter to Benjamin Rush, he encourages a government that seeks input and criticism to better itself. For this to happen, free inquiry must be utilized to its full extent. He promotes the separation of church and state and sites examples of its success in sustaining peace and order. Enlightenment thinking emphasizes having a personal relationship with God and is echoed in Jefferson’s belief that people should not be forced into finding their truths. He believes Christianity to be his true faith but understands the notion that people need to find their own truths. Jefferson fully promotes free inquiry and the positive influence it has on government and religion.

Team 5, Question 2

Posted on by under reformation

When Luther evaluates the claims of papal authority and the extravagant lives these authority figures are leading, he realizes there are inherent flaws. He see’s that the Romanist have three walls that they use to defend their authority and lifestyles. These walls are the decrees declaring that temporal power had no jurisdiction, only the pope can interpret scripture, and that no one can summon a council but the pope. These walls keep the powerful in charge and prevent anyone else from questioning their power. Luther seems to favor using scripture to demolish these walls. For the first wall he calls upon scripture to attack papal authority and prove that we are all one body within the Christian church and every member has to work to serve other members – one person does not have ultimate authority. To destroy the second wall, Luther calls upon scripture and sarcasm. He sarcastically states that because the Romanists see no use in scripture, all scripture should just be burned and everyone should be content with unlearned men running Rome. To break down the third wall, Luther relies on scripture yet again. He says that we need to rely on scripture to reprove and restrain the pope; we can accuse the pope and thus call the church together.

Luther’s writing of Fool’s Song proposes over twenty ways that the Church needs to reform in order be restored and follow gospel teachings. There were three main proposals that stood out as damaging to the church as an institution. The first was setting the Christian nobility against the pope. At this time, the Church relied so heavily on support from nobility that without it, the Church could crumble. The nobility upheld and funded the papacy. This proposal could effectively end the papal authority. The second proposal was to abolish pilgrimages to Rome. Having pilgrimages to Rome enables the pope to declare Rome as a holy site and bring revenue into that area. This also supported the papal authority because people would pilgrimage to the pope’s home and essentially make pilgrimages to the pope himself. Pilgrimages are for holy sites and to commemorate holy beings. The third proposal was to end the sale of indulgences. This threatened the presumed power of the pope to forgive sins and would end a majority of funding for the Church. If the Church were to lose papal authority and funding from European countries at the time, there was the possibility of the organization collapsing, especially with such a strong force threatening it.

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