"A national humanist organization has created a new version of the "Jefferson Bible," which attempts to distinguish the good passages from the bad in several religious texts, and has sent copies of the book to President Barack Obama and current members of Congress.
When Thomas Jefferson created The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth – more commonly known as the "Jefferson Bible" – in 1820, he did so by extracting the moral teachings and non-miraculous activities of Jesus Christ from the four New Testament Gospels. Following in Jefferson's footsteps, the American Humanist Association (AHA) has created A Jefferson Bible for the Twenty-First Century by deciding which religious passages are or are not worthy of one's attention.
A press release from the AHA says the organization was following the lead of Jefferson, whose 84-page book "has stood alone for over two centuries as an example of how a revered religious text can be improved by extracting what's good and relevant, while leaving behind what's questionable, immoral or unnecessary for people skeptical of the supernatural."
Jefferson's book was never intended to be published, according to the website of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, but was meant for his own personal use and reflection. Only a few of his closest friends even knew it existed prior to his death in 1826.
In addition to the edited copies of various religious scriptures, A Jefferson Bible for the Twenty-First Century concludes with a humanist manifesto titled, "Humanism and Its Aspirations."
The book project was funded by the Stiefel Freethought Foundation, and the Secular Student Alliance helped AHA gather the researchers who compiled excerpts from the texts." CP US
A press release from the AHA says the organization was following the lead of Jefferson, whose 84-page book "has stood alone for over two centuries as an example of how a revered religious text can be improved by extracting what's good and relevant, while leaving behind what's questionable, immoral or unnecessary for people skeptical of the supernatural."
Jefferson's book was never intended to be published, according to the website of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, but was meant for his own personal use and reflection. Only a few of his closest friends even knew it existed prior to his death in 1826.
In addition to the edited copies of various religious scriptures, A Jefferson Bible for the Twenty-First Century concludes with a humanist manifesto titled, "Humanism and Its Aspirations."
The book project was funded by the Stiefel Freethought Foundation, and the Secular Student Alliance helped AHA gather the researchers who compiled excerpts from the texts." CP US
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God
shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and
from the things which are written in this book.
Revelation 22:19