Yes, another damned Adams post.
Synchronicity (or random chance, your choice) decided today's blog topic. Sarah Palin has once again been using the names of our founding fathers to support her ludicrous fundamentalist religious beliefs invading our government. In order to fight for the good name of my favorite founding father (and inspired by lil_shepherd's Adams quotes), I give you the words of John Adams on Christianity and religion:
BTW, if you belong to one of the denominations he's disses, you should know that John disliked all Christian sects equally. lol His father, you see, was the deacon of their church. John knew the Bible inside and out -- he was a liberal Unitarian.
"God is an essence that we know nothing of. Until this awful blasphemy ((the myth of the Incarnation of Christ)) is got rid of, there never will be any liberal science in the world."
-- John Adams (religious fundies have sometimes taken the quote out of context to suggest John was speaking of the blasphemy being "God being an essence we know not of")
"Have you considered that system of holy lies and pious frauds that has raged and triumphed for 1,500 years."
-- John Adams, letter to John Taylor about Christianity
"Thirteen governments [of the original states] thus founded on the natural authority of the people alone, without a pretence of miracle or mystery."
-- John Adams, "A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America"
"We should begin by setting conscience free. When all men of all religions ... shall enjoy equal liberty, property, and an equal chance for honors and power ... we may expect that improvements will be made in the human character and the state of society."
-- John Adams, letter to Dr. Price
"As I understand the Christian religion, it was, and is, a revelation. But how has it happened that millions of fables, tales, legends, have been blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation that have made them the most bloody religion that ever existed?"
-- John Adams, letter to FA Van der Kamp
"When philosophic reason is clear and certain by intuition or necessary induction, no subsequent revelation supported by prophecies or miracles can supersede it."
-- John Adams, from Rufus K Noyes
"I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved -- the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced!"
-- John Adams, letter to Thomas Jefferson
(as you can tell, he didn't hold back when he wrote to Thomas lol)
From the letters of Malcolm Price (who worked in the vicinity of the State House) -- this is from memory, so I'm sure the exact quote was different -- "Mr. Adams had purchased two books of one title. When the seller inquired why in fact he required two of the title, Mr. Adams replied that one was to be given to his wife Abigail. Another person around asked, "Mr. Adams, you permit your wife to read?" Mr. Adams replied, "Yes, as I am merely a man and should I be unable to understand it, Abigail may explain it to me."
And here are some more on my Adams site:
http://johnadamsweb.com/adamsquotes.html
BTW, if you belong to one of the denominations he's disses, you should know that John disliked all Christian sects equally. lol His father, you see, was the deacon of their church. John knew the Bible inside and out -- he was a liberal Unitarian.
"God is an essence that we know nothing of. Until this awful blasphemy ((the myth of the Incarnation of Christ)) is got rid of, there never will be any liberal science in the world."
-- John Adams (religious fundies have sometimes taken the quote out of context to suggest John was speaking of the blasphemy being "God being an essence we know not of")
"Have you considered that system of holy lies and pious frauds that has raged and triumphed for 1,500 years."
-- John Adams, letter to John Taylor about Christianity
"Thirteen governments [of the original states] thus founded on the natural authority of the people alone, without a pretence of miracle or mystery."
-- John Adams, "A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America"
"We should begin by setting conscience free. When all men of all religions ... shall enjoy equal liberty, property, and an equal chance for honors and power ... we may expect that improvements will be made in the human character and the state of society."
-- John Adams, letter to Dr. Price
"As I understand the Christian religion, it was, and is, a revelation. But how has it happened that millions of fables, tales, legends, have been blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation that have made them the most bloody religion that ever existed?"
-- John Adams, letter to FA Van der Kamp
"When philosophic reason is clear and certain by intuition or necessary induction, no subsequent revelation supported by prophecies or miracles can supersede it."
-- John Adams, from Rufus K Noyes
"I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved -- the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced!"
-- John Adams, letter to Thomas Jefferson
(as you can tell, he didn't hold back when he wrote to Thomas lol)
From the letters of Malcolm Price (who worked in the vicinity of the State House) -- this is from memory, so I'm sure the exact quote was different -- "Mr. Adams had purchased two books of one title. When the seller inquired why in fact he required two of the title, Mr. Adams replied that one was to be given to his wife Abigail. Another person around asked, "Mr. Adams, you permit your wife to read?" Mr. Adams replied, "Yes, as I am merely a man and should I be unable to understand it, Abigail may explain it to me."
And here are some more on my Adams site:
http://johnadamsweb.com/adamsquotes.html