Jefferson's Religious Beliefs
A short essay on various aspects of Jefferson's religious beliefs.
"I am of a sect by myself, as far as I know."
—Thomas Jefferson to Ezra Stiles Ely, June 25, 1819
Jefferson and Religion - What you need to know
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Jefferson considered the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom among the three greatest accomplishments for which he wished “most to be remembered.”
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Jefferson believed that the Statute guaranteed religious freedom for “the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mahometan, the Hindoo, and infidel of every denomination.” He believed that such broad freedom and toleration was essential in a republic with people from such different religions, ethnicities, and races. (Pictured: Jefferson's copy of the Qur'an/Koran; Library of Congress.)
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Personally, Jefferson was deeply committed to core ethical teachings of Jesus, but he rejected Jesus’s divinity, resurrection, atonement, and original sin. He attended and contributed to a number of different churches. He once declared “I am of a sect by myself, as far as I know,” at various times describing his beliefs as “Christianism” or “Unitarian.” (Pictured: Jesus in the Praetorium, copy after 527 original by Jan Gossaert.)
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Jefferson twice clipped verses from the New Testament of the Bible to create his own version of the four Gospels, leaving out what he deemed unsupportable including the miracles, the resurrection, and the letters of the evangelists. What was left Jefferson described as “the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man.”
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Jefferson’s unorthodox religious beliefs were a matter of heated discussion even during his lifetime. They were a critical topic in several of his political campaigns, especially the election of 1800 when he was viciously and unfairly attacked for alleged atheism.
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In 1802, while serving as President, Jefferson wrote in a letter to the Danbury Baptists, which was obviously intended for broad distribution, that the Constitution had created “a wall of separation between Church & State.” In 1879, the Supreme Court unanimously endorsed the Danbury Baptist letter and declared that Jefferson’s Statute “defined” the religious freedom in the First Amendment.
Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
Learn more about the law that Jefferson considered one of his three greatest achievements.
Video: Salome Bearing the Head of St. John the Baptist
Video: "A sect by myself:" Three Points of Jefferson's Beliefs
David Holmes, retired Professor of Religion at The College of William and Mary, lists out key points of Jefferson's religious beliefs.