BBC News has an interesting article with information that, with all the study I’ve done of Thomas Jefferson, I had never come across before. One of the influences on him when it came to religious and political liberty was Cyrus, the Persian king who conquered Babylonia in the sixth century BC.
Category Archive: Religion and the Founding Fathers
Feb 22 2013
Frazer vs. Barton on Jefferson
I have for many years regarded Gregg Frazer, a historian from The Master’s College, as one of the finest scholars on the subject of religion and the Founding Fathers (he is the one who coined the phrase “theistic rationalist” to describe the views of the key founders, which I use often). In World Magazine, he …
Jan 15 2013
Bradlee Dean Repeats Barton’s Jefferson Lies
Bradlee Dean’s latest bundle of stupid is entitled “Enemy of God = Enemy of America” and it’s all the usual lies and distortions, this time about Thomas Jefferson. Dean repeats many of David Barton’s false and long-discredited lies about Jefferson. Let’s take them one at a time.
Jan 14 2013
Barton Reuses His Own Fake Quote
Many years ago, after being lambasted for passing on numerous fake quotes from the founding fathers, David Barton put out a document on his website admitting that many of the quotes he used in his first book were “unconfirmed.” One of those quotes was this one from Thomas Jefferson:
Dec 30 2012
More Fake Quotes in Santa Monica Atheist Displays
You probably know by now that Damon Vix and his group Atheists United managed to get a nativity scene out of a public park in Santa Monica by forcing the city first to open up the park as a public forum and then, by putting up lots of non-religious displays, prompt them to shut down …
Dec 12 2012
Those Common Fake Founding Father Quotes
The Wall Street Journal has an article about those seemingly ubiquitous fake quotes from the founding fathers, especially Thomas Jefferson. I bet you’ve seen this one: “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” Nope, he never said that.
Oct 17 2012
Jefferson, Paine and Jesus
I had an interesting exchange on my friend Justin Scheiber’s Facebook page with a Christian apologist named John Barron, who has apparently argued with Justin in the past. The exchange was about Dinesh D’Souza. Barron thinks that D’Souza is largely correct in his conclusions but not very good at presenting them and I said the …
Sep 17 2012
More Fake Founding Fathers Quotes From Secularists
It is with great irritation that I call your attention to yet another article full of fake quotes from the founding fathers — not by David Barton and his ilk, but by someone on “our side.” Yes, I know this is a year old. I don’t care. This crap has to stop.
Sep 11 2012
Former Fan Hammers Wallbuilders Supporters
Bart Gingerich writes an interesting, if too brief, article at the Institute on Religion and Democracy’s blog about David Barton and Wallbuilders. Gingerich was homeschooled and got his history degree from Patrick Henry College, which he entered as a big fan of Barton’s work. He is now a staunch critic:
Sep 04 2012
Even the Reconstructionists Reject Barton’s Lies
Things are getting bad enough for David Barton that even the Christian Reconstructionists are blasting his distortions of history. Joel McDurmon of American Vision, who does believe in “restoring America’s Biblical foundation,” takes Barton to task for several blatant errors.
Aug 29 2012
Even Beck’s Favorite Historians Reject Barton
Yet another twist in the ongoing David Barton saga. WORLDmag has an article that cites several historians that have been praised by Barton and by Glenn Beck, who have appeared on their shows, criticizing Barton’s revisionist history in regard to Thomas Jefferson.
Aug 17 2012
Boykin Expands on Barton Lie
As Right Wing Watch points out, the casual lies of David Barton are often magnified by others, who take some smaller falsehood told by him and turn it into an even bigger falsehood. The deranged Jerry Boykin does exactly that in this video, claiming that “the Bible is referenced four times more than any other …
Aug 02 2012
America for Jesus — and Lying About History
Back in 1980, I attended one of the original America for Jesus rallies, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I was 13 at the time, so I wasn’t yet capable of recognizing the lies I was being fed. This year they’re holding the same event again and they’re making those lies plain for all to see on the …
Jul 17 2012
David Barton: Logical Fallacy Machine
David Barton is responding to some of the critics of his new and aptly-named book The Jefferson Lies and, true to form, his response is little more than a laundry list of logical fallacies with almost no substantive argument whatsoever. His most common form of argument is what I often call the argumentum ad labelum, …
Jun 22 2012
Barton Continues to Lie About Constitution and Bible
David Barton’s long list of Christian Nation lies seems to be getting even more brazen. As Right Wing Watch reports, it is now a standard part of his presentations that many of the provisions in the Constitution are “literal, direct quotations out of the Bible.” In this video, he makes very specific claims about the …
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