A bias revealed    One of the best ways to illustrate Mr. Walker's extreme bias and lack of objectivity when it comes to Christianity is to look at his study of Thomas Jefferson's religion.    In an essay entitled "Thomas Jefferson on Christianity and Religion" [http://www.nobeliefs.com/jefferson.htm], Mr. Walker approaches the question of Jefferson's beliefs much differently than he approaches the question of Hitler's. With Hitler, every reference to God, Heaven, Providence, Fate, or whatever, including the most tangential references to the bible, is given as proof of the fact that Hitler was a devout, bible-believing Christian who tried to be like Jesus. When, however, Mr. Walker studies comments by Jefferson using religious language, he is very cautious, and says "When they see the word 'God' many Christians see this as 'proof' of his [Jefferson's] Christianity without thinking that 'God' can have many definitions ranging from nature to supernatural."    This is very true when said of Thomas Jefferson. It is also true when said of Hitler. Mr. Walker says this of Jefferson: In spite of Christian right attempts to rewrite history to make Jefferson into a Christian, little about his philosophy resembles that of Christianity. Although Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence wrote of the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God, there exists nothing in the Declaration about Christianity. Using this same nuanced approach, we can say: In spite of anti-Christian left attempts to rewrite history to make Hitler into a Christian, little about his philosophy resembles that of Christianity. Although Hitler in Mein Kampf wrote of Providence, the Almighty, or whatever, there exists nothing in his book about any of the essential doctrines of biblical Christianity.    Mr. Walker makes these further comments about Jefferson: Although Jefferson believed in a Creator, his concept of it resembled that of the god of deism (the term "Nature's God" used by deists of the time). With his scientific bent, Jefferson sought to organize his thoughts on religion. He rejected the superstitions and mysticism of Christianity and even went so far as to edit the gospels, removing the miracles and mysticism of Jesus (see The Jefferson Bible) leaving only what he deemed the correct moral philosophy of Jesus. The same kind of reasoning should be applied to Hitler: Although Hitler believed in a Creator, his concept of it resembled that of the God of German volkish philosophy, and the World Spirit of Hegel. With his logical and scientific bent, Hitler rejected the mysticism and essential doctrines of Christianity and even went so far as to dismiss the historicity of 99% of the Old Testament, and rejected almost all of the New Testament, including the Gospels (falsified by Paul) and the letters of the apostles - who were, after all, only Jews. Hitler kept only what he deemed to be the correct moral philosophy of Jesus - fighting Judaism.    Mr. Walker states "Jefferson's God was not the personal God of Christianity" - neither was Hitler's - and then posts many quotes from Jefferson showing his hostility to Christianity. He cites Jefferson as rejecting the authority of scripture - and Hitler also openly rejected the history of the Old Testament. He saw the Old Testament as 99% false, stating in Mein Kampf that the Jews never wandered, never had their own kingdom, and had no real religion of their own but only borrowed from their neighbors. Since the Jew - for reasons which will at once become apparent - was never in possession of a culture of his own, the foundations of his intellectual work were always provided by others. His intellect at all times developed through the cultural world surrounding him... ...Since the Jew never possessed a state with definite territorial limits and therefore never called a culture his own...In the Jew, however, this attitude is not at all present; for that reason he was never a nomad, but only and always a parasite in the body of other peoples... (Vol. I chapt. 11, "Nation and race") [http://www.hitler.org/writings/Mein_Kampf/mkv1ch11.html] Like Jefferson, Hitler picked out of the bible what he liked (Jesus driving the money changers out of the temple or Jewish marriage laws) and rejected the rest.    Looking at other quotes of Jefferson's provided by Mr. Walker, Jefferson objected to the involvement of priests in politics. So did Hitler. Jefferson thought that man should be guided by reason, logic, common sense, not priestcraft or divine revelation - Hitler did also. A quote from Jefferson cited by Mr. Walker is apt here: The general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth, that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of God. Hitler found that the light of reason and objective scientific analysis led, as we have seen, to the palpable truth that the essence of life was struggle, in which the strong survived and the weak died.    The purpose of this is not to compare Hitler and Jefferson. It is to compare Mr. Walker's analyses of Hitler and Jefferson. Incidentally, Thomas Jefferson also made a profession of Christianity. Mr. Walker did not provide this, so I cite it here. In a letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush, Jefferson wrote: To the corruptions of Christianity I am indeed opposed, but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian, in the only sense in which he wished anyone to be: sincerely attached to his doctrines in preference to all others, ascribing to himself every human excellence, and believing he never claimed any other. [http://www.angelfire.com/co/JeffersonBible/jeffbsyl.html (if link doesn't work search Google by the title) Syllabus of an Estimate of the Merit of the Doctrines of Jesus, Compared with Those of Others.] In this statement, Jefferson plainly states that he is a Christian - but his Jesus is a merely human Jesus. Jefferson also reveals in other statements that Christianity to him is a system of ethics, not doctrines. We rightly accept that this means Jeffesron was not a Christian in the biblical sense of the word. Similarly, when Hitler claimed to be a Christian, it is evident (if not so overtly stated) that he referred to a merely human Jesus - not the Son of God who died on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, rose from the dead, and will return as God to judge the world.    Both Jefferson and Hitler stated they were Christians. Both used the words "God" or "Supreme Being" or some such terms. Both spoke highly of Jesus and never criticized Jesus. Both objected to abuses of Christian doctrine by the churches - yet in Jefferson's case all of the negative evidence against his being a Christian is brought out, and one conclusion is arrived at. In Hitler's case, none of the negative evidence is brought out - except accidentally - and a totally different conclusion is arrived at.    The reason for this is not far to seek. Mr. Walker is an elite commando in the culture wars. His goal is to weaken and hopefully someday eliminate the Christian influence from American society. To achieve this end, Jefferson is detached from Christianity - it supposedly helps to weaken Christian claims on government and society. Conversely, Hitler is attached to Christianity - this makes Christianity look like an evil menace that must be eliminated or at least contained.