1.In his Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, Jefferson argues that the impulse for belief and religion comes from _____.

Question

2.According to Jefferson, all people have a free mind given to them by God. This mind is free to believe according to reason and evidence. What freedom does this give people that threatens organized religion?

the freedom to preach against the Anglican Church
the freedom to believe in no religion
the freedom to force their beliefs on others
the freedom to make religion illegal

3.In Jefferson’s mind, what is the relationship between freedom of religion and the civil rights of individuals?

They are in conflict.
They are direct opposites.
They can both be corrupted.
They are inseparable.

Answer 1

Hello Yep --

 

You can find the full text of Jefferson's statute here:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Statute_for_Religious_Freedom

 

But...you have answered question #2 already. If every person has a God-given right to believe according to reason and evidence, how would that threaten organized religion? If everyone went around using their own brains and reason to make decisions, where does that leave the church? And if people don't need the church to define their beliefs, what might happen? 

 

This might be one of the scariest parts (for the church) of Jefferson's declaration: "That to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions, which he disbelieves is sinful and tyrannical" 

 

In other words, no one should be forced to give money to any organization or institution that they don't believe in. Imagine how the church would react to THAT? Where would their money come from? Where would their power come from?

 

This sentence might help you understand the answer to Question #3: "That our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions any more than our opinions in physics or geometry"

 

And take a look at the FINAL paragraph of Jefferson's Statute for a more complete answer to #3. 

 

Please let me know if I can be of any further help.

 

GOOD LUCK!

 

Kelly