Good Friday, as according to Thomas Jefferson

Good Friday is a Christian religious holiday that marks the cruxification of Jesus and his death on the cross.

It's one of the most important holy days in the Christian faith, since it not only commemorates Jesus 'dying for our sins' but also sets up the celebration of his resurrection the following Sunday.

It's an interesting time of year for me, because as with much of Christian faith, I appreciate the story of Good Friday, but not the superstition surrounding it.

I'm a Christian in that I believe Jesus Christ was a real (albeit mortal) man whose life was at least reflected in the writings of the New Testament - but I'm no "Christian" because I don't believe he was the son of God, I don't believe he "bore our sins in his body" and I certainly don't believe he was resurrected from the dead.

This is an opinion shared by many - including iconic ginger Thomas Jefferson.

Although many ignorant folk celebrate him as a "good Christian American," the second president of this great nation was nothing of the sort.

Although no atheist (he often referenced a higher power, "nature's God" and providence) Thomas Jefferson was definitely no Christian, either - and argued that while there were worthwhile parts of the Gospels, the majority was "the fabric of very inferior minds" and sifting one from the other was like "picking out diamonds from dunghills."

Conservatives will disagree - and cheerfully pluck out-of-context quotes to illustrate Jefferson's supposed Christian faith - but they're wrong.

If you need proof of that, look no further than one of the many remarkable books Thomas Jefferson wrote - the one commonly referred to as "The Jefferson Bible."

The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth was his attempt to rationalize Christian theology with his pragmatic, rational view of the world. To that end, Jefferson carefully consolidated the life of Jesus from the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and removed from them all reference to prophecies, superstition and anything supernatural.

Basically, it portrayed Jesus as a human philosopher who preached brotherly love, peace and tolerance - and as such, his "bible" ends on Good Friday, when Jesus died on the cross and his body was gently lifted to the ground by Joseph of Arimathaea.

There was no resurrection. There was no ghostly appearance to the disciples in the upper room. He certainly never encountered Paul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus (and that pretty much confirms what I've always suspected - that Paul was a self-serving parasite whose religious sermons had nothing to do with the teachings or beliefs of Jesus.)

Jesus simply died - murdered cruelly and unfairly for preaching peace and understanding. Which, in many ways, makes his death monumentally more significant. That's why I prefer to think of Good Friday as Jefferson did: The closing chapter of Jesus' life; not the foreshadowing of a comic-book style comeback.

The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth ends like this:

Then Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.

Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.

There laid they Jesus, and rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.

A poignant end to an important story; and a way to make Christianity relevant even to those of us who don't believe in any of the religious mumbo-jumbo related to it.

Makin' History

So my best friend was visiting from England - and he's a history teacher.

Therefore, he had no excuse to duck out of a trip to Philadelphia to take in the sights. We loaded up the Lincoln and set out to visit some of the most important locations in American history.

I'd only been to Philadelphia once before - on business - so it was nice to return on a warm, spring day.

So nice, in fact, that I fell in love with the place!

Philadelphia is wonderful.

Admittedly, we only went to the Old City - the former stomping ground of John Adams, Ben Franklin and the rest of the founding fathers - but it was such a gentle place compared to the intensity of New York.

We started our day by visiting the Liberty Bell - an American symbol of freedom and independence. This massive bell was originally forged in Whitechapel, London, and brought over to ring out from the Pennsylvania State Legislature building (what's now Independence Hall.)

Ironically, this bell cracked the first time it was rung out - and cracked twice more after being reforged by local iron workers. Following that, it was retired from duty before it literally rung itself to pieces!


The Liberty Bell is something of an odd symbol of freedom - after all, it's 'freedom' with an enormous great crack down the middle. I find that oddly symbolic - mirroring some of the 'cracks' in the notion of American freedom (like the slavery which existed even while Thomas Jefferson penned the famous line 'all men are created equal.')

Next, we booked 'tickets' for the tour of Independence Hall.


Rather annoyingly, these are 'timed' so you have a window of opportunity to see the birthplace of the American nation. Ours was during the afternoon, so during the wait we went on a Philly-institution - the 'duck' tour!

The Philly Ducks are amphibious tour-vessels that lead tourists around town and even into the Delaware River itself! We had a great time - our host (who was really called 'Betsy Ross') was hysterical.

I'm not sure how much history we learned, but it was a lot of fun and we got free duck calls that Baby Boozer went crazy for when I got home.

The 'ducks' are a great way to get the lay of the land - my friend and I spotted where we planned to go for lunch from the back of our trusty steed!


After returning to dry land, we headed back to Independence Hall (and deftly avoided the line with our timed tickets.)


Considering that this redbrick building was the birthplace of modern democracy, it's remarkably unremarkable. Originally, the building housed the Pennsylvania assembly, supreme court and governor's offices. When the Continental Congress formed, made up of representatives from all 13 colonies, the Pennsylvanians were moved upstairs and the assembly room was turned over to matters of American business.

The room's been faithfully preserved - even down to the original seat George Washington rested his derriere on. There's a wonderful, tangible sensation of history there - and it really makes you think about the modest origins of the now-legendary 'Founding Fathers.'


At this point, lunch was the order of the day - and in keeping with colonial spirit, we crossed the mall to the famous 'City Tavern.'

This is the same tavern that Jefferson, Washington and the others frequented - John Adams described it as 'the most genteel in Philadelphia.' To honor their old patrons, the City Tavern still serves colonial food in authentic costume - and you can wash it down with beer brewed from period recipes.

I chose a tasting platter to sample with my schnitzel and quaffed Washington's porter, Jefferson's ale (which was delicious) and Hamilton's pilsner. Ben Franklin's unique ale also made it onto the taste test, but lost points because of the overwhelming taste of rosemary (making the beer somewhat like drinking roast lamb.)


Finally, we strolled uptown to Christ Church, the episcopal church where Betsy Ross, George Washington and John Adams attended services. It's a beautiful old building (and, built in 1744, only three years older than the Anglican church we attend here in New Jersey.)

Although there were no services going on, we did get to sit in the same pew as Washington and Adams - which was pretty humbling. It's amazing to think that these legendary American figures walked the same tiles as we did that day...


That concluded our little day-trip to Philadelphia - but it was wonderful. A beautiful city, distinctly different from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan.

I particularly enjoyed the way the Philadelphians had embraced their history. The visitor's center, where we parked, was beautiful and extremely easy to find and get to. The tickets to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall were free - practically unheard of in Europe (I'm still smarting from paying nearly £20 to take a friend around Westminster Abbey.)

What made it really special was the love and enthusiasm for the city. From the Park Rangers at the visitor's center to the staff at Christ Church, everybody loved talking about the place, it's history and what it meant to them. Whereas New York garners a hard-edged loyalty amongst it's residents, there's something earnest about the love people have for Philadelphia.

A wonderful day in a wonderful city - I can't wait to return!

Friendly Fire Terminates Kitty

JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP, New Jersey (AP) -- A piece of artillery that was apparently misfired by the military crashed through the roof of a New Jersey home miles away Friday and injured a young girl's cat, which had to be euthanized, officials said.

Yay! Good to know such an efficient and tightly run military organisation is stationed mere miles away from my house.

I feel really sorry for that family - and especially for that poor cat. I mean, the kitty was just sleeping on this little girl's bed and then BLAMMO. In comes a shell, flying through the roof. What are the odds?

I'm still bitter from poor Ava getting hit by a car. I'd be irreconcilable if my beloved pet cat was the victim of artillery bombardment.

This story gratuitously stolen from Erica Henderson's site.

America is a Secular Nation

If you repeat a lie often enough, it almost becomes the truth.

One such lie is: "The United States was founded on Christian Principles!"

This 'misconception' is often touted as truth by conservative Christians. It appeals to the more evangelical of them. Popular history paints the pilgrims as pious and protestant and it's affirming for conservatives to believe there is a direct link between the beliefs they hold today and the beliefs of the people who built the American nation.

But however affirming and appealing the idea is, it remains a lie.

America is a secular nation, founded on secular principles. All it takes to dispel the fantasy of America's 'Judeo-Christian roots' is to open a history book.

America's Secular Roots

Conservative Christians often argue that the founding fathers themselves - as devout Christians - would have incorporated their faith when penning the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

The problem is, the founding fathers weren't necessarily devout - or even Christian. This is just an assumption conservatives make because the founding fathers lived during the tail-end of the eighteenth century.

In fact, out of the 55 delegates at the Philadelphia Convention (who we now refer to as the 'Founding Fathers') many belonged to no particular Christian affiliation at all.

Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States, was a confirmed atheist. He penned the 'Jefferson Bible' which removed all superstition and supernatural references from the Bible. It presented the story of Jesus as if he was just a wise, yet mortal man - similar to how I've come to consider the story of the New Testament.

George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine wrote extensively against organised religion and many of the 'Christian values' conservatives claim America was founded on.

Franklin, Jefferson, Paine and Ethan Allen were deists - believing that if there was a heavenly creator, he did not come to mankind through religion, but by granting man the gift of rationality and reason.

In short - the founding fathers were not all pious Christians. In fact, the most American of Americans (like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin) would be horrified at 21st century evangelical superstition.

The Proof - On Paper

If there are any lingering doubts about the secular background of many of the founding fathers, it's worth looking at the documents they penned. The Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution are clearly and indisputably secular in nature.

The "Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" entitle people - not a Christian God.

"The Creator" grants all men "with certain unalienable Rights." Not God. Not Jesus. In fact, not not necessarily a deity at all. Just that which has created man.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is interpreted by no less than Thomas Jefferson as "a wall of separation between church and state." This clearly establishes that the foundation of the United States of America took place entirely independently of any religious considerations.

Further irrefutable proof

If that mountain of evidence is not enough to satisfy the more rabid conservative Christian, the following will. The 1797 Treaty of Tripoli, signed into law by the founding fathers without any discussion, debate or opposition, states the following firmly in black and white:

"The government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion."

These words were written by - and signed into law by - the founding fathers of the United States. The 55 delegates who created the American nation - comprising atheists, deists, protestants and catholics amongst them - were unified on this important principle.

The United States has was never founded on Christian principles. Anybody who tells you differently is either ignorant - or a liar.