Jefferson's Scissors

Driven by modernity conflicts abound between religion and science and democracy as they have been since Christianity came upon the scene 2000 years ago. A underlying reason for the conflicts is the fundamental difference in the acquisition of knowledge: religion from the-top down with knowledge given by God without errors, and science and governance from the-bottom up through messy trials and errors and more trials and errors with no gifts from supernatural powers. These two vastly different paths for learning can only lead to conflicting outcomes as history has indeed recorded. The depth and reach of past conflicts of Christianity with science and democracy are examined to uncover the specific truths (theories) underlying past conflicts. During the critical time of the formation of our democracy our Founding Fathers succeeded in building a bridge (approval by vote) between Christians (the majority) and the godless Constitution they wrote that could serve all of the people and prevent the strife of religious conflicts that had engulfed Europe. One of the Founders, Thomas Jefferson, codified for his personal guidance his accommodation between religion and government which he had used in his contributions to some of our country's founding documents. Jefferson's personal insight illuminates paths for us to follow to today for resolution of conflicts. The book evolved from a series of lectures on the conflicts between religion and science and government and discussions on possible resolutions with students of many different backgrounds over a three year period.