Reply #32: Nice post, especially re Jefferson. Have you seen this?

[chiburb]

"Thomas Jefferson believed that the ethical system of Jesus was the finest the world has ever seen. In compiling what has come to be called "The Jefferson Bible," he sought to separate those ethical teachings from the religious dogma and other supernatural elements that are intermixed in the account provided by the four Gospels. He presented these teachings, along with the essential events of the life of Jesus, in one continuous narrative."

Also at this site, a syllabus of his comparing various religions and philosophers:
http://www.angelfire.com/co/JeffersonBible/