My guess is that you'd disagree with Jefferson's opinion of religion's place in state schools and colleges, as he demonstrated through his policy at the University of Virginia:
In spite of substantial pressure,
he refused to hire a minister to teach religion at the new university, arguing that the school was state-owned and
therefore could not constitutionally promote or endorse any particular religion. Jefferson argued that religion should instead be taught as part of philosophy and ethics. Under pressure he accepted the notion that religious services might occur in a public building on the university's grounds, but insisted that such services be unofficial and access to buildings be pursuant to "impartial regulation," or open to all religious services and other public speakers.
www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Jefferson_Thomas_and_ReligionAlso, Jefferson expressed to John Adams his hope that Americans would quit believing in the Christmas
magic show.[1]
"And the day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerve in the brain of Jupiter. But may we hope that the dawn of reason and freedom of thought in these United States will do away with this artificial scaffolding, and restore to us the primitive and genuine doctrines of this most venerated reformer of human errors." ~Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Adams, April 11, 1823
I myself am a Christian such as Jefferson was,[2] not believing in the silly supernaturalist
"heathen mysteries"[3] that the
"imposter" Paul[4] cut-and-pasted from the time's
pagan dying-rising solar-deity religions onto Jesus' ethical teachings.
The church closest to Jefferson's beliefs is the Unitarians.[5] I'd join one myself, except they'd hound me out of the congregation because I, like Jefferson, believe strongly in the Second Amendment.
So on Sunday I stay home, rather agnostically[6], and read my
Jefferson Bible, in which he edited out the biblical bullshit (well, ok, he called it
"dunghills."[7]) It's wonderfully short.
[1] R. Lee Ermey's term for Christmas services in Full Metal Jacket
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdytWbl9sh8[2] "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 he wished any one to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines, in preference to all others; ascribing to himself every human excellence; & believing he never claimed any other." ~Thomas Jefferson, letter to Benjamin Rush, May 21, 1803
[3a] "...I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus, very different from the Platonists, who call me infidel, and themselves Christians and preachers of the gospel, while they draw all their characteristic dogmas from what it’s Author never said nor saw. they have compounded from the
heathen mysteries a system beyond the comprehension of man..." ~Thomas Jefferson, letter to Charles Thomson, January 9, 1816
[3b] Regarding what Jefferson meant by supernaturalist "Platonists," see: Gregory Lawrence Knittel (1993)
The Euthanasia of Platonic Christianity: Thomas Jefferson, Plato, Religion and Human Freedom. San Jose State University.
scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses/689/[4] "Of this band of dupes and
impostors, Paul was the great Corypheus, and first corrupter of the doctrines of Jesus." ~Thomas Jefferson (Jefferson's Works, Vol. ii., p. 217)
[5] "I rejoice that in this blessed country of free inquiry and belief, which has surrendered its conscience to neither kings or priests, the genuine doctrine of only one God is reviving, and I trust that there is not a young man now living in the United States who will not die a
Unitarian." ~Thomas Jefferson, letter to Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse, June 26, 1822
[6] "Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion.
Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear." ~Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr, August 10, 1787
[7] "The whole history of these books [the Gospels] is so defective and doubtful that it seems vain to attempt minute enquiry into it: and such tricks have been played with their text, and with the texts of other books relating to them, that we have a right, from that cause, to entertain much doubt what parts of them are genuine. In the New Testament there is internal evidence that parts of it have proceeded from an extraordinary man; and that other parts are of the fabric of very inferior minds. It is as easy to separate those parts, as to pick out diamonds from
dunghills." ~Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Adams, January 24, 1814