Debate: Should gays have the right to marry?
Side: yes

In Thomas Jefferson's letters and papers (my copy: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/094045016X/), ,) he labeled himself a "Materialist" (letter to William Short, April 13, 1820), rejected the Christian doctrine of the "Trinity" (letter to Justin Pierre, Count de Rieux, Jul. 25, 1788), as well as the doctrine of an eternal Hell (letter to F. A. Van der Kemp, May 1, 1817). Further, Jefferson specifically named Joseph Priestly (English Unitarian) and Conyers Middleton (English Deist) and said: "I rest on them ... as the basis of my own faith" (letter to John Adams, Aug. 22, 1813). Therefore, not only did Jefferson deny the central tenants of Christianity, he also issued an authentic statement claiming Deism as his faith. As I said, unknowingly, but not unexpectedly, in concert with Encyclopedia Britannica, "The second and third presidents of the United States also held Deistic convictions, as is amply evidenced in their correspondence."http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/156154/Deism/38254/Deists-in-other-countries Jefferson studied the philosophy of John Locke and the "natural theology," which was the subject of Thomas Paine's "The Age of Reason," and agreed with Paine's convictions that it was a grave injustice to lock God into a sacred text. Paine immeasurably influenced Jefferson's interpretation of the Bible, as evidenced by the so-called "Jefferson Bible," which deliberately excludes the claims of Christ's divinity (...and to deny the divinity of Christ is to not be a Christian). For Thomas Paine, the only revelation from God is one that is perceived in creation. Only through creation does "God speaketh universally to man." To not understand Thomas Jefferson's philosophical relationship with his Deistic colleagues and with the Church is not to understand Thomas Jefferson.I think I have sourced TJ's Deism enough at least for my own satisfaction, if not for yours, but I will add that the following words appear in Volume 3 of Dumas Malone's rightfully celebrated biography, "Jefferson and His Time," with regard to the accusation that Jefferson was an atheist: "...it was not only made in the public press, it was hurled from pulpits in various places, most of all probably in Connecticut. ... Actually, he was a deist (481)."This whole problem about identifying the Creator mentioned in the Declaration of Independence reminds me of a similar problem Jefferson encountered with regard to the Virginia Act for Religious Freedom. He wrote in his autobiography, "Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed by inserting "Jesus Christ," so that it would read 'A departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion;' the insertion was rejected by the great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohammedan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination."This is the very same vision of the Creator mentioned in the DoI; a creator that is accessible to people of all faiths because his name isn't Jesus Christ.All of this said, I don't know if I want to carry on defending gay marriage in this debate. I did want to defend the historical integrity of Thomas Jefferson and I do not feel you can properly claim that I haven't.