The Gospel According to Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson cut and pasted together his own New Testament, removing everything he refused to believe—like miracles and the resurrection of Jesus, the Los Angeles Times reports. Dubbed the Jefferson Bible, it reflects his deist belief that God created the universe and let it run on its own. But Jefferson revered Jesus' teachings as a "sublime and benevolent code of morals."

Imagine if a modern president "cut out Bible passages with scissors, glued them onto paper and said, 'I only believe these parts?' " one scholar prompts. Which may be why Jefferson wanted the book kept secret. "Say nothing of my religion," he once said. But Congress had it printed in 1904, and publishers continue to run the title that Jefferson called his "wee little book." (More Thomas Jefferson stories.)