In conformity with the principles of our constitution, which places all sects of religion on an equal footing, with the jealousies of the different sects in guarding that equality from encroachment & surprise, and with the sentiments of the legislature in favor of freedom of religion manifested on former occasions, we have proposed no professor of Divinity; and tho rather, as the proofs of the being of a god, the creator, preserver, & supreme ruler of the universe, the author of all the relations of morality, & of the laws & obligations these infer, will be within the province of the professor of ethics;
It was reassuring that the exclusion of a Divinity teacher was included in this report. While Thomas Jefferson is one of the most important founding fathers, he was known to contradict what he wrote including his owning of slaves despite saying every an has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However; following the separation of Church and State was a direct following of the constitution and an important one. Though today, the university has many classes on different types of religion which I think is better than having an ethics class on the existence of God. These classes are there to teach and not preach, which I think is an important element of a person's growth and comprehension of the world around them.