Quote by Thomas Jefferson
Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burned, tortured, fined, and imprisoned, yet we have not advanced one inch toward uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half of the world fools and the other half hypocrites.
Summary
In this quote, the author highlights the historical violence and oppression inflicted upon people in the name of Christianity, without any progress towards unity. They argue that coercion, rather than promoting understanding or unity, has divided people into two groups - the ignorant fools and the insincere hypocrites. The quote suggests that the use of force and punishment hasn't led to the desired outcome of creating a uniform belief system, but rather has perpetuated hypocrisy and inauthenticity in society.