evidence: FACT CHECK: Did James Madison Say, ‘Cursed Be All That Learning That Is Contrary To The Cross Of Christ’? A post shared on Facebook claims that statesman James Madison said, "Cursed be all that learning that is contrary to the cross of Christ." [...] The quote may be a paraphrase of a similar statement: "Accursed be all that learning which sets itself in opposition to the cross of Christ!" This statement was made in a sermon by Witherspoon, the one-time president of the College of New Jersey, which would later become Princeton University.