September 23, 2013

"When I say that the article of religion is deemed a trifle by our people in the general, I assert a known truth."

"But when we suppose that the poorer sort of European emigrants set as light by it, we are greatly mistaken."

 Patrick Henry, 1766.
Posted by Ann Althouse at 12:11 PM
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6 comments:

Mark O said...

I love a crusade.

9/23/13, 12:17 PM
traditionalguy said...

Patrick Henry was a great speaker of Truth. He note here that The Church of the British Monarchs did not tolerate preachers of the scriptures that were not under the hierarchy of the British Monarchy soley owned Established Religion as his/her monopoly religion.

Virginia tidewater was also had that same established monopoly church.

And everyone waited with paranoid fear the Day the British Monarchy would start appointing local Bishops here to extend their tyranny in matters of men's conscience.



9/23/13, 12:26 PM
Anonymous said...

From "Information To Those Who Would Remove To America," written Tuesday, Mar 9, 1784 by Ben Franklin:

Atheism is unknown [in America], Infidelity rare & secret, so that Persons may live to a great Age in that Country without having their Piety shock’d by meeting with either an Atheist or an Infidel.

9/23/13, 2:00 PM
southcentralpa said...

Yes, and if you listen closely to the imcumbent President's pronouncements, it is chilling to hear how often he speaks of "freedom of worship" instead of freedom of religion, as if a person's religious beliefs have no relevance in the public square ...

9/23/13, 2:10 PM
Cedarford said...

"It is chilling to hear how often he speaks of "freedom of worship" instead of freedom of religion, as if a person's religious beliefs have no relevance in the public square ..."

==================
Americans long have held that freedom of religion was a right, but not an absolute right that trammelled other rights and elements of the social contract.

Americans felt free to eradicate human sacrifice and religiously-based cannibalism when they took control of S Pacific Islands. They set out to purge heathen religion from Native Americans, quite successfully. They barred "Papists" from many offices until the Popes gave up on the idea that they were secular leaders that commanded higher loyalty than leaders in lands Catholics resided in.

America set up immigration laws in the 1800s to keep Muslims out. And made elimination of Mormon polygamy a condition for the surrounded Mormons to get UTah statehood and commensurate political representation.

Americans do not buy into claims that religious freedom entitled one to openly smoke ganga, beat and enslave Muslim women with impunity, hold 1st loyalty to Israel or some Mullah in Egypt.

And we do sometimes, quite properly, investigate and hinder the proselytization efforts of dangerous cults. And generally buy into the idea that freedom of religion means freedom to worship as one pleases,, but not freedom of religions to dictate to others how to believe and conduct themselves properly in the public square.

There is a distinction, and I believe on this Obama is more in the right than the zealots in the evangelical and Muslim communities...for starters.

9/23/13, 5:21 PM
n.n said...

Judge a religion or philosophy by the principles it engenders. There is no one, especially theists and atheists, who do not overtly adhere to a faith. Judge them by the principles of their religion and the principles they uphold.

9/23/13, 6:13 PM

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