MissileMan
Senior Member
- Sep 11, 2004
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musicman said:No - they came here to escape religious persecution and oppression from government. Ultimately, their system of government protected religious freedom FROM government - government being recognized as the danger. As badly as the concept of "separation of church and state" has been mangled by agenda-wielding secularists, its true purpose has always been the protection of religious freedom.
The government run by the church run by the government if you must quibble. It amounts to the same thing. Oppression of Christians, by Christians.
Unfortunately, persecution managed to stow away on the ships coming to America and had quite a following in the colonies. It took the likes of Williams to end the madness.
http://www.religiousfreedoms.org/articles/article_williams.htm
Williams summarized the system of government that he advocated as follows:
Liberty of our persons: No Life no Limbe taken from us: No Corporall punishment no Restraint, but by knowne Lawes & agreements of our owne making.
Libertie of our Estates, Howse, Catle, Lands, goods and not a penny to be taken by any rate from us, without every mans free debate by his Deputies, chosen by himself and sent to the General Assembly.
Libertie of Societie or Corporation, of sending or being sent to the General Assembly, of choosing and being chosen to all offices, and of making or repealing all Lawes and Constitutions among us.
He also very succinctly summarized what should be the relationship between government and the governed - in words very similar to those Thomas Jefferson would later use in the Declaration of Independence:
The soveraigne, originall, and foundation of civill power lies in the people whom they must needs meane by the civil power distinct from the Government set up. And if so, that a People may erect and establish what forme of Government seems to them most meet for their civil condition: it is evident that such Governments as are by them erected and established, have no more power, nor for no longer time, then the civil power or people consenting & agreeing shall betrust them with. This is cleare not only in Reason, but in the experience of all common-weales, where the people are not deprived of their natural freedome by the power of Tyrants.
It was a radically new idea to totally separate government from religion and religion from government while allowing unfettered freedom of religion that became the cornerstone of our success. The Constitution is the agreement whereby we citizens give our freedom to each other.