While there were many gradual
steps to freedom including Martin Luther's daring opposition to civil
control by a religious institution, we propose to begin with
John
Locke who had a
powerful influence on both the Constitution of the United States and
a daring effort to create religious toleration among groups who might
hold many different private opinions. The resulting American Restoration
Movement proposed to
disband institutional religion including its clergy-created division.
However, no path to political or religious freedom moves in a smooth,
straight line. This is true because the American Restoration Movement
did not disband for long the ancient clergy system. John Locke proposed that one society of
volunteers extend the right to enter when agreeable and the right to exit when the rules of the society clashed with the
beliefs of the volunteer. Neither the society nor those formed in
opposition had any power over the other beyond the freeIndeed, the
open teaching of differing views can refine the search for
truth. For religious freedom to grow,
John Locke proposed that Christian religious societies make no rules
beyond direct
commands of the Bible,
not to limit people's options but to enable the widest participation
and reduce the growth of intolerance automatically produced when
people begin to ammend the Word of God. Locke based this belief on
the idea that by definition a Christian relied on the Bible for its
faith and practices. Thomas
Jefferson was informed
by John
Locke who followed the
Bible and extended that principle to the Constitution of the United
States. This included the right to amend the Constitution by a fairly
difficult process. A primary freedom was freedom from national religions. Thomas Paine
became radicalized against religion based upon his own experience
with organized religion as the Church of England which was one leg of
a two-legged stool of
tyrany consisting of
the church and the king. He wrote is Age of Reason perhaps as a
reaction to two views of inspiration. The "church" saw inspiration as
the Jewish kings giving the tyrants of the nations the "divine rights
of kings." Of course, they could hold power only by mortal combat
with the church. Paine was a Bible student by understood that poetic
language of the prophets did not meant that Scripture was inspired in
the sense that it gave others the right to "proof-text" whatever it
wished. For instance, "God walks upon the wings of the wind" is an
inspired history but it is not inspired in giving one the authority
to try to literally walk on the wings of the wind. Thomas Paine more than any
other person put his "stay making" skills to put backbone in the
leaders of the Revolution and demanded a Declaration of Independance
while Washington and others wanted accomodation with England. As
usual it takes one to do the work and a dozen to take the credit.
Paine also composed many of the ideas embodied is less severe
language by Thomas Jefferson and others. Thomas
Campbell in a
Declaration and
Address proposed that
the church eliminate everything not necessary to salvation which
excluded everything not a direct command of Christ. This freed everyone to believe whatever
they wished, but for that short interval during the week people of
many faiths might join in freedom and toleration. Because this would
eliminate the need to collect people around an individual whose
support depended upon personal success, this would eliminate the
intoleration which is always at the upper levels of self-appointed
clergy. With both Locke and Campbell
the difference was that the Word of God was not like a man-made
constitution: it does not include the authority to amend its
commands. However, both Locke and Campbell noted that incidental
things such as the time of meeting need not have Biblical
authority. Alexander
Campbell wrote several
important documents including A Sermon on the Law. This freed the Restoration Movement from religious
leaders who demanded that the Old Testament intended for the Jews be
imposed on Christians. For those who do not follow
authority of any kind it is tempting to ridicule those who carved out
an area of political and religious freedom without understanding
their risk of life and property. Therefore, it may be time to return
at least to the time of John Locke to understand that the freedom we
enjoy is based largely on his intellect and courage. We begin with
Locke because the freedom he helped bring about in politics and
religion is always threated by religious promoters who believe that
they have the God-given authority to take control of both government
and religion to make it possible for Christ to return and rule with a
rod of iron with them sitting on the right hand and on the
left. The following links are to
original documents important in the establishment of the United
States of America and the Americal Restoration Movement which still
seeks to free individuals from the tyrany of institutions and their
builders.
