Religious Freedom

One of the things I have found most fascinating in our discussions so far this semester is the concept of Religious Freedom. Religion, I believe, is something that shapes history more than almost anything else.
When I have learned history in the past, I always learned how the pilgrims came here to America so that they could find religious freedom that they were denied in England. I always felt so proud that some of my ancestors had the courage to stand up for their religious beliefs and come to a strange new land. However, in one of the greatest ironies in history, once they had their religious freedom here, they promptly set about to denying those freedoms to all people who did not believe as they did. I don’t know how I missed that connection through all my years of studying history! I heard about the religious laws and Salem witch trials and things, but I did not make the connection that the very people who came here to find religious freedom were the ones persecuting others.
Once the Puritans came here, they quickly set up their own little society that was very exclusive and persecuted others. The priests also became almost like dictators who determined how the society was run. Everyone had to worship exactly the same, or they were ostracized and persecuted. It made it worse that the church and the state were one in the same, which made every individual of the community conform. Where is the religious freedom that the Puritans came to find?
There are countless examples of the Puritans flagrant disregard for religious freedom. When Anne Hutchison tried to hold private bible studies in her house, she was found guilty of “faulty preaching,” merely for expressing her own ideas about religion. Most of this persecution was probably aggravated more because of the fact that she was a woman, and she was eventually banished from Massachusetts and had to flee to Rhode Island. Another example is Roger Williams, who was also banished from the colony for expressing views contrary to those of the ministers. It’s so funny how different their definitions and views of religious freedom were. Of course they hated it when they were the ones being persecuted in England for their beliefs that were contrary to the churches, but as soon as they are in power they do the same thing. They had no idea that to be a truly free county, people must be able to worship, as they will, with church and state completely separate. In their society freedoms were forced on people with no thought for their individual rights and liberties.
The Salem Witch trials are an example of the extreme measures that were taken to ensure religious conformity. People posed suspicions about members and non-members alike, especially Quakers, and because they were even thought to have gone against the church they received no fair trial. Especially since the trial was run by the ministers of the church! It is always amazing to me how out of hand their society got at this period of time. It went far beyond denying people their religious freedom; it actively went about accusing people on every unfounded accusation! All they had to go on were the testimonies of some clearly deranged young girls, and they ended up hanging a number of innocent people! It is amazing what a slippery slope it is once you start denying people their freedoms. Soon the government, or church in this case, didn’t see anything wrong with killing people without any concrete evidence. Even after this, states would declare a “state religion,” and would persecute those who did not comply. I am so deeply grateful for the Founding Fathers and their great wisdom and foresight for including in the first amendment a declaration of people’s freedom of religion. They saw the tyranny that ensued when the church and state were fused and promised that America would never have a specific religion that it would be a melting pot where people from all religions could live in peace with each other. Without this statement, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints could never have been restored to the earth. I’m so grateful that here in America we are truly free to worship exactly as we please. It is a promise that is denied to so many peoples around the earth, and we need to remember and be mindful of it.