By Shari Peoples

At the time of America’s founding, most of the country held narrow views of acceptable religion. Thomas Jefferson, a proponent of exercising free choice in religion, was instrumental in seeing legislation passed by the Virginia Assembly that would protect that freedom. In his Republican Notes on Religion, Jefferson set forth the idea that God had given men the ability to think freely, and any efforts to hinder their free thought would lead to hypocrisy. The Virginia act denounced withholding rights due to a citizen based on religious beliefs, citing that if conformity garnered privileges, it was a form of bribery and corrupted the religion it was promoting.

With the ratification of the American Constitution in June of 1788, religious freedom became embedded in the fabric of the nation. However, that did not remove tensions between the different sects of Christianity. By the early nineteenth century, generations of discordant views still hampering Christian unity led men such as Evan Johnson to preach messages calling for those who claimed to be Christians to be tolerant of one another and treat each other with kindness. In his sermon Toleration, Johnson spoke of how the first colonists in New England were hailed for promoting religious freedom but only when the views matched their own. They had little tolerance for divergence from their doctrinal stance. Roger Williams was forced out of Massachusetts with his tolerant ideas and became the founder of Rhode Island, a colony truly built on the principle of free exercise of faith.  

As the protection of religious freedom in America became publicized around the globe, an unexpected and unwanted effect materialized.  People from Catholic entrenched regions of Europe began making their way to the new country. The reception they received was not a welcoming one. Scurrilous remarks about the “Papists” and the Catholic church were editorialized in Protestant run newspapers. They were called to public forums where they were expected to explain and defend the teachings of the Catholic church. The Reverend Johnson questioned how anyone who claimed to be aligned with Christianity could measure out such abuse as was inflicted on the Catholic newcomers. He reminded his listeners of the importance of Godly love.

Another minister who felt compelled to speak out was Henry Bellows. In a sermon given on Washington’s birthday, Religious Liberty, he pointed to the ongoing contest between Catholicism and Protestantism concerning their conflicting ideas. Bellows asserted that freedom has no power on its own. It is only when people act on freedom that anything is accomplished. Without availing themselves of opportunities to grow and learn, people waste their freedom.

In examining the history of religious freedom in America, it becomes apparent that freedom of worship and doctrine were afforded across the nation through the protection of the Constitution. The greatest difficulty did not lie in the legal system, but with the people who struggled to show any affinity toward someone who did not agree with their theology. Bellows left his congregation with timeless words all would do well to consider. He declared that the key to religious freedom would be found in removing ignorance and prejudice, and those who were truly free would choose to follow Christ.