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+--- Thread: The true story of the fight for religious equality in the US (/thread-3866.html)
The true story of the fight for religious equality in the US - C C - Jul 3, 2017
https://aeon.co/essays/the-true-story-of-the-fight-for-religious-equality-in-the-us
EXCERPT: [...] Informed by centuries of European history, revolutionary-era Americans believed that governments empowered to coerce belief – long the common European practice – became tyrannical. History proved that, where religion was concerned, governments resorted to coercion. Consequently, to provide a barrier against tyranny, key American patriots believed that protecting religious freedom was vital. But old ways died hard. Leaders in every American state argued that religious observance was not only a divine commandment, but also a bulwark of social and political order. As a result, defenders of Protestant faiths battled over religious taxation almost everywhere, and debated whether to maintain established churches. At independence in 1776, nine of the 13 colonies were supporting state churches; yet by 1860, the US would become a country of almost complete religious freedom. How did this happen?...
MORE: https://aeon.co/essays/the-true-story-of-the-fight-for-religious-equality-in-the-us