What religion was john locke

A Letter Concerning Toleration

Book by John Locke

Title page of the first edition.

AuthorJohn Locke
Original&#;titleEpistola de tolerantia
SubjectLiberalism, Religion
Published

A Letter Concerning Toleration (Epistola de tolerantia) by John Locke was originally published in Its initial publication was in Latin, and it was immediately translated into other languages.

Locke's work appeared amidst a fear that Catholicism might be taking over England and responds to the problem of religion and government by proposing religious toleration as the answer. This "letter" is addressed to an anonymous "Honored Sir": this was Locke's close friend Philipp van Limborch, who published it without Locke's knowledge.[1]

Background

In the wake of the discovery of the Rye House Plot and Charles II's persecution of the Whigs, Locke fled England to Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic in September [2][3] Throughout his life, Locke was interested in the debate about religious toleration.

The question was much debated in Holland during Locke's stay, and in October , Louis XIV of Francerevoked the Edict of Nantes that had guaranteed religious toleration for French Protestants.[4]

In the Dutch Republic, Locke met Philipp van Limborch, a Professor of Divinity. It was to be a discussion with Limborch that persuaded Locke to temporarily put aside his work on An Essay Concerning Human Understanding and put forth his ideas on toleration.

A Letter Concerning Toleration was first published in , in both English and Latin, following the ascent of William and Mary to the throne of England. Download as PDF Printable version. As an empiricist, he considered practical considerations, such as how the peace of civil society would be affected by religious toleration. To prepare such an assembly as this, and endeavour to set up the declared abettors of his own will, for the true representatives of the people, and the law-makers of the society, is certainly as great a breach of trust, and as perfect a declaration of a design to subvert the government, as is possible to be met with.

Locke wrote the Letter during the winter of –[5]

Argument of the Letter

One of the founders of Empiricism, Locke develops a philosophy that is contrary to the one expressed by Thomas Hobbes in Leviathan, in supporting toleration for various Christian denominations. Hobbes did allow individuals to maintain their own religious beliefs as long as they outwardly expressed those of the state, however, and it has been argued that Locke's rejection of Catholic Imperialism was the ultimate basis for his rejection of the government's interest in spiritual salvation.[6]

"That church can have no right to be tolerated by the magistrate," Locke argued, "which is so constituted that all who enter it ipso facto pass into the allegiance and service of another prince".[7] If this were to be tolerated, "the magistrate would make room for a foreign jurisdiction in his territory andallow for his people to be enlisted as soldiers against his government".[8] This has been interpreted by historians as a reference to the Catholic Church, with the Pope being the prince to whom Catholics owed allegiance.[9][10][11][12][13]

However, more recently, scholars have challenged the idea that Locke opposed tolerating Catholics in all circumstances.[14][15][16]Mark Goldie argues that the traditional interpretation of Locke's position on Catholics "needs finessing, since he did not exclude the theoretical possibility of tolerating Catholicsif Catholics could discard their uncivil beliefs, they could then be tolerated".[17] Goldie asserts that Locke was opposed not to Catholicism as such but antinomianism, the belief that ordinary moral laws are superseded by religious truth.[18]Scott Sowerby also claims that Locke left open the possibility that Catholics could be tolerated if they adopted tolerant principles and rejected political allegiance to the Pope.[19]

John Marshall has argued that several passages in the Letter demonstrate that Locke believed that Catholics "in their terms of worship and religious speculative beliefsdeserved their worship to be free".[20] Marshall also notes that "The combination of Locke’s comments in the Letter suggests that during [its] composition Locke was once again struggling over how to discriminate between the series of associated political principles which for him made Catholics intolerable, and the religious worship and other religious beliefs of Catholics which deserved toleration."[21] A confirmation of these positions seems to come from a discovery of a previously unknown manuscript, dated –8, titled Reason for tolerating Papists equally with others, in which Locke makes his earliest arguments for religious toleration.[22]

In one of the last paragraphs, Locke argued against atheists: "Lastly, those are not at all to be tolerated who deny the being of a God.

Promises, covenants, and oaths, which are the bonds of human society, can have no hold upon an atheist. The taking away of God, though but even in thought, dissolves all; besides also, those that by their atheism undermine and destroy all religion, can have no pretence of religion whereupon to challenge the privilege of a toleration. As for other practical opinions, though not absolutely free from all error, if they do not tend to establish domination over others or civil impunity to the Church in which they are taught, there can be no reason why they should not be tolerated."[23] This critique excluded all atheistic varieties of philosophy and all attempts to deduce ethics and natural law from purely secular premises.[24] There exists also a passage added in a later edition of the Essay concerning Human Understanding, where Locke perhaps questioned "whether 'atheism' was necessarily inimical to political obedience."[25]

Toleration is central to Locke's political philosophy.

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    • Consequently, only churches that teach tolerance are allowed in his society. Locke's view on the difficulty of knowing the one true religion may suggest that religion is not personally important to Locke. Still, it also may point to the deep uncertainties surrounding religious belief in a time of political and intellectual conflict. In contrast, Locke's view on atheism suggests that he was far from considering religion unimportant.

    As an empiricist, he considered practical considerations, such as how the peace of civil society would be affected by religious toleration. Closely reading the text also reveals that Locke relies on Biblical analysis at several key points in his argument.

    Reception

    There were immediate responses from the High Church Anglican clergy, published by Thomas Long and Jonas Proast.

    Long believed the letter represented an atheistically disguised Jesuit plot for the Roman Catholic Church to gain dominance by bringing chaos and ruin to the English Church and State. Proast attacked the Letter and defended the view that the government has the right to use force to cause dissenters to reflect on the merits of Anglicanism, the True Religion.

    Locke's reply to Proast developed into an extended, controversial exchange.

    Notes

    1. ^A Letter Concerning Toleration by Locke, John; Tully, James H.
    2. ^Raymond Klibansky, 'Preface', in Klibansky and J. W. Gough (eds.), Epistola de Tolerantia/A Letter on Toleration (Oxford: Clarendon Press, ), p.

      vii.

    3. ^Maurice Cranston, John Locke: A Biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press, ), pp.

    6. –

    7. ^Klibansky, p. x, pp. xvi–xvii.
    8. ^Klibansky, pp. viii–ix, p. x, pp. xvi–xvii.
    9. ^E. C. Graf, Cervantes and Modernity: Four Essays on Modernity, Bucknell University Press, pp. –
    10. ^Klibansky and Gough, p.

      John locke first treatise of government summary: Proast attacked the Letter and defended the view that the government has the right to use force to cause dissenters to reflect on the merits of Anglicanism, the True Religion. The earth, and all that is therein, is given to men for the support and comfort of their being. Whosoever will list himself under the Banner of Christ, must in the first place, and above all things, make War upon his own Lusts and Vices. Covetousness, Uncharitableness, Idleness, and many other things are sins, by the consent of all men, which yet no man ever said were to be punished by the Magistrate.

    11. ^Klibansky and Gough, p.
    12. ^Cranston, p.
    13. ^Klibansky, p. xxxiv.
    14. ^J.

      A letter concerning toleration pdf This "letter" is addressed to an anonymous "Honored Sir": this was Locke's close friend Philipp van Limborch , who published it without Locke's knowledge. And thus every man, by consenting with others to make one body politic under one government, puts himself under an obligation, to every one of that society, to submit to the determination of the majority, and to be concluded by it; or else this original compact, whereby he with others incorporates into one society, would signify nothing, and be no compact, if he be left free, and under no other ties than he was in before in the state of nature. The thing that he wants to persuade the reader of is that government is instituted to promote external interests, relating to life, liberty, and the general welfare, while the church exists to promote internal interests, i. Not even Americans, subjected unto a Christian Prince, are to be punished either in Body or Goods, for not imbracing our Faith and Worship.

      W. Gough, 'Introduction', in Klibansky and Gough, pp. 3–4.

    15. ^J. W. Gough, John Locke's Political Philosophy: Eight Studies (Oxford: Clarendon Press, ), p.
    16. ^Scott Sowerby, Making Toleration: The Repealers and the Glorious Revolution (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, ), p.

    17. ^Marshall, pp. –
    18. ^Mark Goldie, 'Introduction', in Goldie (ed.), A Letter Concerning Toleration and Other Writings, p. xix.
    19. ^Sowerby, p.
    20. ^Goldie, p. xix.
    21. ^Goldie, p.

      Not even Americans, subjected unto a Christian Prince, are to be punished either in Body or Goods, for not imbracing our Faith and Worship. No man whatsoever ought therefore to be deprived of his Terrestrial Enjoyments, upon account of his Religion. The Hague: M. Locke's primary goal is to "distinguish exactly the business of civil government from that of religion.

      xix.

    22. ^Sowerby, p.
    23. ^Marshall, p.
    24. ^Marshall, p.
    25. ^The Guardian, 'Unknown text by John Locke reveals roots of foundational democratic ideas', 3 September
    26. ^Locke, John (). "A Letter Concerning Toleration". Retrieved 7 June
    27. ^Waldron, Jeremy ().

      John locke a letter concerning toleration summary If they are perswaded that they please God in observing the Rites of their own Country, and that they shall obtain Happiness by that means, they are to be left unto God and themselves. They will wish, and seek for the opportunity, which in the change, weakness and accidents of human affairs, seldom delays long to offer itself. Please take care when reading these materials, and see our Ethics Statement and About page. Nay, even the Sins of Lying, and Perjury, are no where punishable by Laws; unless in certain cases in which the real Turpitude of the thing, and the Offence against God, are not considered, but only the Injury done unto mens Neighbours, and to the Commonwealth.

      God, Locke, and equality&#;: Christian foundations of John Locke's political thought. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p.&#; ISBN&#;. OCLC&#;

    28. ^Marshall, p.

    References

    • Maurice Cranston, John Locke: A Biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press, ).
    • Mark Goldie (ed.), A Letter Concerning Toleration and Other Writings (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, ).
    • J.

      W. Gough, John Locke's Political Philosophy: Eight Studies (Oxford: Clarendon Press, ).

    • Raymond Klibansky and J. W. Gough (eds.), Epistola de Tolerantia/A Letter on Toleration (Oxford: Clarendon Press, ).
    • John Marshall, John Locke, Toleration and Early Enlightenment Culture (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ).
    • Scott Sowerby, Making Toleration: The Repealers and the Glorious Revolution (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, ).

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