John Locke and Jefferson on Religious Toleration

All students of the founder of the United States know that the British philosopher John Rock, born in 1632 this August (29th August), had a great influence on our founder. Rock, 1685's "second paper on citizen government" states that defending life, freedom, property is the main goal of the government, its belief is that Thomas Jefferson It is in the "Declaration of Independence" of. There was a reply. Since "property" in 1776 means slavery, Jefferson changed "property" to "pursuit of happiness". And in statements of national purpose, the word "slave" was also included in the same sentence through reasoning. It is hypocritical. As "life" and "freedom". But all founder's father understands that protection of property is divine and force majeure.

What is not well known today is that other works of rock, "Letters of Tolerance" also had a profound influence on Jefferson, who was a pioneer in securing American religious tolerance. It was Jefferson who wrote an article about "separation of church and state", but Rock wrote "tolerance", but citizen authority must be separated from religious purpose.

Locke wrote that private authorities pay attention only to the protection of the above life, freedom, and property, and that religion is concerned about rescuing their souls. Therefore, religious virtues are far more important than the virtues of citizens - the former concerned with entering heaven and the latter concerning ordinary matters such as following the law. Therefore, citizens' moral standards can not be applied to religious virtues.

In fact, Rock wrote that the state can not judge the virtue of religion. For beginners, the state can not investigate your soul and decide the integrity of your faith. Authorities therefore, there is no fair way to enforce religious warrants.

In addition, most countries have enforced these religious orders according to the internally recognized religious beliefs - during the rock era Protestantism was the official state religion of the UK. But, especially through history (through course of British history), is the state claiming that the official religion is the correct religion has become a heretic religion in the next religion? Therefore, Rock wrote that it was "inevitable" to decide which religion is right.

Rock does not doubt the existence of God, but he suspects that one religion may prove advantageous over the other. In 1777, Thomas Jefferson made the same point in pioneering research on Virginia's religious freedom law, which is not one of the three life's achievements he carved into a gravestone.

A historian (such as John J. Patrick) considers John Rock's "Letters of Tolerance" (suggested in 1685 and published in 1689) as "the philosophical grounds of the British tolerance law in 1689" There. Rock claims the coexistence of the English church (the official state church) and various Protestant sects (including congregation, Baptist, Presbyterian, Quaker), but he excluded Catholics from tolerance - , The same as the policy promulgated by the tolerance law.

The ideal of religious tolerance is the core element of the work of rock and other thinkers of thinking of Scotland. This is progress and rock 's work has a fundamental influence on American founder. But Jefferson, Madison, and Washington each exercise this ideal in a unique way, beyond tolerance (through a majority or nationally recognized religion) towards a wider neutrality concept, including the government I am trying to expand it further. Based on personal beliefs, we religion and protect individuals from personal life and worship rights.

Today's relationship with John Rock is that his thoughts influenced Thomas Jefferson's role in writing the Constitution. As a result of John Rock, this constitution rules the United States today. The view on Rock's religious tolerance also reproduces most of today's American era. It may be a mixture of different views, but the extent of religious tolerance in the United States is caused by the formation of 13 colonies, and the view of John Rock is the same as that established by the United States.