IMW Journal of Religious Studies Volume 6 Number 1
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Religious Tolerance and Anti-Trinitarianism: the Influence of Socinianism on English and American Leaders and the Separation of Church and State
University of Richmond UR Scholarship Repository Honors Theses Student Research 5-6-2021 Religious Tolerance and Anti-Trinitarianism: The Influence of Socinianism on English and American Leaders and the Separation of Church and State Keeley Harris University of Richmond Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses Part of the Political Science Commons, and the Religion Law Commons Recommended Citation Harris, Keeley, "Religious Tolerance and Anti-Trinitarianism: The Influence of Socinianism on English and American Leaders and the Separation of Church and State" (2021). Honors Theses. 1577. https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses/1577 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research at UR Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of UR Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Religious Tolerance and Anti-Trinitarianism: The Influence of Socinianism on English and American Leaders and the Separation of Church and State By Keeley Harris Honors Thesis Submitted to: Jepson School of Leadership Studies University of Richmond Richmond, VA May 6, 2021 Advisor: Dr. Kristin M. S. Bezio Harris 1 Abstract Religious Tolerance and Anti-Trinitarianism: The Influence of Socinianism on English and American Leaders and the Separation of Church and State Keeley Harris Committee members: Dr. Kristin M. S. Bezio, Dr. George R. Goethals and Dr. Douglas L. Winiarski This research focuses on a sect of Christian thinkers who originated in mid-16th century Poland called Socinians. They had radical Christian views built upon ideas from humanism and the Protestant Reformation, including Anti-Trinitarianism and rejecting the divinity of Christ. -
Can We Prove God's Existence?
This transcript accompanies the Cambridge in your Classroom video on ‘Can we prove God’s existence?’. For more information about this video, or the series, visit https://www.divinity.cam.ac.uk/study-here/open-days/cambridge-your-classroom Can we prove God’s existence? Professor Catherine Pickstock Faculty of Divinity One argument to prove God’s existence In front of me is an amazing manuscript, is known as the ‘ontological argument’ — called the Proslogion, written nearly 1,000 an argument which, by reason alone – years ago by an Italian Benedictine monk proves that, the very idea of God as a called Anselm. perfect being means that God must exist, that his non-existence would be Anselm went on to become Archbishop of contradictory. Canterbury in 1093, and this manuscript is now kept in the University Library in These kinds of a priori arguments rely on Cambridge. logical deduction, rather than something one has observed or experienced: you It is an exploration of how we can know might be familiar with Kant’s examples: God, written in the form of a prayer, in Latin. Even in translation, it can sound “All bachelors are unmarried men. quite complicated to our modern ears, but Squares have four equal sides. All listen carefully to some of his words here objects occupy space.” translated from Chapters 2 and 3. I am Catherine Pickstock and I teach “If that, than which nothing greater can be Philosophy of Religion at the University of conceived, exists in the understanding Cambridge. And I am interested in how alone, the very being, than which nothing we can know the unknowable, and often greater can be conceived, is one, than look to earlier ways in which thinkers which a greater cannot be conceived. -
Ancient and Modern
Ancient and Modern: What the History of Religion Teaches Us About Contemporary Global Trends Philip Jenkins Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Humanities at Pennsylvania State University Distinguished Senior Fellow at Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion ARDA GUIDING PAPER Ancient and Modern: What the History of Religion Teaches Us About Contemporary Global Trends Religious developments in the contemporary world attract a great deal of scholarship drawing on a wide range of methodologies — ethnographic, economic, and sociological — but the historical component is still not as prominent as it should be. Certainly modern scholars have traced the historical origins of modern conditions, for example in terms of the Christian missions that created the flourishing churches of Africa and Asia, or the contemporary rise of Islamic fundamentalism. Having said this, surprisingly little work on contemporary conditions draws on the vast and flourishing scholarly literature concerning religion in earlier centuries, in the ancient, medieval and early modern worlds. Historians dwell in one academic world while scholars of contemporary religion inhabit another, and the two sides have little contact.1 Yet such a separation is unfortunate, in that the earlier history contains a vast amount of information and case-studies that are highly relevant to contemporary conditions. More important, perhaps, these studies tell us repeatedly that contemporary trends that we believe to be modern and unprecedented are in fact no such thing, and that they have often appeared in earlier eras. It is futile, then, to try and explain these supposed novelties in terms of strictly modern developments. Moreover, contemporary scholarship often describes processes that assume a historical trajectory, but often, the historical pattern is assumed rather than demonstrated. -
'Enthusiasm for Liberty': the Great Awakening As the Key to the Revolution
'Enthusiasm for Liberty': The Great Awakening as the Key to the Revolution WILLIAM G. McLOUGHLIN J.HERE ARE VERY Severe challenges facing the historian who tries to deal with the question of religion and the Revo- lution. In the first place most contemporary accounts state emphatically that during the Revolution the people were so busy fighting for independence and survival that the churches were almost deserted. In the second place the literature ofthe Revolutionary Era is concerned almost entirely with ques- tions of politics. In the third place most of the prominent leaders of the new nation, the so-called Founding Fathers, were not very religious men, at least in the sense of being devout or orthodox believers in Christianity. One can, of course, talk about the importance of freedom of conscience as one ofthe inalienable rights of man or about the separation of church and state, but these did not loom very large among the causes of the Revolution since neither king nor Parliament took much interest in them. It would be hard work to prove that the remote possibility of sending a bishop to head the Anglican churches in America was a central issue in the decision of the colonists to seek independence. No one doubts that the Americans were basically a very religious people. The First Great Awakening in the 1730s This paper was read May 3, 1977, at the Worcester Art Museum as one of a series of public lectures held in conjunction with the American Antiquarian Society exhibition 'Wellsprings of a Nation: America before 1801.' The exhibition and lectures were made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. -
Is God Great?
IS GOD GREAT? CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS AND THE NEW ATHEISM DEBATE Master’s Thesis in North American Studies Leiden University By Tayra Algera S1272667 March 14, 2018 Supervisor: Dr. E.F. van de Bilt Second reader: Ms. N.A. Bloemendal MA 1 Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 3 Chapter 1 – The New Atheism Debate and the Four Horsemen .............................................. 17 Chapter 2 – Christopher Hitchens ............................................................................................ 27 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 433 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................... 455 2 3 Introduction “God did not make us, we made God” Christopher Hitchens (2007) "What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence" Christopher Hitchens (2003) “Religion is violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism and tribalism and bigotry, invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women and coercive toward children." Christopher Hitchens (2007) These bold statements describe the late Christopher Hitchens’s views on religion in fewer than 50 words. He was a man of many words, most aimed at denouncing the role of religion in current-day societies. Religion is a concept that is hard -
Occupy Sanhedrin Brochure
Sarah Zell Young is the 4th annual Hadassah-Brandeis Institute (HBI) Artist-in Residence. The 2012 HBI Artist-in-Residence Program is made possible thanks to the generous support of Carol Spinner at Sarah Zell Young Avoda Arts and Arnee and Walter Winshall. About the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute Occupy Sanhedrin The Hadassah-Brandeis Institute develops fresh ways of thinking about Jews and gender worldwide by producing and promoting scholarly research and artistic projects. March 29 - May 18, 2012 About the Women’s Studies Research Center The Women’s Studies Research Center (WSRC) is a place where research, art and activism converge. The Kniznick Gallery is committed to feminist exhibitions of artistic excellence that reflect the activities of the Women's Studies Research Center Scholars and engage communities within and beyond Brandeis University. About Occupy Sanhedrin & As Old as the World The term Sanhedrin refers to the Great Court of ancient Israel during the Second Temple Period. It was composed of 71 men, one chief justice referred to as the Nasi (prince), one assistant chief justice, the Av Beit Din (Patriarch of the rabbinic court) and 69 general members. This judicial body made binding decisions about all aspects of Jewish life in and beyond Jerusalem. The Great Sanhedrin is a prime example of an exclusively male space—not only in its physical gathering of 71 men, but in the scope of influence these men had in making decisions that ruled over all bodies. We learn about the Sanhedrin in the Talmud, an elaborate six-volume documentation of laws derived from interpretations of the Bible. -
The Great Awakening and Other Revivals in the Religious Life of Connecticut
TERCENTENARY COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT COMMITTEE ON HISTORICAL PUBLICATIONS The Great Awakening and Other Revivals in the Religious Life of Connecticut (DOUBLE NUMBER) XXV/ PUBLISHED FOR THE TERCENTENARY COMMISSION BY THE YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS *934 CONNECTICUT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LIBRARY SERVICE CENTER MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTION . TERCENTENARY COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT COMMITTEE ON HISTORICAL PUBLICATIONS The Great Awakening and Other Revivals in the Religious Life of Connecticut MARY HEWITT MITCHELL I HE Puritan founders of Connecticut, like those of Massachusetts, were the offspring of a remarkable revival of religious fervor in England. They moved across the Atlantic to Tset up their religious Utopia in the New World. Spiritual exaltation and earnestness sustained them amid the perils and pains of establishing homes and churches in the New England wilderness. Clergymen were their leaders. On the Sabbath, the minister, in gown and bands, preached to his flock beneath a tree or under some rude shelter. On other days, in more practical attire, he guided and shared the varied labors incident to the foundation of the new settlement. The younger generation and the later comers, however, had more worldliness mingled with their aims, but re- ligion continued a dominant factor in the expanding colonial life. Perhaps the common man felt personal enthusiasm for religion less than he did necessary regard for provisions of the law, yet as he wandered into un- occupied parts of the colony, he was not leaving the watch and ward of the church. Usually, indeed, he did not wish to, since even the most worldly-minded desired the honors and privileges attached to membership in the church-state. -
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Hymns and Sacred Poems (1739)1 [Baker List, #13]
Hymns and Sacred Poems (1739)1 [Baker list, #13] Editorial Introduction: John Wesley’s first two collections of religious song, CPH (1737) and CPH (1738), were designed to supplement regular patterns of Anglican worship, including public services. He continued a series with the title Collection of Psalms and Hymns throughout his life for this purpose. In March 1739 the Wesley brothers issued the first in a new series of collected verse, titled Hymns and Sacred Poems. The switch from “psalms” to “poems” in the title reflects that this collection was intended less for formal Anglican worship and more for devotional use. The new collection was also the first to contain contributions by participants in the early Methodist revival—specifically, John Gambold and Charles Wesley (his earliest published verse). This made HSP (1739) more representative of the distinctive emphases of the Methodist movement. This characteristic grew in later volumes in the HSP series, rendering it more central than the CPH series to early Methodist worship in their homes and various group meetings. Reflecting its connection to the revival, HSP (1739) was the first collection that appeared with explicit attribution to either Wesley. While it bore the names of both brothers, printer records and diary entries make clear that John Wesley was the primary collector and editor of the work. John also authored the Preface to the volume. Twenty-seven of the items in HSP (1739) were drawn from the earlier CPH volumes (indicated in the Table of Contents below in blue font). Wesley added nearly sixty additional selections from other identifiable authors, the majority coming from George Herbert, John Gambold, and a German Moravian hymnal. -
Shipwrecked Or Holding Water Final
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by DSpace at VU Penultimate version. Minor textual revisions in published version. Shipwrecked or Holding Water? In Defense of Plantinga’s Warranted Christian Believer Jeroen de Ridder Faculty of Philosophy VU University Amsterdam De Boelelaan 1105 1081 HV Amsterdam The Netherlands [email protected] Mathanja Berger Faculty of Philosophy VU University Amsterdam De Boelelaan 1105 1081 HV Amsterdam The Netherlands [email protected] Abstract Herman Philipse argues that Christian belief cannot be warranted in Alvin Plantinga’s sense. More specifically, he thinks it is impossible for intellectually responsible and modern believers to hold their religious beliefs in the manner of properly basic beliefs, not on the basis of explicit evidence or arguments. In this paper, we consider his objections to Plantinga’s work and argue that they all fail. 1. Introduction Herman Philipse thinks that Christian belief lacks the warrant of properly basic beliefs, at least for intellectually responsible modern believers. That is to say, he thinks that a modern Christian believer cannot be rational in holding on to her religious beliefs without engaging in natural 1 Penultimate version. Minor textual revisions in published version. theology, i.e., offering explicit evidence and arguments in defense of these beliefs, or at least relying on experts in her community to do so. To argue for his position, he offers a threefold — or fourfold, more on that later — criticism of Alvin Plantinga’s defense of the possible warrantedness of Christian belief.1 In this paper, we will scrutinize Philipse’s criticisms and argue that they are uncompelling. -
Freedom of Religion on February 17, 2000, World Pantheist Movement Members Parts of the USA (Page 12)
THE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE OF THE WORLD PANTHEIST MOVEMENT pan ISSUE NUMBER 3 • SUMMER 2000 Freedom of religion On February 17, 2000, World Pantheist Movement members parts of the USA (page 12). from four countries gathered in Rome to commemorate the It’s important for us to re member that pantheists, martyrdom of Giordano Bruno (page 8). We came, not just humanists and atheists enjoy the same religious rights as because Bruno was a pantheist, but to celebrate the everyone else. The International Covenant on Civil and importance of freedom of religion and of ideas. Political Rights guarantees freedom of religion, worship, Freedom of religion is a recent gain in Western history, observance, practice and teaching, and bans any form of but history has shown that is critical not just for human coercion which would impair that freedom. The low-level liberty, but for progress in science, ethics and ways of life. pressure and discrimination which our members and other Repression has a longer history. The pagan Romans fed non-Christian minorities face in the Bible belt is a violation Christians to the lions. Christians, as soon as they achieved of rights – rights which the USA has recognized, promotes power, persecuted pagans. Throughout the dark ages, the abroad and should guarantee at home. Middle Ages and the Renaissance, heretics were tortured Those rights mean that we pantheists have a right to and burned, and to express atheism or pantheism meant have holidays for our special “sacred” days, such as the almost certain death. solstices and equinoxes. This grim repression took its toll, not just on religious We have the right to promote our views, and to educate thinking but on all thinking, writing and research. -
PAGANISM a Brief Overview of the History of Paganism the Term Pagan Comes from the Latin Paganus Which Refers to Those Who Lived in the Country
PAGANISM A brief overview of the history of Paganism The term Pagan comes from the Latin paganus which refers to those who lived in the country. When Christianity began to grow in the Roman Empire, it did so at first primarily in the cities. The people who lived in the country and who continued to believe in “the old ways” came to be known as pagans. Pagans have been broadly defined as anyone involved in any religious act, practice, or ceremony which is not Christian. Jews and Muslims also use the term to refer to anyone outside their religion. Some define paganism as a religion outside of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism; others simply define it as being without a religion. Paganism, however, often is not identified as a traditional religion per se because it does not have any official doctrine; however, it has some common characteristics within its variety of traditions. One of the common beliefs is the divine presence in nature and the reverence for the natural order in life. In the strictest sense, paganism refers to the authentic religions of ancient Greece and Rome and the surrounding areas. The pagans usually had a polytheistic belief in many gods but only one, which represents the chief god and supreme godhead, is chosen to worship. The Renaissance of the 1500s reintroduced the ancient Greek concepts of Paganism. Pagan symbols and traditions entered European art, music, literature, and ethics. The Reformation of the 1600s, however, put a temporary halt to Pagan thinking. Greek and Roman classics, with their focus on Paganism, were accepted again during the Enlightenment of the 1700s. -
What Sugyot Should an Educated Jew Know?
What Sugyot Should An Educated Jew Know? Jon A. Levisohn Updated: May, 2009 What are the Talmudic sugyot (topics or discussions) that every educated Jew ought to know, the most famous or significant Talmudic discussions? Beginning in the fall of 2008, about 25 responses to this question were collected: some formal Top Ten lists, many informal nominations, and some recommendations for further reading. Setting aside the recommendations for further reading, 82 sugyot were mentioned, with (only!) 16 of them duplicates, leaving 66 distinct nominated sugyot. This is hardly a Top Ten list; while twelve sugyot received multiple nominations, the methodology does not generate any confidence in a differentiation between these and the others. And the criteria clearly range widely, with the result that the nominees include both aggadic and halakhic sugyot, and sugyot chosen for their theological and ideological significance, their contemporary practical significance, or their centrality in discussions among commentators. Or in some cases, perhaps simply their idiosyncrasy. Presumably because of the way the question was framed, they are all sugyot in the Babylonian Talmud (although one response did point to texts in Sefer ha-Aggadah). Furthermore, the framing of the question tended to generate sugyot in the sense of specific texts, rather than sugyot in the sense of centrally important rabbinic concepts; in cases of the latter, the cited text is sometimes the locus classicus but sometimes just one of many. Consider, for example, mitzvot aseh she-ha-zeman gerama (time-bound positive mitzvoth, no. 38). The resulting list is quite obviously the product of a committee, via a process of addition without subtraction or prioritization.