DOCSLIB.ORG

UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title A Mission to Reform Manners: Religion, Secularization, and Empire in Early Modern England Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/035465n3 Author Taback, Naomi Johanna Publication Date 2013 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles A Mission to Reform Manners: Religion, Secularization, and Empire in Early Modern England A dissertation in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in History by Naomi Johanna Taback 2013 © Copyright by Naomi Johanna Taback 2013 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION A Mission to Reform Manners: Religion, Secularization, and Empire in Early Modern England by Naomi Johanna Taback Doctor of Philosophy in History University of California, Los Angeles, 2013 Professor Margaret Jacob, Chair This dissertation looks at three voluntary societies formed in London shortly after the revolution of 1688. These societies, with overlapping membership, shared a broad vision for the improvement of manners and morals throughout the burgeoning British Empire. The Society for Reformation of Manners, founded in 1691, called for the enforcement of the civil laws against prostitution, swearing, drunkenness, gambling, and other moral crimes. The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, founded in 1698, established schools and distributed books— forming some of the first public lending libraries—throughout England and its colonies. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, founded in 1701, sent missionaries abroad to convert, educate and civilize the European settlers, African slaves, and American Indians. ii I show that in response to the uncertainties of the post-revolutionary period and the establishment of religious toleration in 1689, religiously motivated reformers advanced new ideas about the nature of society. They looked to shared manners, habits, customs and mores— rather than shared religious beliefs and practices—as the binding agents of society. Reformers described the benefits good manners brought individuals and communities; good manners, they said, were essential to a stable, commercial, tolerant society. Thus I show that some of the most religious people in this period spoke in secular terms. As the ideas and practices of religious toleration became more firmly rooted in English society, people turned to manners as the glue that held the community—or nation—together. This is the birth of a particular strand of social thinking. This dissertations then follows the process by which ideas of religious diversity were transformed in the context of the colonies. The societies hoped to encourage better—and more uniform—manners and habits on both sides of the Atlantic, bringing all peoples of the empire under a common cultural denominator. In doing so, they created a new imperial ideology. An explication of the writings of these reformers, then, offers new insights into the making of secular culture in the Atlantic World and the origins of the Enlightenment in England. iii The dissertation of Naomi Johanna Taback is approved. Felicity Nussbaum Lynn Hunt Margaret Jacob, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2013 iv For my parents v Contents Acknowledgements……….vi Vita……….viii Introduction……….1 Chapter One – The Intellectual Origins of the Reforming Societies: Latitudinarian Thought of the Restoration……….17 Chapter Two – Religious Toleration and Social Order: The Societies for Reformation of Manners………62 Chapter Three – Libraries, Charity Schools and Prison Reform: Thomas Bray and the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge………143 Chapter Four – Making a Rational and Holy Empire: The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts………193 Chapter Five – Forming British Subjects: Thomas Bray and George Berkeley on the Conversion of American Indians………244 Concluding Remarks………287 Bibliography………289 vi Acknowledgements This dissertation would not have been possible without the encouragement and support of many people. To Margaret Jacob I owe a special debt of gratitude for having been a truly extraordinary advisor and mentor. I feel privileged to have worked with her, and I have learned so much from her over the years. I thank Lynn Hunt for the many ways she has helped me through the writing of this dissertation. I would also like to thank Felicity Nussbaum, who read the entire dissertation, and provided me with valuable feedback. I want to thank Teo Ruiz, David Brafman, Ruth Bloch, Anthony Pagden, Peter Reill, Wijnand Mijnhardt, and Inger Leemans for their constant help and encouragement. I am grateful for the friendship and support of many fellow graduate students: Susan Mokhberi, Emud Mokhberi, Diana Raesner, Carrie Sanders, Jesse Sadler, Kierra Crago- Schneider, Regan Bardeen, Matt Crow, Elizabeth Everton, Courtney Spikes, Deb Bauer, Lauren Janes, Sung Choi, Alex Zevin, Aaron Benanav, and Celine Piser. This dissertation is dedicated to my parents, Gene Taback and Gail Perlow Taback, who first instilled in me a love of ideas. My sister Daria has been a true friend and constant source of inspiration. I owe special thanks to Jake, who has remained my comrade through it all. vii VITA Education M.A. with distinction, European History, UCLA, 2006 B.A. with departmental honors, minor in Philosophy, UCLA, 2004 Honors William Andrews Clark Library Dissertation Fellowship, 2010-2011 UCLA Dissertation Year Fellowship, 2008-2009 UCLA Academic Senate Distinguished Teaching Award, 2007-2008 Laura Kinsey Prize for outstanding teaching, 2008 Phi Beta Kappa, 2004 Conferences Pacific Coast Conference on British Studies: The Limits of Toleration: Enforcing Order in London in the 1690s, March 2013 Western Association of Women Historians: The Distribution of Books by the SPCK in England, Ireland and the American Colonies, April 2011 American Society for Eighteenth Century Studies: Dual Conceptions of Time in Eighteenth- Century England: The Reformation of Manners and Newtonian Thought, March 2011 viii Introduction This dissertation offers an intellectual history of social and moral reform in England and its colonies in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. It looks at three voluntary associations formed in London shortly after the revolution of 1688. These organizations, with overlapping membership, shared a broad vision for the improvement of manners and morals throughout the burgeoning British Empire. Collectively, they set out to police the streets, modernize the prison system, create schools and libraries, and send missionaries to convert, educate and civilize the European settlers, African slaves, and American Indians across the Atlantic. I argue that in response to the uncertainties of the post-revolutionary period and the establishment of religious toleration in 1689, religiously motivated reformers advanced new ideas about the nature of society. They were moderate Anglicans—and sometimes Puritan allies—who remained committed to the principles of religious toleration, but feared its consequences. When the public was broadened to include people with a range of religious views, anxieties arose over what would hold the community together. While seeking greater religious toleration, ironically they found social cohesiveness in something secular. They looked to shared manners, habits, customs and mores—rather than shared religious beliefs and practices—as the binding agents of society. Reformers described the benefits good manners brought individuals and communities as bodily, commercial, and social; good manners, they said, were essential to a stable, progressive, tolerant society. Thus I show that some of the most religious people in this period spoke in secular terms. As the ideas and practices of religious toleration became more firmly rooted in English society, people turned to manners as the glue that held the community—or nation—together. This is the birth of a particular strand of social 1 thinking. An explication of the writings of these reformers, then, illuminates a growing secularization and the origins of the Enlightenment in England. Using the printed sermons, books and pamphlets as well as records and correspondences of these voluntary associations, I look at how ideas circulated among reformers, both elite and non-elite, through the early eighteenth century. The Society for Reformation of Manners, founded in 1691, called for the enforcement of the civil laws against prostitution, swearing, drunkenness, gambling, trading on Sundays, and other moral crimes. Leading reformer Thomas Bray and his organization, the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, founded in 1698, established schools and distributed books—forming some of the first public lending libraries— throughout England and its colonies. Bray’s other organization, the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, founded in 1701, sent missionaries abroad to convert, educate and civilize the European settlers, African slaves, and American Indians. Thus, I follow the process by which ideas of religious diversity were transformed in the context of the colonies, where a different set of cultural and social demands were in place. The societies hoped to encourage better—and more uniform—manners and habits on both sides of the Atlantic, bringing all peoples of the empire under a common cultural denominator. In doing so, they created a new imperial ideology. This dissertation shows some of the
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Completed Thesis
    THE UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Human Uniqueness: Twenty-First Century Perspectives from Theology, Science and Archaeology Josephine Kiddle Bsc (Biology) MA (Religion) Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy February 2013 This Thesis has been completed as a requirement for a postgraduate research degree of the University of Winchester. The word count is: 89350 THE UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER ABSTRACT FOR THESIS Human Uniqueness: Twenty-First Century Perspectives from Theology, Science and Archaeology A project aiming to establish, through the three disciplines, the value of human uniqueness as an integrating factor for science with theology Josephine Kiddle Bsc (Biology) MA (Religion) Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Doctor of Philosophy February 2013 The theme that underlies the thesis is the challenge presented by science, as it developed from the time of the Enlightenment through the centuries until the present day, to Christian theology. The consequent conflict of ideas is traced in respect of biological science and the traditions of Protestant Christian doctrine, together with the advances of the developing discipline of prehistoric archaeology since the early nineteenth century. The common ground from which disagreement stemmed was the existence of human beings and the uniqueness of the human species as a group amongst all other creatures. With the conflict arising from this challenge, centring on the origin and history of human uniqueness, a rift became established between the disciplines which widened as they progressed through to the twentieth century. It is this separation that the thesis takes up and endeavours to analyse in the light of the influence of advancing science on the blending of philosophical scientific ideas with the elements of Christian faith of former centuries.
    [Show full text]
  • STEPHEN TAYLOR the Clergy at the Courts of George I and George II
    STEPHEN TAYLOR The Clergy at the Courts of George I and George II in MICHAEL SCHAICH (ed.), Monarchy and Religion: The Transformation of Royal Culture in Eighteenth-Century Europe (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007) pp. 129–151 ISBN: 978 0 19 921472 3 The following PDF is published under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND licence. Anyone may freely read, download, distribute, and make the work available to the public in printed or electronic form provided that appropriate credit is given. However, no commercial use is allowed and the work may not be altered or transformed, or serve as the basis for a derivative work. The publication rights for this volume have formally reverted from Oxford University Press to the German Historical Institute London. All reasonable effort has been made to contact any further copyright holders in this volume. Any objections to this material being published online under open access should be addressed to the German Historical Institute London. DOI: 5 The Clergy at the Courts of George I and George II STEPHEN TAYLOR In the years between the Reformation and the revolution of 1688 the court lay at the very heart of English religious life. Court bishops played an important role as royal councillors in matters concerning both church and commonwealth. 1 Royal chaplaincies were sought after, both as important steps on the road of prefer- ment and as positions from which to influence religious policy.2 Printed court sermons were a prominent literary genre, providing not least an important forum for debate about the nature and character of the English Reformation.
    [Show full text]
  • The Latitudinarian Influence on Early English Liberalism Amanda Oh Southern Methodist University, [email protected]
    Southern Methodist University SMU Scholar The Larrie and Bobbi Weil Undergraduate Research Central University Libraries Award Documents 2019 The Latitudinarian Influence on Early English Liberalism Amanda Oh Southern Methodist University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.smu.edu/weil_ura Part of the European History Commons, History of Religion Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Oh, Amanda, "The Latitudinarian Influence on Early English Liberalism" (2019). The Larrie and Bobbi Weil Undergraduate Research Award Documents. 10. https://scholar.smu.edu/weil_ura/10 This document is brought to you for free and open access by the Central University Libraries at SMU Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Larrie and Bobbi Weil Undergraduate Research Award Documents by an authorized administrator of SMU Scholar. For more information, please visit http://digitalrepository.smu.edu. The Latitudinarian Influence on Early English Liberalism Amanda Oh Professor Wellman HIST 4300: Junior Seminar 30 April 2018 Part I: Introduction The end of the seventeenth century in England saw the flowering of liberal ideals that turned on new beliefs about the individual, government, and religion. At that time the relationship between these cornerstones of society fundamentally shifted. The result was the preeminence of the individual over government and religion, whereas most of Western history since antiquity had seen the manipulation of the individual by the latter two institutions. Liberalism built on the idea that both religion and government were tied to the individual. Respect for the individual entailed respect for religious diversity and governing authority came from the assent of the individual.
    [Show full text]
  • THE 422 Mps WHO BACKED the MOTION Conservative 1. Bim
    THE 422 MPs WHO BACKED THE MOTION Conservative 1. Bim Afolami 2. Peter Aldous 3. Edward Argar 4. Victoria Atkins 5. Harriett Baldwin 6. Steve Barclay 7. Henry Bellingham 8. Guto Bebb 9. Richard Benyon 10. Paul Beresford 11. Peter Bottomley 12. Andrew Bowie 13. Karen Bradley 14. Steve Brine 15. James Brokenshire 16. Robert Buckland 17. Alex Burghart 18. Alistair Burt 19. Alun Cairns 20. James Cartlidge 21. Alex Chalk 22. Jo Churchill 23. Greg Clark 24. Colin Clark 25. Ken Clarke 26. James Cleverly 27. Thérèse Coffey 28. Alberto Costa 29. Glyn Davies 30. Jonathan Djanogly 31. Leo Docherty 32. Oliver Dowden 33. David Duguid 34. Alan Duncan 35. Philip Dunne 36. Michael Ellis 37. Tobias Ellwood 38. Mark Field 39. Vicky Ford 40. Kevin Foster 41. Lucy Frazer 42. George Freeman 43. Mike Freer 44. Mark Garnier 45. David Gauke 46. Nick Gibb 47. John Glen 48. Robert Goodwill 49. Michael Gove 50. Luke Graham 51. Richard Graham 52. Bill Grant 53. Helen Grant 54. Damian Green 55. Justine Greening 56. Dominic Grieve 57. Sam Gyimah 58. Kirstene Hair 59. Luke Hall 60. Philip Hammond 61. Stephen Hammond 62. Matt Hancock 63. Richard Harrington 64. Simon Hart 65. Oliver Heald 66. Peter Heaton-Jones 67. Damian Hinds 68. Simon Hoare 69. George Hollingbery 70. Kevin Hollinrake 71. Nigel Huddleston 72. Jeremy Hunt 73. Nick Hurd 74. Alister Jack (Teller) 75. Margot James 76. Sajid Javid 77. Robert Jenrick 78. Jo Johnson 79. Andrew Jones 80. Gillian Keegan 81. Seema Kennedy 82. Stephen Kerr 83. Mark Lancaster 84.
    [Show full text]
  • A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Satisfaction of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO PUBLIC CATHOLICISM AND RELIGIOUS PLURALISM IN AMERICA: THE ADAPTATION OF A RELIGIOUS CULTURE TO THE CIRCUMSTANCE OF DIVERSITY, AND ITS IMPLICATIONS A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology by Michael J. Agliardo, SJ Committee in charge: Professor Richard Madsen, Chair Professor John H. Evans Professor David Pellow Professor Joel Robbins Professor Gershon Shafir 2008 Copyright Michael J. Agliardo, SJ, 2008 All rights reserved. The Dissertation of Michael Joseph Agliardo is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: Chair University of California, San Diego 2008 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page ......................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents......................................................................................................................iv List Abbreviations and Acronyms ............................................................................................vi List of Graphs ......................................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................. viii Vita.............................................................................................................................................x
    [Show full text]
  • Daily Report Thursday, 14 January 2021 CONTENTS
    Daily Report Thursday, 14 January 2021 This report shows written answers and statements provided on 14 January 2021 and the information is correct at the time of publication (06:29 P.M., 14 January 2021). For the latest information on written questions and answers, ministerial corrections, and written statements, please visit: http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers/ CONTENTS ANSWERS 7 Police and Crime BUSINESS, ENERGY AND Commissioners: Elections 15 INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY 7 Schools: Procurement 16 Additional Restrictions Grant 7 Veterans: Suicide 16 Business: Coronavirus 7 DEFENCE 17 Business: Grants 8 Armed Forces: Health Conditions of Employment: Services 17 Re-employment 9 Defence: Expenditure 17 Industrial Health and Safety: HMS Montrose: Repairs and Coronavirus 9 Maintenance 18 Motor Neurone Disease: HMS Queen Elizabeth: Research 10 Repairs and Maintenance 18 Podiatry: Coronavirus 11 DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND Public Houses: Coronavirus 11 SPORT 19 Wind Power 12 British Telecom: Disclosure of Information 19 CABINET OFFICE 13 Broadband: Elmet and Civil Servants: Business Rothwell 20 Interests 13 Broadband: Greater London 20 Coronavirus: Disease Control 13 Chatterley Whitfield Colliery 21 Coronavirus: Lung Diseases 13 Data Protection 22 Debts 14 Educational Broadcasting: Fisheries: UK Relations with Coronavirus 23 EU 14 Events Industry and Iron and Steel: Procurement 14 Performing Arts: Greater National Security Council: London 23 Coronavirus 15 Football: Dementia 24 Football: Gambling 24 Organic Food: UK Trade with Freedom of Expression
    [Show full text]
  • An Essay in Descriptive Ecclesiology
    Grosvenor Essay no. 4 the shape of our church An essay in descriptive ecclesiology The Doctrine Committee of the Scottish Episcopal Church GROSVENOR ESSAY No. 4 The Shape of Our Church: An Essay in Descriptive Ecclesiology ISBN 0 905573 78 1 © Doctrine Committee of the Scottish Episcopal Church 2007 Comments or questions on this Essay should be directed to The General Synod Office 21 Grosvenor Crescent Edinburgh EH12 5EE Tel: 0131 225 6357 Email: [email protected] Also available in this series: Grosvenor Essay No. 1 - sketches towards a theology of science. £2.50 Published 2004. ISBN 0 905573 64 1 Grosvenor Essay No. 2 - theology and the power of the image. £3.00 Published 2005. ISBN 0 905573 66 8 Grosvenor Essay No. 3 - the inter-faith encounter. £2.50 Published 2006. ISBN 0 905573 71 4 GROSVENOR ESSAY No. 4 The Shape of Our Church: An Essay in Descriptive Ecclesiology Contents Preface 1 1. Introduction 3 2. Mission 13 3. Our Anglican Context 21 4. Foundations: Scripture, Tradition and Reason 24 5. Ministry 30 6. A Note of Caution 36 7. Worship 38 8. Conclusion 40 Further Reading 42 Preface The Shape of our Church: an Essay in Descriptive Ecclesiology The present Essay is the fourth in the series of Essays produced by the Doctrine Committee of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Like its predecessors, it is intended to be a stimulus to inquiring readers. Previous Essays have examined topics of general interest: the interrelationships of theology and the sciences (Essay no. 1) and of theology and the visual arts (Essay no.
    [Show full text]
  • Bishop Gilbert Burnet's Seventeenth Century Writing of the History of the Reformation
    Southern Adventist University KnowledgeExchange@Southern Faculty Works History and Political Studies Department 2017 “Lessening the Pope’s Greatness” : Bishop Gilbert Burnet’s Seventeenth Century Writing of the History of the Reformation in England Lisa Clark Diller Southern Adventist University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://knowledge.e.southern.edu/facworks_hist Part of the European History Commons Recommended Citation Diller, Lisa Clark, "“Lessening the Pope’s Greatness” : Bishop Gilbert Burnet’s Seventeenth Century Writing of the History of the Reformation in England" (2017). Faculty Works. 5. https://knowledge.e.southern.edu/facworks_hist/5 This Conference Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the History and Political Studies Department at KnowledgeExchange@Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of KnowledgeExchange@Southern. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “Lessening the Pope’s Greatness”1: Bishop Gilbert Burnet’s Seventeenth Century Writing of the History of the Reformation in England Lisa Clark Diller In the midst of the profound political and religious transformation that characterized the Glorious Revolution in England in the 1680s and 1690s, Bishop Gilbert Burnet wrote his multi-volume History of the Reformation of the Church of England. Burnet was vital to the development of the settlement of church and state following the ascension of William and Mary to the throne of England, helping form the modern liberal nationalism that we association with modernity. He is often seen as writing one of the first modern histories, one that had perspective, but which attempted to be evidence and source-based.
    [Show full text]
  • In Search of an Established Church
    Roger Williams University Law Review Volume 26 Issue 2 Vol. 26: No. 2 (Spring 2021) Article 3 Symposium: Is This a Christian Nation? Spring 2021 In Search of an Established Church Teresa M. Bejan University of Oxford Follow this and additional works at: https://docs.rwu.edu/rwu_LR Part of the First Amendment Commons, and the Religion Law Commons Recommended Citation Bejan, Teresa M. (2021) "In Search of an Established Church," Roger Williams University Law Review: Vol. 26 : Iss. 2 , Article 3. Available at: https://docs.rwu.edu/rwu_LR/vol26/iss2/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Law at DOCS@RWU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Roger Williams University Law Review by an authorized editor of DOCS@RWU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. In Search of an Established Church Teresa M. Bejan* INTRODUCTION I approach the question guiding this Symposium as a political theorist, as well as a historian of political thought. I approach it, too, as an American—albeit one who has lived and taught for many years overseas. The politics of religion in the United States fascinates me, personally and professionally. I am interested above all to understand the way in which past ways of thinking and doing have affected—and continue to affect—how we think about politics, and how we do things politically, today. For many political theorists, the question “Is America a Christian Nation?” will provoke a straightforward¾“no.” Empirically, while a strong majority (65% in 2019) of Americans still identify as Christian when asked, that number has declined sharply over the past decade.1 At the same time the rise of the “Nones,” i.e., those Americans who claim no religious affiliation, identified by Robert Putnam and David Campbell in 2010 proceeds apace.2 More important than the facts—for political theorists anyway—is the theory.
    [Show full text]
  • Peter Hitchens on Whether the European Argues That Great Britain the Union Has Changed Britain Is a Nation in Decline Progressive Conscience
    DAMIAN GREEN MP PETER HITCHENS on whether the European argues that Great Britain The Union has changed Britain is a nation in decline Progressive Conscience From Global Empire to the Global Race: modern Britishness john redwood mp | professor tim bale | daniel hannan mep | stephen crabb mp Contents 03 Editor’s introduction 18 Daniel Hannan: To define Contributors James Brenton Britain, look to its institutions PROF TIM BALE holds the Chair James Brenton politics in Politics at Queen Mary 20 Is Britain still Great? University of London 04 Director’s note JAMES BRENTON is the editor of Peter Hitchens and Ryan Shorthouse Ryan Shorthouse The Progressive Conscience 23 Painting a picture of Britain NICK CATER is Director of 05 Why I’m a Bright Blue MP the Menzies Research Centre Alan Davey George Freeman MP in Australia 24 What’s the problem with STEPHEN CRABB MP is Secretary 06 Replastering the cracks in the North of State for Wales promoting British values? Professor Tim Bale ROSS CYPHER-BURLEY was Michael Hand Spokesman to the British 07 Time for an English parliament Embassy in Tel Aviv 25 Multiple loyalties are easy John Redwood MP ALAN DAVEY is the departing Damian Green MP Arts Council Chief Executive 08 Britain after the referendum WILL EMKES is a writer 26 Influence in the Middle East Rupert Myers GEORGE FREEMAN MP is the Ross Cypher-Burley Minister for Life Sciences 09 Patriotism and Wales DR ROBERT FORD lectures at 27 Winning friends in India Stephen Crabb MP the University of Manchester Emran Mian DAMIAN GREEN MP is the 10 Unionism
    [Show full text]
  • Natural Rights, Natural Religion, and the Origins of the Free Exercise Clause
    ARTICLES REASON AND CONVICTION: NATURAL RIGHTS, NATURAL RELIGION, AND THE ORIGINS OF THE FREE EXERCISE CLAUSE Steven J. Heyman* ABSTRACT One of the most intense debates in contemporary America involves conflicts between religious liberty and other key values like civil rights. To shed light on such problems, courts and scholars often look to the historical background of the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. But that inquiry turns out to be no less controversial. In recent years, a growing number of scholars have challenged the traditional account that focuses on the roles of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the movement to protect religious liberty in late eighteenth-century America. These scholars emphasize that most of the political energy behind the movement came from Evangelical Christians. On this revisionist account, we should not understand the Free Exercise Clause and corresponding state provisions in terms of the Enlightenment views of Jefferson and Madison, which these scholars characterize as secular, rationalist, and skeptical—if not hostile—toward religion. Instead, those protections were adopted for essentially religious reasons: to protect the liberty of individuals to respond to God’s will and to allow the church to carry out its mission to spread the Gospel. This Article offers a different understanding of the intellectual foundations of the Free Exercise Clause. The most basic view that supported religious liberty was neither secular rationalism nor Christian Evangelicalism but what contemporaries called natural religion. This view held that human beings were capable of using reason to discern the basic principles of religion, including the duties they owed to God and one another.
    [Show full text]
  • Utilitarianism in the Age of Enlightenment
    UTILITARIANISM IN THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT This is the first book-length study of one of the most influential traditions in eighteenth-century Anglophone moral and political thought, ‘theological utilitarianism’. Niall O’Flaherty charts its devel- opment from its formulation by Anglican disciples of Locke in the 1730s to its culmination in William Paley’s work. Few works of moral and political thought had such a profound impact on political dis- course as Paley’s Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy (1785). His arguments were at the forefront of debates about the constitution, the judicial system, slavery and poverty. By placing Paley’s moral thought in the context of theological debate, this book establishes his genuine commitment to a worldly theology and to a programme of human advancement. It thus raises serious doubts about histories which treat the Enlightenment as an entirely secular enterprise, as well as those which see English thought as being markedly out of step with wider European intellectual developments. niall o’flaherty is a Lecturer in the History of European Political Thought at King’s College London. His research focuses on eighteenth- and nineteenth-century moral, political and religious thought in Britain. He has published articles on William Paley and Thomas Robert Malthus, and is currently writing a book entitled Malthus and the Discovery of Poverty. ideas in context Edited by David Armitage, Richard Bourke, Jennifer Pitts and John Robertson The books in this series will discuss the emergence of intellectual traditions and of related new disciplines. The procedures, aims and vocabularies that were generated will be set in the context of the alternatives available within the contemporary frameworks of ideas and institutions.
    [Show full text]