[quote]Legionary wrote:
[quote]SexMachine wrote:
[quote]Legionary wrote:
[quote]SexMachine wrote:
[quote]Legionary wrote:
Are you seriously calling into question the influence that the Age of Enlightenment had on the political philosophies of the American Revolution and the Founding Fathers? That is so obvious that it doesn’t need to explicitly stated anywhere. Ever read Two Treatises of Government? NO ONE had a greater influence on American Liberty than John Locke.
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And Locke was deeply religious.[/quote]
Yes, and there is nothing I take issue with that. He also held sacred the separation of church and state, as do I. Religious belief is not the issue. Keeping the Church out of the affairs of the State and the State out of the affairs of the Church is however. For example, I was aghast that a friend in H.S who was our Valedictorian was told by a court that she couldn’t mention God or scripture in her graduation speech. That ruling was overturned by a higher court thankfully.[/quote]
Not this again! Read what I said here about Locke and separation of church and state:
For one thing, Locke didn’t believe atheists should be tolerated. I really don’t want to keep going around in circles with this. I spent significant time yesterday explaining separation of church and state.[/quote]
I suppose its good that I’m not an atheist then. Have you read his Letters Concerning Toleration?
“Three arguments are central: (1) Earthly judges, the state in particular, and human beings generally, cannot dependably evaluate the truth-claims of competing religious standpoints; (2) Even if they could, enforcing a single “true religion” would not have the desired effect, because belief cannot be compelled by violence; (3) Coercing religious uniformity would lead to more social disorder than allowing diversity.”[/quote]
Here’s what Adams said about Locke’s political philosophy:
"Mr. Locke, in 1663, was employed to trace out a plan of legislation for Carolina; and he gave the whole authority, executive and legislative, to the eight proprietors, the lords Berkley, Clarendon, Albemarle, Craven, and Ashley; and messieurs Carteret, Berkley, and Colleton, and their heirs. This new oligarchical sovereignty created at once three orders of nobility: barons, with twelve thousand acres of land; caciques, with twenty-four thousand, &c.; and landgraves, with eighty thousand. Who did this legislator think would live under his government? He should have first created a new species of beings to govern, before he instituted such a government.
That last line cracks me up…