An ad for this book turned up in my inbox.
What a
strange narrative these folks have sought to create. Religious Liberty, and
then to cite Calvin and Knox?
Do these
folks not realize that these men did not in any way shape or form believe in
religious liberty? They believed that their particular forms of Magisterial
Protestantism should not be 'free' to worship, rather they believed their form
of Protestantism should be in charge and that the state should suppress all
other forms of religion, including forms of Protestantism which dissented from
their own. Freedom was their cry when they were being oppressed. It wasn't a
general principal they had any interest in at all.
Then to
weave this into the whole American narrative. This is great ignorance on
display. Madison represented a great break, a great severing of the
Constantinian tradition. Thanks be to God, even if Madison was basically an
infidel and the motives of the Founders were a far cry from seeking to honour
the God of Scripture.
Tyndale is
of course a martyr and rightly considered a hero of the faith. Sadly he too put
his hopes on the notion that a king might somehow 'reform' a nation. All
nonsense of course. Kings do... pretty much what Henry VIII did to him. All
that said, he was true believer and a mighty servant of God.
America was
founded in sin, rebellion and blood. Nevertheless for God's people there were
aspects of it that were and are favourable. But to celebrate it, especially
considering the centuries of evil and abomination it has perpetrated? The
American Empire is built on the same foundation as every other... theft and murder.
That's the American narrative. To try and baptize it is frankly offensive.
Sorry. I
don't expect Farris will want to tell the whole story, only the one that suits
his narrative.
And I'm
sorry he's simply wrong. In the end 1776 had a lot more to do with the
Enlightenment than it did with Smithfield. The Enlightenment for all its folly
and evil was brilliant for one thing. It began to smash the abomination and
affront to God known as 'Christendom' and its false claims to being God's
Kingdom on earth.
And like
Knox and Calvin the Nationalistic Dominionists of our day don't really believe
in religious liberty either. The Christian Right has demonstrated this time and
time again in their war against free speech and personal liberty. A land with
censorship and loyalty tests in not one that believes in religious liberty.
I recently
found this little gem someone posted on YouTube:
It would
seem many people have forgotten these days. For me it brought back some
memories.
