Heather Cox Richardson: 《To make men free 》《通往自由之路》

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 Heather Cox Richardson

係Boston 大學的歷史系教授。她寫的《To make men free 》

有中譯本《通往自由之路》，我時常推薦朋友閱讀。

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HC Richardson

FB 2025.11.27

✔️原始十三殖民地中，有十個在法律中明文規定了自己的官方宗教。那時候不是在挑選「哪間教堂音樂比較好聽」或「哪位牧師的牛仔褲最好看」。在當時，宗教意味著權力；如果你不遵從法律，就會受到懲罰。

   •   維吉尼亞（Virginia）是英國國教（Anglican）。不去教堂可能會被罰款甚至坐牢，教區（vestry）還可能派人到你家查訪，那可不是什麼友善的關懷探訪。

繼續閱讀請點選下面這個數字        [28.11.25]   

   •   麻薩諸塞（Massachusetts）是清教徒（Puritan）。他們驅逐異議者、鞭打浸禮宗（Baptists），甚至處決貴格會（Quakers）成員。

   •   安・哈金森（Ann Hutchinson）因為在家裡舉辦查經班而被驅逐。紐約有一條河就是以她的名字命名。

   •   馬里蘭（Maryland）由天主教徒建立，他們通過法律規定：若有人否認三位一體，就可能被處死（三位一體這概念甚至不在《聖經》中）。

   •   賓夕法尼亞（Pennsylvania）是貴格會（Quaker），以寬容著稱，但即使如此，他們仍禁止賭博、戲劇表演及宣誓；而和平主義也使他們在政治上飽受爭議。

 

   •   紐約（New York）與紐澤西（New Jersey）深受荷蘭改革宗（Dutch Reformed）影響，但在英國統治下聖公會勢力上升，連路德宗牧師都不被允許公開講道。

   •   羅德島（Rhode Island）是例外。由羅傑・威廉斯（Roger Williams）創立，他被麻薩諸塞驅逐，而他相信強迫宗教是「靈魂強暴」（soul rape）。

   •   北卡羅來納（North Carolina）中的貴格會成員因拒絕效忠宣誓或拒服兵役而被罰款，並被禁止擔任公職。

所有這些，都不是宗教自由，而是宗教強制。殖民地之間並沒有共同的信仰，而只要你越界，就會受到懲罰。

這正是為什麼憲法要把教會與國家分開。因為他們親眼看過，也親身經歷過宗教成為法律時會發生的事。

英文原文：

✔️Ten of the original 13 colonies had their own religion written in the law. This wasn’t about finding a church with the best music or a pastor with the best jeans.

Back then religion meant power and if you didn’t follow the law there were consequences.

-Virginia was Anglican.

Miss church and you could be fined or jailed and the vestry might send someone to your house to check on you and it wasn’t a nice welfare check.

-Massachusetts was Puritan and they banned dissenters, whipped baptists and executed Quakers.

-Ann Hutchinson was banned for holding bible studies class at home.

A river in New York is named after her.

-Maryland was Catholic founded and they passed a law that if you denied the trinity you could be put to death (the trinity is not even in the Bible).

-Pennsylvania was Quaker, know for tolerance but even they banned gambling, theater and oath taking and their pacifism made them politically controversial.

-New York and New Jersey had strong Dutch Reform roots but under British rule Anglican gained power. Lutheran pastors weren’t even allowed to preach publicly.

-Rhode Island was the exception.

Founded by Roger Williams after he was banned from Massachusetts he believed forced religion was “soul rape.”

-North Carolina had Quakers who were fined and barred from holding office for refusing to take loyalty oaths or military service.

-All of this was not religious freedom.

It was religious enforcement.

The colonies didn’t share one faith and if you stepped out of line you would be punished.

-That’s exactly why the constitution separates church from state.

They knew what happens when religion became law because they had seen and experienced it first hand..

- Lindsay Winslow Brown