Thomas J. Curry
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195145694
- eISBN:
- 9780199834129
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195145690.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Religious liberty depends on keeping the government out of religious matters, whereas religious toleration is a gift of government. Virginia's Bill for Religious Liberty and Massachusetts’ ...
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Religious liberty depends on keeping the government out of religious matters, whereas religious toleration is a gift of government. Virginia's Bill for Religious Liberty and Massachusetts’ Constitution of 1780 illustrated these contrasting concepts. The modern preoccupation with the meaning of establishment of religion overlooks the significance to Americans in 1789, of the free exercise of religion. So, too, modern emphasis on the image of “separation of Church and State” leads scholars away from an appreciation of the historical meaning of the Amendment.Less
Religious liberty depends on keeping the government out of religious matters, whereas religious toleration is a gift of government. Virginia's Bill for Religious Liberty and Massachusetts’ Constitution of 1780 illustrated these contrasting concepts. The modern preoccupation with the meaning of establishment of religion overlooks the significance to Americans in 1789, of the free exercise of religion. So, too, modern emphasis on the image of “separation of Church and State” leads scholars away from an appreciation of the historical meaning of the Amendment.
John McManners
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198270041
- eISBN:
- 9780191600692
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198270046.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
The second volume of this study of the relations between the Catholic Church and society in eighteenth‐century France covers the topics of popular religion; the clergy and morals; the Jansenist ...
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The second volume of this study of the relations between the Catholic Church and society in eighteenth‐century France covers the topics of popular religion; the clergy and morals; the Jansenist controversy in its religious and political aspects; the expulsion of the Jesuits; the religious minorities and the issue of toleration; and the crisis of the ancien régime in its politico‐religious dimension. The section on the ‘religion of the people’ considers, in particular, the distinctions between the intentions of the clergy in imposing their version of Christianity on the people and how these were popularly interpreted and incorporated into the social order. The statistical evidence concerning religious practice and conviction is critically assessed. The meanings and importance of processions, pilgrimages, superstitions, hermits, confraternities, and literacy and Bible reading are discussed along with the world of magic and sorcery. The efficacy of confession and writings on morality is considered with reference to sexual mores, business practice, and the theatre. The role of religious issues in political affairs is discussed in detail, linking the Jansenist quarrel and the role of the Jesuits to the developing struggle between the crown and the parlement of Paris, giving due consideration to the role of ideas and how ecclesiastical affairs impinged upon the sovereign courts. An extended evocation of the life of the Protestant and Jewish communities introduces the debate on toleration and how it further embroiled the Gallican Church in political controversies. The final section describes the role of churchmen, from bishops to the disaffected lower clergy, in the coming of the Revolution. As in the first volume, the influence of Enlightenment thought is examined in all sections in relation to the rising force of anti‐clericalism and to tensions within the ecclesiastical establishment.Less
The second volume of this study of the relations between the Catholic Church and society in eighteenth‐century France covers the topics of popular religion; the clergy and morals; the Jansenist controversy in its religious and political aspects; the expulsion of the Jesuits; the religious minorities and the issue of toleration; and the crisis of the ancien régime in its politico‐religious dimension. The section on the ‘religion of the people’ considers, in particular, the distinctions between the intentions of the clergy in imposing their version of Christianity on the people and how these were popularly interpreted and incorporated into the social order. The statistical evidence concerning religious practice and conviction is critically assessed. The meanings and importance of processions, pilgrimages, superstitions, hermits, confraternities, and literacy and Bible reading are discussed along with the world of magic and sorcery. The efficacy of confession and writings on morality is considered with reference to sexual mores, business practice, and the theatre. The role of religious issues in political affairs is discussed in detail, linking the Jansenist quarrel and the role of the Jesuits to the developing struggle between the crown and the parlement of Paris, giving due consideration to the role of ideas and how ecclesiastical affairs impinged upon the sovereign courts. An extended evocation of the life of the Protestant and Jewish communities introduces the debate on toleration and how it further embroiled the Gallican Church in political controversies. The final section describes the role of churchmen, from bishops to the disaffected lower clergy, in the coming of the Revolution. As in the first volume, the influence of Enlightenment thought is examined in all sections in relation to the rising force of anti‐clericalism and to tensions within the ecclesiastical establishment.
Jonathan I. Israel
- Published in print:
- 1991
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198201960
- eISBN:
- 9780191675102
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198201960.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History, History of Religion
This chapter focuses on William III and his contribution to the cause of religious toleration and advancement of religious and intellectual programs in Britain, in the Dutch Republic, and in the ...
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This chapter focuses on William III and his contribution to the cause of religious toleration and advancement of religious and intellectual programs in Britain, in the Dutch Republic, and in the North American colonies. It describes how the Dutch Republic provided a working model of religious toleration. It also shows that William's need for foreign allies led him to support the cause of Catholic toleration as well. Before William II set sail for England, he reiterated his previous assurances that he would safeguard Catholic worship in Britain and would ensure that British Catholics received very moderate, that is, tolerant, treatment.Less
This chapter focuses on William III and his contribution to the cause of religious toleration and advancement of religious and intellectual programs in Britain, in the Dutch Republic, and in the North American colonies. It describes how the Dutch Republic provided a working model of religious toleration. It also shows that William's need for foreign allies led him to support the cause of Catholic toleration as well. Before William II set sail for England, he reiterated his previous assurances that he would safeguard Catholic worship in Britain and would ensure that British Catholics received very moderate, that is, tolerant, treatment.
John Kilcullen
- Published in print:
- 1988
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198266914
- eISBN:
- 9780191683114
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198266914.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This introductory chapter presents an overview of the four chapters featured in this volume. The chapters all arose in one way or another from reflection on Pierre Bayle's Philosophical Commentary on ...
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This introductory chapter presents an overview of the four chapters featured in this volume. The chapters all arose in one way or another from reflection on Pierre Bayle's Philosophical Commentary on the Words of the Gospel, ‘Compel them to come in’, one of the classics of the 17th-century debate about religious toleration. Bayle wrote the Philosophical Commentary to advocate religious toleration at a time when it seemed almost a lost cause. Deeply committed to that cause, he was also an enemy to faulty reasoning even from himself. A man of sharp intelligence, in philosophy and theology he was very well informed.Less
This introductory chapter presents an overview of the four chapters featured in this volume. The chapters all arose in one way or another from reflection on Pierre Bayle's Philosophical Commentary on the Words of the Gospel, ‘Compel them to come in’, one of the classics of the 17th-century debate about religious toleration. Bayle wrote the Philosophical Commentary to advocate religious toleration at a time when it seemed almost a lost cause. Deeply committed to that cause, he was also an enemy to faulty reasoning even from himself. A man of sharp intelligence, in philosophy and theology he was very well informed.
Brian Leiter
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691163543
- eISBN:
- 9781400852345
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691163543.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter confronts the question of what to do about our Sikh boy and rural boy discussed in the introduction if there really is no reason to tolerate only the former's claim of conscience for ...
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This chapter confronts the question of what to do about our Sikh boy and rural boy discussed in the introduction if there really is no reason to tolerate only the former's claim of conscience for carrying a weapon in places where that is ordinarily prohibited. It argues that both boys should be out of luck: that there should not be exemptions to general laws with neutral purposes, unless those exemptions do not shift burdens or risks onto others. It also considers whether the moral ideal of toleration, as articulated and defended in this book, is incompatible with state establishment or disestablishment of religion generally. The chapter argues that it is not, and that a tolerant state could, in principle, be either a religious or antireligious one.Less
This chapter confronts the question of what to do about our Sikh boy and rural boy discussed in the introduction if there really is no reason to tolerate only the former's claim of conscience for carrying a weapon in places where that is ordinarily prohibited. It argues that both boys should be out of luck: that there should not be exemptions to general laws with neutral purposes, unless those exemptions do not shift burdens or risks onto others. It also considers whether the moral ideal of toleration, as articulated and defended in this book, is incompatible with state establishment or disestablishment of religion generally. The chapter argues that it is not, and that a tolerant state could, in principle, be either a religious or antireligious one.
Brian Leiter
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691163543
- eISBN:
- 9781400852345
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691163543.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter analyzes the concept of religious toleration. Religious toleration has long been the paradigm of the liberal ideal of toleration of group differences, as reflected in both the ...
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This chapter analyzes the concept of religious toleration. Religious toleration has long been the paradigm of the liberal ideal of toleration of group differences, as reflected in both the constitutions of the major Western democracies and in the theoretical literature explaining and justifying these practice. But while the historical reasons for the special “pride of place” accorded religious toleration are familiar, what may be more surprising is that no one has been able to articulate a credible principled argument for tolerating religion qua religion—that is, an argument that would explain why, as a matter of moral principle, we ought to accord special legal and moral treatment to religious practices. The answer in this book is: not because of anything that has to do with it being religion as such.Less
This chapter analyzes the concept of religious toleration. Religious toleration has long been the paradigm of the liberal ideal of toleration of group differences, as reflected in both the constitutions of the major Western democracies and in the theoretical literature explaining and justifying these practice. But while the historical reasons for the special “pride of place” accorded religious toleration are familiar, what may be more surprising is that no one has been able to articulate a credible principled argument for tolerating religion qua religion—that is, an argument that would explain why, as a matter of moral principle, we ought to accord special legal and moral treatment to religious practices. The answer in this book is: not because of anything that has to do with it being religion as such.
Jonathan I. Israel
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199279227
- eISBN:
- 9780191700040
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279227.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, History of Ideas, European Modern History
The author presents the first major reassessment of the Western Enlightenment for a generation. Continuing the story he began in Radical Enlightenment, and now focusing his attention on the first ...
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The author presents the first major reassessment of the Western Enlightenment for a generation. Continuing the story he began in Radical Enlightenment, and now focusing his attention on the first half of the 18th century, he returns to the original sources to offer a new perspective on the nature and development of the most important currents in modern thought. The author traces many of the core principles of Western modernity to their roots in the social, political, and philosophical ferment of this period: the primacy of reason, democracy, racial equality, feminism, religious toleration, sexual emancipation, and freedom of expression. He emphasizes the dual character of the Enlightenment and the bitter struggle between, on the one hand, a generally dominant, anti-democratic mainstream, supporting the monarchy, aristocracy, and ecclesiastical authority, and on the other a largely repressed democratic, republican, and ‘materialist’ radical fringe. He also contends that the supposedly separate French, British, German, Dutch, and Italian enlightenments interacted to such a degree that their study in isolation gives a hopelessly distorted picture.Less
The author presents the first major reassessment of the Western Enlightenment for a generation. Continuing the story he began in Radical Enlightenment, and now focusing his attention on the first half of the 18th century, he returns to the original sources to offer a new perspective on the nature and development of the most important currents in modern thought. The author traces many of the core principles of Western modernity to their roots in the social, political, and philosophical ferment of this period: the primacy of reason, democracy, racial equality, feminism, religious toleration, sexual emancipation, and freedom of expression. He emphasizes the dual character of the Enlightenment and the bitter struggle between, on the one hand, a generally dominant, anti-democratic mainstream, supporting the monarchy, aristocracy, and ecclesiastical authority, and on the other a largely repressed democratic, republican, and ‘materialist’ radical fringe. He also contends that the supposedly separate French, British, German, Dutch, and Italian enlightenments interacted to such a degree that their study in isolation gives a hopelessly distorted picture.
S.N. Balagangadhara
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198082965
- eISBN:
- 9780199081936
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198082965.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, Historiography
This chapter develops an alternative perspective on the issue of secularism in India. Contemporary India confronts acute problems of religious pluralism, which pose fundamental challenges to the ...
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This chapter develops an alternative perspective on the issue of secularism in India. Contemporary India confronts acute problems of religious pluralism, which pose fundamental challenges to the existing political theory concerning religious toleration. As the Indian society consists of both pagan traditions and Semitic religions, the secular state confronts a set of difficulties unknown to the western cultural background from which it originally emerged. More specifically, by tackling the problem of religious conversion, this chapter shows that the dominant way of conceiving state neutrality becomes problematic in the Indian context. The argument suggests that the post-independent Indian state, modelled after the liberal democracies in the West, is the harbinger of religious violence in India because of the way it conceives of state neutrality. More of ‘secularism’ in India will end up feeding what it fights: the so-called ‘Hindu fundamentalism’.Less
This chapter develops an alternative perspective on the issue of secularism in India. Contemporary India confronts acute problems of religious pluralism, which pose fundamental challenges to the existing political theory concerning religious toleration. As the Indian society consists of both pagan traditions and Semitic religions, the secular state confronts a set of difficulties unknown to the western cultural background from which it originally emerged. More specifically, by tackling the problem of religious conversion, this chapter shows that the dominant way of conceiving state neutrality becomes problematic in the Indian context. The argument suggests that the post-independent Indian state, modelled after the liberal democracies in the West, is the harbinger of religious violence in India because of the way it conceives of state neutrality. More of ‘secularism’ in India will end up feeding what it fights: the so-called ‘Hindu fundamentalism’.
Ole Peter Grell
- Published in print:
- 1991
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198201960
- eISBN:
- 9780191675102
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198201960.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History, History of Religion
Religious intolerance was the norm throughout the Christian Middle Ages. The era of the Reformation is especially notorious for persecution of Protestants by Catholics and vice versa. This book ...
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Religious intolerance was the norm throughout the Christian Middle Ages. The era of the Reformation is especially notorious for persecution of Protestants by Catholics and vice versa. This book discusses the attitude of English governments to the problem of religious diversity and describes the events that led to the establishment of religious toleration. From 1603 onwards, toleration for English Catholics became an issue in international diplomacy, Spain and France each intervening on their behalf. Religious toleration was secured by statute, by the so-called Toleration Act of May 1689.Less
Religious intolerance was the norm throughout the Christian Middle Ages. The era of the Reformation is especially notorious for persecution of Protestants by Catholics and vice versa. This book discusses the attitude of English governments to the problem of religious diversity and describes the events that led to the establishment of religious toleration. From 1603 onwards, toleration for English Catholics became an issue in international diplomacy, Spain and France each intervening on their behalf. Religious toleration was secured by statute, by the so-called Toleration Act of May 1689.
Owen Chadwick
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198269021
- eISBN:
- 9780191600470
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198269021.003.0017
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
It was an axiom initially accepted by all but anabaptists that a state could only exist with a single religion, and it took years of religious war in Germany for a kind of semi‐toleration to be ...
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It was an axiom initially accepted by all but anabaptists that a state could only exist with a single religion, and it took years of religious war in Germany for a kind of semi‐toleration to be accepted. Debate about the correct punishment for heretics and blasphemers reached its crucial point in the case of Michael Servetus in Geneva and Calvin's defence of his execution, an event that propelled Sebastian Castellio to the forefront as the main proponent of toleration. The situation of the Jews in Germany was not affected radically by the early Reformation, though Luther's anti‐Semitism towards the end of his life created disquiet among other Reformers. Persecution of witches, though common in some regions, had not yet attained the dimensions of the later witch craze.Less
It was an axiom initially accepted by all but anabaptists that a state could only exist with a single religion, and it took years of religious war in Germany for a kind of semi‐toleration to be accepted. Debate about the correct punishment for heretics and blasphemers reached its crucial point in the case of Michael Servetus in Geneva and Calvin's defence of his execution, an event that propelled Sebastian Castellio to the forefront as the main proponent of toleration. The situation of the Jews in Germany was not affected radically by the early Reformation, though Luther's anti‐Semitism towards the end of his life created disquiet among other Reformers. Persecution of witches, though common in some regions, had not yet attained the dimensions of the later witch craze.
Philip L. Quinn
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195138092
- eISBN:
- 9780199835348
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195138090.003.0017
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter surveys recent work on philosophical issues raised by religious diversity or pluralism. It focuses on four topics. The first is the epistemological challenge of religious diversity. ...
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This chapter surveys recent work on philosophical issues raised by religious diversity or pluralism. It focuses on four topics. The first is the epistemological challenge of religious diversity. The rationality of commitment to any particular religious tradition seems to be threatened by the existence of rival traditions. The second is the political problem of religious toleration. Religious conflict throughout the world suggests a need for better arguments against religious intolerance than those currently available. The third is the task of understanding the concept of religion. Religious pluralism fuels debate about whether the concept of religion can be defined in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions or, if it cannot, whether it must be analyzed in terms of family resemblances. And the fourth is the enterprise of making constructive comparisons in religious ethics. Similarities and differences between the virtue theories of diverse religious traditions illuminate strengths and weaknesses in the ethical thought of the religions subjected to comparison. The chapter argues from these examples to the conclusion that religious diversity gives rise to several exciting and important problems that ought to be high on the agenda of philosophy of religion.Less
This chapter surveys recent work on philosophical issues raised by religious diversity or pluralism. It focuses on four topics. The first is the epistemological challenge of religious diversity. The rationality of commitment to any particular religious tradition seems to be threatened by the existence of rival traditions. The second is the political problem of religious toleration. Religious conflict throughout the world suggests a need for better arguments against religious intolerance than those currently available. The third is the task of understanding the concept of religion. Religious pluralism fuels debate about whether the concept of religion can be defined in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions or, if it cannot, whether it must be analyzed in terms of family resemblances. And the fourth is the enterprise of making constructive comparisons in religious ethics. Similarities and differences between the virtue theories of diverse religious traditions illuminate strengths and weaknesses in the ethical thought of the religions subjected to comparison. The chapter argues from these examples to the conclusion that religious diversity gives rise to several exciting and important problems that ought to be high on the agenda of philosophy of religion.
Maria Rosa Antognazza
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781474449229
- eISBN:
- 9781474460200
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474449229.003.0003
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
The Reformation presented with heightened urgency the question of how to relate the system of beliefs regarded as fundamental by an established political community to alternative beliefs introduced ...
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The Reformation presented with heightened urgency the question of how to relate the system of beliefs regarded as fundamental by an established political community to alternative beliefs introduced by new groups and individuals. This chapter revisits different ways of addressing this problem, focusing on the relationship between truth and toleration. After discussing a variety of approaches, it investigates whether grounds for a general and principled theory of toleration can be found in religious truth itself and, following the tradition of natural law, in some universal truth discoverable by natural reason. The upshot is that, from a theoretical point of view, the culprit in intolerance is not in itself belief in some objective truth.Less
The Reformation presented with heightened urgency the question of how to relate the system of beliefs regarded as fundamental by an established political community to alternative beliefs introduced by new groups and individuals. This chapter revisits different ways of addressing this problem, focusing on the relationship between truth and toleration. After discussing a variety of approaches, it investigates whether grounds for a general and principled theory of toleration can be found in religious truth itself and, following the tradition of natural law, in some universal truth discoverable by natural reason. The upshot is that, from a theoretical point of view, the culprit in intolerance is not in itself belief in some objective truth.
John McManners
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198270041
- eISBN:
- 9780191600692
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198270046.003.0026
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
By the beginning of Louis XVI's reign the Huguenots of the Desert had come to see themselves as loyal subjects of the French king, and many of the Catholic parish clergy acquiesced in a ‘patchwork ...
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By the beginning of Louis XVI's reign the Huguenots of the Desert had come to see themselves as loyal subjects of the French king, and many of the Catholic parish clergy acquiesced in a ‘patchwork pattern of edgy toleration, at the mercy of events and the vagaries of malicious or fanatical individuals’. At the beginning of his reign, Louis announced his intention to enforce the anti‐Protestant laws properly, but soon realized that this was both unpopular and impractical. The proponents of toleration, led by the parlement of Paris, gradually gained the upper hand, despite the continuing opposition of the Church establishment. The issue of civil marriage was the main bone of contention, while supporters of tolerance cited foreign examples. The royal edict of toleration in 1787 was a grudging document, maintaining Protestants as second‐class citizens and ‘did little more than end the fiction that there were no Protestants in France’.Less
By the beginning of Louis XVI's reign the Huguenots of the Desert had come to see themselves as loyal subjects of the French king, and many of the Catholic parish clergy acquiesced in a ‘patchwork pattern of edgy toleration, at the mercy of events and the vagaries of malicious or fanatical individuals’. At the beginning of his reign, Louis announced his intention to enforce the anti‐Protestant laws properly, but soon realized that this was both unpopular and impractical. The proponents of toleration, led by the parlement of Paris, gradually gained the upper hand, despite the continuing opposition of the Church establishment. The issue of civil marriage was the main bone of contention, while supporters of tolerance cited foreign examples. The royal edict of toleration in 1787 was a grudging document, maintaining Protestants as second‐class citizens and ‘did little more than end the fiction that there were no Protestants in France’.
Joachim Whaley
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199693078
- eISBN:
- 9780191732256
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199693078.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, European Early Modern History
The Aufklärung did not reject the governmental forms and institutions of the past but sought to give them a new purpose. Discussion of Aufklärung ideas was fostered by the explosive growth of the ...
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The Aufklärung did not reject the governmental forms and institutions of the past but sought to give them a new purpose. Discussion of Aufklärung ideas was fostered by the explosive growth of the print media. Aufklärung was defined by Kant and others; it suffused Protestant and Catholic thinking and many Jewish communities. The reforms of the period often responded to the problem of reconstruction after the Seven Years War, but they were shaped by new cameralist and physiocratic ideas. ‘Improvement’ soon became a general watchword leading to important new developments in administrative practice, law and justice, schools and universities, thinking about religious toleration and in the culture of the German courts. There is some evidence to suggest that the reforms in the German territories helped them avoid the kind of societal crisis that exploded in France in 1789.Less
The Aufklärung did not reject the governmental forms and institutions of the past but sought to give them a new purpose. Discussion of Aufklärung ideas was fostered by the explosive growth of the print media. Aufklärung was defined by Kant and others; it suffused Protestant and Catholic thinking and many Jewish communities. The reforms of the period often responded to the problem of reconstruction after the Seven Years War, but they were shaped by new cameralist and physiocratic ideas. ‘Improvement’ soon became a general watchword leading to important new developments in administrative practice, law and justice, schools and universities, thinking about religious toleration and in the culture of the German courts. There is some evidence to suggest that the reforms in the German territories helped them avoid the kind of societal crisis that exploded in France in 1789.
Brian Leiter
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691163543
- eISBN:
- 9781400852345
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691163543.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion
The analysis has so far assumed that the moral foundation of the law of religious liberty is to be found in the idea of principled toleration. But are we entitled to that assumption? Martha Nussbaum, ...
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The analysis has so far assumed that the moral foundation of the law of religious liberty is to be found in the idea of principled toleration. But are we entitled to that assumption? Martha Nussbaum, for example, has recently argued for the attitude of “respect” as the moral foundation of religious liberty. However, her account is ambiguous between two senses of respect. In one sense of respect (“minimal” respect), it is compatible with nothing more than toleration of religion; and in a different sense (“affirmative” respect, and which Nussbaum appears to want to invoke), it could not form the moral basis of a legal regime since religion is not the kind of belief system that could warrant that attitude.Less
The analysis has so far assumed that the moral foundation of the law of religious liberty is to be found in the idea of principled toleration. But are we entitled to that assumption? Martha Nussbaum, for example, has recently argued for the attitude of “respect” as the moral foundation of religious liberty. However, her account is ambiguous between two senses of respect. In one sense of respect (“minimal” respect), it is compatible with nothing more than toleration of religion; and in a different sense (“affirmative” respect, and which Nussbaum appears to want to invoke), it could not form the moral basis of a legal regime since religion is not the kind of belief system that could warrant that attitude.
Joachim Whaley
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199693078
- eISBN:
- 9780191732256
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199693078.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, European Early Modern History
This section argues that absolutism is an inappropriate label to attach to the German territories. Government activity expanded in the face of the need for reconstruction after 1648 and new ideas ...
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This section argues that absolutism is an inappropriate label to attach to the German territories. Government activity expanded in the face of the need for reconstruction after 1648 and new ideas about the nature of government developed in the early Aufklärung (German Enlightenment). Conditions varied between Austria and Brandenburg-Prussia and smaller counties, knights' territories and imperial cities. The period saw a renewal of the court as a central agency of government (manifested in the construction of new castles and palaces in the baroque style), the development of armies, new relationships between princes and their subjects, and developments in both government and private economic enterprise. Rulers sought to impose confessional uniformity and to control phenomena such as Catholic popular piety or Pietism (Spener) and Protestant revivalism. Ideas of religious toleration emerged, reacting against the confessional conflicts of the past, as well as new forms of territorial patriotism.Less
This section argues that absolutism is an inappropriate label to attach to the German territories. Government activity expanded in the face of the need for reconstruction after 1648 and new ideas about the nature of government developed in the early Aufklärung (German Enlightenment). Conditions varied between Austria and Brandenburg-Prussia and smaller counties, knights' territories and imperial cities. The period saw a renewal of the court as a central agency of government (manifested in the construction of new castles and palaces in the baroque style), the development of armies, new relationships between princes and their subjects, and developments in both government and private economic enterprise. Rulers sought to impose confessional uniformity and to control phenomena such as Catholic popular piety or Pietism (Spener) and Protestant revivalism. Ideas of religious toleration emerged, reacting against the confessional conflicts of the past, as well as new forms of territorial patriotism.
Nicholas Hope
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198269946
- eISBN:
- 9780191600647
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198269943.003.0014
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
Introduces a new Protestant constitutional church order against the background of war and revolution, and collapse of the old Catholic Empire in 1806. In Germany, it meant very limited religious ...
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Introduces a new Protestant constitutional church order against the background of war and revolution, and collapse of the old Catholic Empire in 1806. In Germany, it meant very limited religious toleration for Catholics, Lutherans, and the Reformed. It appeared piecemeal in new state legislation, as law codes, religious edicts and written constitutions in Germany and in Scandinavia with the constitutional separation of Sweden–Finland (1809) and Denmark–Norway (1814).Less
Introduces a new Protestant constitutional church order against the background of war and revolution, and collapse of the old Catholic Empire in 1806. In Germany, it meant very limited religious toleration for Catholics, Lutherans, and the Reformed. It appeared piecemeal in new state legislation, as law codes, religious edicts and written constitutions in Germany and in Scandinavia with the constitutional separation of Sweden–Finland (1809) and Denmark–Norway (1814).
Hugh Trevor-Roper
- Published in print:
- 1991
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198201960
- eISBN:
- 9780191675102
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198201960.003.0015
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History, History of Religion
This chapter discusses the achievement of complete toleration for both Protestant Dissenters and Catholics. Religious toleration, one of the great achievements of the Revolution of 1688, was secured ...
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This chapter discusses the achievement of complete toleration for both Protestant Dissenters and Catholics. Religious toleration, one of the great achievements of the Revolution of 1688, was secured at last by statute, by the so-called Toleration Act of May 1689.Less
This chapter discusses the achievement of complete toleration for both Protestant Dissenters and Catholics. Religious toleration, one of the great achievements of the Revolution of 1688, was secured at last by statute, by the so-called Toleration Act of May 1689.
John McManners
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198270041
- eISBN:
- 9780191600692
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198270046.003.0024
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
The Camisard revolt in the Cévennes in the early eighteenth century led not only to fierce repression of Protestantism in southern France but also to the reorganization of the clandestine Huguenot ...
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The Camisard revolt in the Cévennes in the early eighteenth century led not only to fierce repression of Protestantism in southern France but also to the reorganization of the clandestine Huguenot churches and strengthening of the faith in the period known in Protestant history as ‘the Desert’. The anti‐Huguenot edicts of Louis XIV remained in force under Louis XV, resulting in the cruel harassment of defiant Protestants and ‘new Catholics’, including the forceable removal of children from their parents to be educated as Catholics. The clandestine assemblies of Protestants were frequently broken up by the military, but as the century wore on, royal intendants withdrew their cooperation from the most fanatical of persecuting bishops. Repression and its attendant cruelties revolted public opinion, leading to a pamphlet debate in the 1750s, exacerbated by the Calas affair of 1762‐63, made famous by Voltaire. Despite the tolerant attitude of many individual curés, the Church remained firmly committed to the suppression of the Huguenots and took much of the blame for an unpopular policy.Less
The Camisard revolt in the Cévennes in the early eighteenth century led not only to fierce repression of Protestantism in southern France but also to the reorganization of the clandestine Huguenot churches and strengthening of the faith in the period known in Protestant history as ‘the Desert’. The anti‐Huguenot edicts of Louis XIV remained in force under Louis XV, resulting in the cruel harassment of defiant Protestants and ‘new Catholics’, including the forceable removal of children from their parents to be educated as Catholics. The clandestine assemblies of Protestants were frequently broken up by the military, but as the century wore on, royal intendants withdrew their cooperation from the most fanatical of persecuting bishops. Repression and its attendant cruelties revolted public opinion, leading to a pamphlet debate in the 1750s, exacerbated by the Calas affair of 1762‐63, made famous by Voltaire. Despite the tolerant attitude of many individual curés, the Church remained firmly committed to the suppression of the Huguenots and took much of the blame for an unpopular policy.
S. J. Barnett
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719067402
- eISBN:
- 9781781700518
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719067402.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
The discussion of the French experience in this chapter illustrates that the tiny number of philosophes, few of whom were deists, were more bystanders than activists in the major politico-religious ...
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The discussion of the French experience in this chapter illustrates that the tiny number of philosophes, few of whom were deists, were more bystanders than activists in the major politico-religious events and developments of the century. In fact, they can hardly be termed consistent fighters for toleration, at least as Enlightenment studies have traditionally understood that term. The study focuses on public opinion and broad forces for change, challenging the notion of an all-embracing French absolutism. The parliaments, Jansenists and broad public opinion achieved what the deists and philosophes never even consistently fought for: the suppression of the Jesuits, the development of a de facto toleration prior to the Revolution and the initiation of the demands for constitutional government. The chapter also deals with the emergence of religious toleration in France and the degree to which it was brought about by broad politico-religious struggle rather than by the philosophes.Less
The discussion of the French experience in this chapter illustrates that the tiny number of philosophes, few of whom were deists, were more bystanders than activists in the major politico-religious events and developments of the century. In fact, they can hardly be termed consistent fighters for toleration, at least as Enlightenment studies have traditionally understood that term. The study focuses on public opinion and broad forces for change, challenging the notion of an all-embracing French absolutism. The parliaments, Jansenists and broad public opinion achieved what the deists and philosophes never even consistently fought for: the suppression of the Jesuits, the development of a de facto toleration prior to the Revolution and the initiation of the demands for constitutional government. The chapter also deals with the emergence of religious toleration in France and the degree to which it was brought about by broad politico-religious struggle rather than by the philosophes.
