Religious Freedom In North America

Religious freedom did not exist in British North American colonies prior to the eighteenth century. The puritans accepted fellow puritans, but anyone else was unwelcome. Religious freedom is the right to choose any religion without interference amongst anyone. Although the Puritans were escaping their own religious persecution, they were not making it easy on others. The idea of colonists accepting other people of different beliefs into their community was uncommon in the eighteenth century. Primarily it was the Puritans that did not have open arms for others, and it is almost hypocritical in the sense. Puritans leave England so they can practice their religion freely but refuse to accept others faiths. They went to lengths of exiling …show more content…
Religion was the basis of everyone’s mindset in the late seventeen hundreds. So it is safe to say that some of the believers would use their knowledge of their proclaimed God to justify their actions, like persecuting others for not agreeing on their views. “Although most colonists considered themselves Christians, this did not mean that they lived in a culture of religious unity. Instead, differing Christian groups often believed that their own practices and faiths provided unique values that needed protection against those who disagreed…”(Religion in Colonial America: Trends, Regulations, and Beliefs). With that, the colonists also insisted on spreading their religion, but in an indirect nonconsenting way. An example would be to their slaves knowing they would not have a choice on their beliefs. “...slaves were most often a silent minority. If they received any Christian religious instructions, it was, more often than not, from their owners rather than in Sunday school” (Religion in Colonial America: Trends, Regulations, and …show more content…
“They were forced out because they wanted to reform human civilization through religion, to wipe out poverty, and to make a heaven on Earth in which everyone was free to discover God’s will for themselves”(The Puritans and Freedom of Religion).Did they accomplish this? They did, however not in the least bit humane way. When it takes one group to kill another group to prove their devotion to their higher being, it really shows the flaws in the establishment of religious freedom in the colonies.
Religion is a delicate word that evokes many feelings and connotations of others. To each his own. Unfortunately, the story of the colonists is not as simple as it is told in elementary. Religious freedom did not exist in the British North American Colonies because of the persecution of thinkers of other beliefs and the undoubtedly forced conditions of living in a society where going to church is mandatory and paying taxes to further benefit religious