Roger Williams Religious Beliefs

Essay #2 Roger Williams was a religious leader who founded the state of Rhode Island (qtd. in Williams). He practiced peaceful ideologies and respected those different from him. Even though he believed religion was important and it should influence everyone’s lives, Williams believed there should be separation between church and state. Religious freedom was important to him, and spirituality was something that greatly impacted his life. Because Roger Williams believed in religious liberty, many of the Puritans and other colonists disagreed with him and viewed him as a threat. Roger Williams was a man who respected all cultures and religions. Williams states, “Nature knows no difference between Europe and Americans in blood, birth, bodies, etc.” This quote shows that Williams respected the Natives as his equals. He aspired for a peaceful society, and he believed that religious liberty was an important component of said society. Williams said, “Civil peace cannot stand …show more content…
Their whole reasoning for moving to the Americas was to bring Christianity to North America and create a new nation based on Christian principles. While Roger Williams believed Christianity was very important, he thought there needed to be a separation between church and state. Despite their differences, Winthrop and Williams shared many of the same beliefs and qualities. Both were religious leaders, and they wanted to spread Christianity. Winthrop stated, “It wilbe a service to the Churche of great Consequence to carrye the Gospell into those parts of the world…”(Winthrop 23). In A Key into the Language of America, Williams notes the importance of spreading Christianity to the Natives, and he uses guidance from God to do so. Both of these men utilized strength gained from their religion to assist them in performing the tasks they deemed