America's First Rebel: Roger Williams and the Birth of Liberty

[Chris]

Williams ought to be considered a founder, I really admire him.


"Williams was really America's first individualist, the first contradictor of authority, the first rebel," explains John M. Barry, author of Roger Williams and The Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0670023051/reasonmagazineA/). While best known as the founder of Rhode Island and for being a leading proponent of a "wall of separation" between church and state, Barry argues that Williams' imprint on America is deeper than most recognize. "When I started writing the book I quickly realized that I was not simply writing about the emergence of the idea of religious liberty, but liberty itself."
America's First Rebel: Roger Williams and the Birth of Liberty (http://reason.com/blog/2012/07/16/americas-first-rebel-roger-williams-and)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=evuoj2b1reg#!

[wingrider]

fascinating video thanks for posting it.. I like the part about government not imposing its will on the freedom of religion, which is what we have today when government stops religion from exercising its right of " free exercise thereof" .... somehow the term freedom of religion has been transformed to freedom from religion,,

[Chris]

fascinating video thanks for posting it.. I like the part about government not imposing its will on the freedom of religion, which is what we have today when government stops religion from exercising its right of " free exercise thereof" .... somehow the term freedom of religion has been transformed to freedom from religion,,

Agreed, he was against government meddling in religion, thus the wall of separation, which Jefferson borrowed, and was enshrined in "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". But a reading of Williams will show he stood for complete individual liberty of conscience, both of and from. Locke in his Letter on Tolerance advocated tolerance for all but Papism or Atheism, Williams advocated tolerance for both.

[Trinnity]

IMO, the current prezzy is and atheist and has no respect for anyone's faith.
The viddy was good, btw.