"A Letter Concerning Toleration": The Idea of Religious Freedom

John Locke, a political philosopher, wrote in A Letter Concerning Toleration, “That liberty of conscience is every man’s natural right, equally belonging to dissenters as to themselves; and that nobody ought to be compelled in matters of religion either by law or force” (57). Locke’s revelation that religion and its practices are not to be restricted on the grounds of human will was a profound step toward the development of liberal thought. His vision was for man to be ruled by God and not by a single entity that could dictate the religious practices of the people. Not only did this strike discord in his country, England, who was operating on a monarchial system of government, but it also inspired a movement amongst its colonies in North America. Throughout A Letter Concerning Toleration, Locke shows how Christians are acting toward other sects and denominations, which fuels his letter on tolerance because of the hypocrisy they are representing. Through the example of the Christians in England, Locke concludes that man ought not to be persecuted by their form of religion whether it be of Christian origin or not. This idea sparked his revelation that man should have the freedom to choose their religion and the right to voice their opinions based on God’s definition of “liberty of conscience” (Locke 57). Locke’s vision of religious freedom and free speech influenced not only the minds of his followers, but resulted in the development of the Declaration of Independence and United States’ First Amendment, thereby paving the way for democracy throughout the world.

Locke’s following led to the period in history deemed as the Enlightenment; this led the great insurrection in the western colonies of England later known as the United States of America. The cause of this revolution was grounded by Thomas Jefferson, who studied and meditated on the teachings of Locke, thereby showing favor to his instruction. Jefferson valued Locke’s wisdom so much that he thought of Locke as one of the “greatest men that have ever lived, without any exception, and as having laid the foundation of those superstructures which have been raised in the physical and moral sciences” (qtd. in Brown 80). He also showed the significance of Locke’s theories by using them to create a document, known as the Declaration of Independence, to declare the eastern colonies freedom from England in 1776. In this document, Jefferson states that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Although many feel this quote is an original thought, it evidentially comes directly from the mind of Locke who believed that men are subject to Natural Law or Divine Providence, which these are the rights given to man by his creator. Concisely, Jefferson was among others who followed Locke’s philosophies, and by these ideals the world will continue to be influenced.

In addition to Jefferson, James Madison, author of the United States First Amendment also revered and followed the teachings of Locke. According to David Richards, author of Toleration and Free Speech, Madison believed “the justification of principles of religious liberty commits us to accept principles of free speech” (331). Richards goes on to say that “Madison’s argument is” an “elaboration of the argument for liberty of conscience as an inalienable human right,” which means that Locke is theoretically the original architect behind the First Amendment’s religious illustration (331). For example, the First Amendment reads that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech…” (“Bill of Rights”). This was attributed to Locke’s letter on toleration, concluding that “no private person has any right in any manner to prejudice another person in his civil [liberties] because he is of another church or religion” (20). Therefore, Locke is the mind behind the theory of free speech and the freedom to exercise religion.

Since Locke’s vision of religion and free speech were adopted by America, the world has followed in its steps. Several countries now have the similar freedoms that Jefferson and Madison concluded were necessary to society. For instance, a majority of the current countries have some form of religious freedom and freedom of speech; this is not a coincidence. England erected free speech and freedom of religion after the success of the First Amendment, which showed how Locke was a man before his time in thought and relevance. In addition, even China, a known Communist and intolerant government gives the people the right to protest, a form freedom of speech. Locke has changed the face of society in that he planted the seed of toleration for other views in the hopes of allowing the individual to choose his or her own path and not the tyranny that possesses them. Thus, the future of Locke’s theories is a great one that will only improve throughout history.

The vision Locke held in regards to religious freedom and free speech did influence his followers as shown by Jefferson and Madison who demonstrated this in their text. Jefferson concluded that Locke was the force behind his mindset in the manner of religious freedom, and that Locke ultimately created the notation of Natural Law, which is one of, if not, the foundations for the Declaration of Independence. In addition to Jefferson, Madison too felt the persuasion of Locke in his policy of religion and free speech, resulting in the development of the First Amendment. Through both Jefferson and Madison, the world now shares certain freedoms which were erected by Locke as theory and put into practice by Jefferson and Madison. Should man be subject to the tyranny of another because they believe differently or because their model of social propriety is new to the realm of norm? Locke proved that the restraint of people does not form an open dialog that inspires achievement, but dooms them to the obstruction of their vises. If man were to follow Locke’s thought, tyranny would be but a memory instead of a reality.

References:

“Bill of Rights Transcript.” National Archives and Records Administration. 26 July 2009.

Brown, Stuart Gerry. “The Mind of Thomas Jefferson.” Ethics 73.2 (1963): 79-99. JSTOR. Lone Star College. 17 July 2009.

Jefferson, Thomas. “NARA The National Archives Experience.” National Archives and Records Administration. 26 July 2009.

Locke, John. A Letter Concerning Toleration. New York: Fq Classics, 2007.

Richards, David. “Philosophy and Public Affairs.” Toleration and Free Speech 17.4 (1988): 323-336. JSTOR. Lone Star College. 17 July 2009.

Mother, Why Hath You Forsaken Me

Fear of the sharp stones cutting her flesh and the taste of dirt as she lie in a pool of blood would have been one of many thoughts going through The Virgin Mary’s mind as she became aware of her miraculous insemination. In the Hebrew culture, fornication or the personification of such is a justifiable motive to stone the offender to death. Her life, dreams, and soon to be husband’s name would be shamed and cast aside for the world to ridicule. There would have been two options: keep the child or abort the Son of God. If Mary had chosen the second option then our world of reason, love, and forgiveness would have been as a myth and the western civilization we have come to admire would be nothing more than words spoken to a deaf man. Since 1973 and the Supreme Court ruling in favor of abortion on demand there has been approximately 48 million abortion related deaths in the United States of America alone (National Right to Life Committee, n.d.). In 2003, more children died from abortion than Americans died in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean, Vietnam and Gulf Wars combined (NRLC, n.d.). The ramifications of abortion has caused emotional and physical trauma to the mothers of the aborted child along with an absence of social security contributors to better the lives of the American people.

After the abortion procedure, there have been several cases where the woman has suffered from nightmares and emotional trauma. “Women who report negative after-effects from abortion know exactly what their problem is,” observed psychologist Wanda Franz, Ph.D., in a March 1989 congressional hearing on the impact of abortion. “They report horrible nightmares of children calling them from trash cans, of body parts, and blood,” Franz told the Congressional panel. “When they are reminded of the abortion,” Franz testified, “the women re-experienced it with terrible psychological pain ... They feel worthless and victimized because they failed at the most natural of human activities -- the role of being a mother” (NRTL, n.d.). The affects of an abortion can be devastating to the mother’s emotional balance and the Elliot Institute (1990) reports that women who have had abortions are significantly more likely to require psychiatric admission than women who have not had an abortion. On the website Abort73.com, they let women that have gone through abortions post their experiences so other can see firsthand the impact it can make. Here is how one woman feels about the emotional effects of abortion:

I had an abortion 12 years ago, and I have suffered from it since the day it was done. There is no grief worse than losing a child, unless it is knowing that you have intentionally killed your own, out of sheer selfishness. I have had nightmares, flashbacks of the procedure including the physical pain I experienced, and periods of severe depression. I am still taking 3 medications for depression and anxiety. I wish I could go back in time and take it all back - but we can only move forward.
July 30, 2004

The procedure known as abortion has caused physical harm to several women since 1973 and the enforcement of the devastating court ruling of Roe vs. Wade. The first trimester abortion procedure is a simple yet painful procedure for the mother and child. The abortion procedure described by NRLC is as follows:

Suction aspiration, or "vacuum curettage," is the abortion technique used in most first trimester abortions. A powerful suction tube with a sharp cutting edge is inserted into the womb through the dilated cervix. The suction dismembers the body of the developing baby and tears the placenta from the wall of the uterus, sucking blood, amniotic fluid, placental tissue, and fetal parts into a collection bottle. Great care must be taken to prevent the uterus from being punctured during this procedure, which may cause hemorrhage and necessitate further surgery. Also, infection can easily develop if any fetal or placental tissue is left behind in the uterus. This is the most frequent post-abortion complication.

The debate on whether breast cancer is a link to abortion and miss carriage has been the topic for many scientists over the last 40 years. Joel Brind, a Ph.D. and professor of human biology and endocrinology at Baruch College, City University of New York and president of the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute, has authored a paper for the National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly refuting several recent studies downplaying the abortion-breast cancer link (World News Daily, 2005, May 16). Brind cites a widely noticed paper published by Valerie Beral and four other Oxford University scientists in The Lancet in 2004 and statements of the National Cancer Institute in 2003. “Pregnancies that end as a spontaneous or induced abortion do not increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer” was the result from the Beral study. In 1957, researchers from the Japanese Journal of Cancer Research had a three-fold higher frequency in who had abortions. This was the group to speak up about the link between the abortion and breast cancer. In 1979, the World Health Organization conducted an intense study at Harvard and later reported a disturbing fact “in the direction which suggested increased risk associated with abortion – contrary to the reduction in risk with full-term births” (World Net Daily, March, 16 2005). “One would think, especially given the overwhelmingly elective nature of the induced abortion, that the precautionary principle would prevail, if not in terms of legal regulation, then at least in terms of recommendations by medical societies and public health agencies,” writes Brind. “That is to say, even one or two studies showing a significant association between induced abortion and future breast cancer risk would surely raise some red flags about the procedure's safety. Yet not only was a statistical connection showing up in the vast majority of studies that had examined the issue, but by the early 1980s, a clear picture of the physiological events explaining that connection was beginning to emerge” (World News Daily, 2005, May 16). Brind later mentions in the World News Daily that, “despite the worst efforts of scientists, doctors, politicians, journalists and judges to quash public knowledge of the ABC(abortion to breast cancer) link, the fact that published evidence of it abounds would make it a daunting task to convince a jury of its nonexistence, given a well-presented case.

In the article What Do 40 Million Lost Lives Mean?, Laura Antkowiak discusses the detriment to our social security system, because of the legalization of abortion. Some will argue that children hold no value, but cause financial hardship for the individuals not prepared for parenthood—this is not the case. Antkowiak said, “Abortion has left fewer young people to care for the post-World War II Baby Boom generation as it prepares for retirement…given the reduction in the work force supporting Social Security, brought on largely because of abortion, our predicament is this: unless we raise taxes, cut benefits, or overhaul the entire system, Medicare will be bankrupt in the 2020s and Social Security in the 2030s” (Antkowiak, n.d.). According to Antkowiak, “in 1998 alone, the victims of Roe v. Wade would have contributed approximately $1.7 billion to Medicare and $7.4 billion to Social Security. These contributions could provide the average monthly benefit to over 785,000 retired workers for the entire year” of 1998 (Antkowiak, n.d.).

This mental plague and distortion of human life has become a social experiment to politicians, doctors, and so-called physiological experts, which has altered America’s sensitivity. Their view of self-gratification and superior morality has caused the western civilization to abandon the principles of life and accept the principles of death for the greater good. We are not God and have no place acting as such yet we act as though we are judge, jury and in this case executioner. Some could argue the emotional and physical pains of abortion are the repercussions of killing God’s children, although this would be an opinion with little fact. The fact is, a woman’s body is not meant to be the incubator of death. Our lust for selfish lifestyles that does not include procreation has caused the bankrupting of America’s social security system.

On Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008 Katherine Sheffield, a five months pregnant—with twins—banker teller, was involved in a bank robbery. After given the robber the her money the robber then shot Sheffield in the abdomen which caused her to lose both of her unborn babies. The question is raised: How can we prosecute the man responsible for this heinous crime if we accept the procedure of induced abortion that holds the same outcome—murder? According to Marion County chief trial prosecutor David Wyser, the gunman could be eligible for feticide, which is according to Indiana’s Constitution, “a person who knowingly or intentionally terminates a human pregnancy with an intention other than to produce a live birth or to remove a dead fetus commits feticide, a Class C felony.” Wyser also said, “in order for manslaughter charges to be filed in Indiana, Shuffield would have had to have been at least seven months pregnant”. This is where America’s morality has gone. We no longer punish the wicked for their wrong doings or give them reasons not to murder the defenseless. The next time you see a pro-choice activists shouting in the street remember Shuffield, the woman who didn’t have a choice.

References:

National Right to Life. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/facts/abortionstats.html

National Right to Life. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/facts/abortionstats2.html

National Right to Life. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/ASMF/asmf14.html

Reardon, D. (1990). Women at Risk of Post-Abortion Trauma. Retrieved from http://www.abortionfacts.com/reardon/who_is_at_risk_of_pas.asp

World News Daily, (2005, May 16). Researcher says 'pro-choice' bias has hidden deadly risks to women. Matters of Life and Death. Abortion-breast cancer link covered up by scientists? Retrieved from http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44282

Antkowiak, L. (n.d.) Responding to Economic Arguments for Abortion. What Do 40 Million Lost Lives Mean? Retrieved from http://www.nrlc.org/news/2001/NRL01/laura.html

Herndon, J., Strauss, Lilo T., Whitehead, S., Parker, Wilda, Y., Bartlett, L., Zane, S., Division of Reproductive Health., National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2002, June 7). Abortion Surveillance---United States, 1998. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwR/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5103a1.htm

National Right to Life. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/ASMF/asmf4.html

Abort73.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.abort73.com/HTML/I-A-3a-hurt.html

Fred Thompson on Federalism

This man has become my choice for the 2008 Presidential election. His conservative and federalist principles would make Ronald Reagan proud and would bring the United States back to it's core principles that unite us.