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Persecution is not an original feature in any religion; but is always the strongly marked feature of all law-religion, or religions established by law.
When a religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself, and God does not take care to support it so that its professors are obliged to call for help of the civil power, ‘tis a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one.
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Nothing is more dreaded than the national government meddling with religion
If we look back into history for the character of the present sects in Christianity, we shall find few that have not in their turns been persecutors, and complainers of persecution. The primitive Christians thought persecution extremely wrong in the pagans, but practiced it on one another. The first Protestants of the Church of England blamed persecution in the Romish Church, but practiced it upon the Puritans. These found it wrong in the bishops, but fell into the same practice themselves both here |
There is not a shadow of right in the general government to intermeddle with religion. Its least interference with it would be a most flagrant violation
As to religion, I hold it to be the indispensable duty of all government to protect all conscientious professors thereof, and I know of no other business which government hath to do therewith |
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The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Eastafrica in blood for centuries |
The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.
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