A Letter Concerning Toleration facts for kids
A Letter Concerning Toleration (which means A Letter About Being Tolerant) is a famous book written by John Locke. It was first published in 1689. This book was originally written in Latin, but it was quickly translated into many other languages. Locke wrote it during a time when people in England were worried that Catholicism might become too powerful. His letter suggested that the best way to deal with different religions and government was to allow everyone to practice their own faith peacefully. This "letter" was actually written to Locke's close friend, Philipp van Limborch, who published it without Locke knowing.
Why Locke Wrote This Letter
In 1683, John Locke left England and went to Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic. He left because of political problems and a difficult time for people who disagreed with the king. Locke had always been interested in the idea of religious toleration, which means allowing people to have different religious beliefs.
While Locke was in Holland, people there were talking a lot about religious freedom. In 1685, the King of France, Louis XIV, canceled a law called the Edict of Nantes. This law had protected the rights of French Protestants. This event showed how important religious freedom was.
In the Dutch Republic, Locke met Philipp van Limborch, who was a professor of religion. Talking with Limborch convinced Locke to pause his other work and write down his ideas about toleration. Locke wrote A Letter Concerning Toleration during the winter of 1685–1686.
What the Letter Argued
John Locke was a very important thinker. He believed that the government and the church should be separate. He argued that the government should not try to control people's religious beliefs. Locke thought that people should be free to follow their own Christian faiths.
Locke explained that a church should not be tolerated by the government if it makes its followers loyal to another ruler. He believed that if this happened, the government would lose control of its own land and people. Many people think Locke was talking about the Catholic Church here, because Catholics are loyal to the Pope.
However, some historians now say that Locke might have been open to tolerating Catholics if they were not loyal to a foreign ruler. They suggest that Locke was more concerned about groups that might try to take over the government or ignore common laws.
Locke also wrote about people who do not believe in God, called atheists. He argued that atheists should not be tolerated. Locke believed that promises and agreements, which hold society together, depend on people believing in God. He thought that if people didn't believe in God, these important social bonds would break down.
The idea of toleration is very important to Locke's ideas about government. He believed that only churches that teach toleration should be allowed in society. Locke also thought it was hard to know which religion was the "one true religion." This might show that he understood the deep questions people had about faith during a time of big changes. Locke also considered how religious toleration would affect the peace of society. He even used ideas from the Bible to support his arguments.
See Also
Images for kids
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Title page of the first edition of A Letter Concerning Toleration.
