John Biddle (Unitarian) facts for kids
John Biddle (born January 14, 1615 – died September 22, 1662) was an important English thinker. He is often called "the Father of English Unitarianism". Unitarians believe that God is one person, not three.
His Life Story
John Biddle was born in Wotton-under-Edge, a town in England. He went to Magdalen Hall, Oxford university and finished his studies in 1641. When he was 26, he became the headmaster of a school in Gloucester.
At the school, John had to teach students about the Church of England's beliefs. This made him study the Bible very closely. From his studies, he started to believe that the idea of the Trinity (God being three persons in one) was not clearly written in the Bible. He then decided to share his own ideas about God.
Because of his beliefs, John Biddle was put in prison in Gloucester in 1645. He was later let out on bail. He was put in prison again by the English Parliament in 1646. In 1647, while he was still in prison, he published a paper called Twelve Arguments Drawn Out of Scripture.
A politician named Henry Vane the Younger spoke up for Biddle in Parliament. John was released on bail in 1648. But he was soon put in prison again, this time in Newgate prison. He stayed there until 1652, when a law called the Act of Oblivion set him free.
In 1654, John Biddle got into trouble again with Parliament. They ordered his book, A Two-fold Catechism, to be taken away. This happened during a time when Parliament was discussing religious freedom. Parliament was dissolved in January 1655, which stopped the legal actions against Biddle. He was released in May of that year.
However, just weeks later, some religious groups in London tried to put him on trial for his beliefs. To protect him and other groups, Oliver Cromwell, who was a powerful leader at the time, sent John Biddle away to the Scilly Isles. This was outside the power of the English Parliament. By doing this, Cromwell helped prevent a situation that could have led to many other religious groups being put on trial. John Biddle was allowed to return in 1658.
He was put in prison one last time. He became very ill and died in prison in 1662. His friends buried him in a place near London.
His Writings
John Biddle wrote several important works. One of them was:
- A Two-fold Catechism
People also believe he translated a Polish religious book called the Racovian Catechism into English.
His Ideas
John Biddle had several strong beliefs:
- He did not believe in original sin, which is the idea that all humans are born with sin.
- He also did not believe in eternal punishment after death.
- He thought the Bible was truly the Word of God.
- His ideas about Jesus Christ were similar to Socinianism. This means he did not believe that Christ existed before he was born on Earth. However, he did accept the idea of the virgin birth (that Jesus was born to Mary without a human father).
His Importance
John Biddle's fight for people to follow their own beliefs was a big step towards religious freedom in England. More recently, his ideas have been looked at again by groups like Christadelphians who also do not believe in the Trinity.
See also
In Spanish: John Biddle para niños
