Socinian controversy facts for kids
The Socinian controversy was a big debate about religious ideas in the Church of England. It happened for about ten years, starting in 1687. People discussed different beliefs about Jesus. This debate is sometimes called the First Socinian controversy or the Trinitarian controversy.
Before this, ideas from a group called Unitarians hadn't been talked about much since 1662. But then, these ideas came back. People wrote many pamphlets, often without their names on them, to share their thoughts.
This debate was part of a larger discussion after the Act of Toleration 1689. This law allowed some religious freedom but specifically excluded people who didn't believe in the Trinity. By the late 1690s, it was clear that more religious freedom wouldn't happen for a while. The Blasphemy Act 1697 was even passed against Unitarians. This law made it hard for people who didn't believe in the Trinity until the early 1800s.
However, the debate did help people understand the different ideas better. It also showed that even the Church of England wasn't fully united on these religious topics. One unexpected result was that Protestants in England became more tolerant of each other over time. This happened after a strong critic named William Sherlock stopped his aggressive attacks. This idea of tolerance became a key part of Latitudinarian views, which later turned into low church attitudes. It influenced many debates in the 1700s.
What Was the Socinian Controversy About?
The Socinian debate, which hadn't been widely discussed for 25 years, started again in 1687. This happened when a book called ‘Brief History’ of the Unitarians was published. Unitarians are people who believe God is one person, not three. After this, in 1689, some ‘Brief Notes’ about the Athanasian Creed were also published. The Athanasian Creed is an old Christian statement of belief.
These two books made a religious leader named William Sherlock write his book, Vindication (1690). In it, he defended the idea of the Trinity. The Trinity is the Christian belief that God is one being in three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. Soon after, in 1690, John Wallis also joined the discussion.
Arguments and Disagreements
The Unitarians and others accused Sherlock's book of promoting tritheism. This means believing in three separate gods, not one God in three persons. It was even said that Sherlock's book made some people change their beliefs. For example, William Manning became a Unitarian, and Thomas Emlyn became an Arian. Arians believe Jesus was created by God and is not equal to God.
Another Anglican leader, Robert South, also strongly criticized Sherlock's ideas. He used humor and strong words to attack Sherlock's views.
Sherlock's ideas were even taught at Oxford University by Joseph Bingham. But on November 25, 1695, the university council said Sherlock's ideas were ‘false, impious, and heretical’. Sherlock then wrote a book in 1696 to defend himself against this decision.
Royal Intervention and Later Debates
On February 3, 1696, King William III stepped in. He sent ‘Directions’ to the church leaders, written by Thomas Tenison. These directions told people to stop using ‘all new terms’ when talking about the Trinity. This was an effort to calm the debate.
In his book, ‘Present State of the Socinian Controversy’ (1698), Sherlock mostly gave up on the ideas that had been criticized. Even so, many books and writings about this debate continued to be published until 1704. A famous thinker named John Locke was one person who carefully read and studied these arguments.
