Letter Concerning Toleration by John Locke - Essay Example

What an individual perceives as being right depends on his or her own beliefs. It is the basis of logic and reason, which establishes the belief, and even if one is following a certain religion by force, they do not fully accept it until they are convinced that it is right. Therefore, he firmly establishes the freedoms- freedom of speech, freedom of action, freedom of thought, and freedom of religion.

I believe that there shall be freedom of religion as long as there is peace and social order. Every individual is responsible for their actions and they shall be held responsible or penalized only if their action has caused disturbance or harm to another being. As long as a person is living a righteous life without causing any trouble to his or her fellow beings, then there seems no valid reason to punish him or her based on their religious belief. It is not true that only individuals from the minority sector commit crimes in a certain country. Even individuals from their religious sect commit crimes.

In the Holy Quran, there is a quote, that says, “There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.” (Surat Al-Baqarah, 2:256)

According to this verse of the Holy Quran, it clearly says that there shall be freedom of religion. However, ‘Taghut’ refers to an act where an individual associates any other being with God or assumes any other object to have power. This is considered to be the gravest sin as the objects or people the individual tends to associate with Allah are themselves creations of Allah and hence cannot be compared to Him. Therefore, regardless of the religious belief if an individual believes in the oneness of God and acts rightfully, it is acceptable. Similarly, in Locke’s quote, he clearly explains that no man is superior to another man to force his opinions on others and compel them to accept his opinion and religion. There exists a relationship between an individual’s mind and reality, and no one can interfere with that relationship.

Again in the same chapter of the Holy Quran, it is mentioned, “Say, [O believers], "We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him." (2:136)

This verse clearly states that Muslims believe in all the previous prophets that were blessed to various nations in history. To be a true Muslim, belief in the messages of the earlier Prophets is equally important. Muslims do believe in Prophet Moses who was sent to the Jewish tribe, Prophet Isa (Jesus), and various other Prophets. However, they submit themselves to God and follow the guidance of the Prophet.

Therefore the Muslims believe in all books that were revealed to all the Prophets and in all the angels. As it is mentioned in the Holy Quran in another instance, where it says, “The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], "We make no distinction between any of His messengers." And they say, "We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination.” (2:285) Without any religion, people will feel unanswerable to anyone and will not have fear. If people were so righteous why would there still be a high crime rate despite of existence of religion? This is because their belief is weak despite them following a certain religion: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or any other. It is not necessary that just because a person is not following a certain religion, they will commit a crime. It is how strong the belief is, for instance, if an individual might not commit a crime of the fear that it will cause them shame in society, it could also be possible that the crime is committed without anyone’s knowledge. If a person has a strong belief in God, he or she will not commit the crime out of the fear that they will be held answerable in the Hereafter. Religious teachings differ in certain aspects however the basic idea of sustenance and peace is the same.

Thus, John Locke’s quote establishes the fact that the state can enforce its opinions to develop the moral behavior of the people. Policies imposed in the form of laws and punishment do prevent crime to an extent and retain social order; however, they are not there to protect the public morality of the people but to protect the rights from being overridden. Therefore, the personal belief of individuals is an important factor in determining their act and their role in society not just their religious belief. John Locke firmly established the freedom of thought and action including the freedom of religion.
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