The Life Of Roger Williams - Essay Example

? THE LIFE OF ROGER WILLIAMS Number TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….3 Roger Williams’ life…………………………………………………………………………4 Impact on American Christianity…………………………………………………………… Positive impacts……………………………………………………………………………...6 Freedom of choice………………………………………………………………….. Contribution to the revolution……………………………………………………… Establishment of fundamental rights………………………………………………. Separation of church from state……………………………………………………. Negative impacts…………………………………………………………………………….8 Rebellion within the church………………………………………………………… Disintegration of the church……………………………………………………….. Writings …………………...…………………………………………………………………9 Evaluation of Williams’ life………………………………………………………………...11 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………..14 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………...15 Introduction Roger Williams was an English protestant and theologian. He was a controversialist who used his formal education background to generate erudite arguments on religion. He is among the few unique persons from early history that made an enormous impact with their actions. He left England, his native land, during the Puritan migration to America. His motive was similar to that of other people that participated in the great exodus - to worship God according to the dictates of his mind and conscience.1 When he arrived at Massachusetts Bay, he felt disappointed to find that the people there practiced conformity. He had migrated to America in search of freedom but that was not what he found. Authorities at the Bay were quick to deal with non conformity. There were mechanisms to deal with discordant elements as quickly as possible. Williams did not accept the existent situation. He immediately started to promote his ideas of religious freedom across the bay area. Williams was among the earliest proponents of religious freedom. He also advocated for the separation of church and state. His religious and political principles offended the authorities of Massachusetts Bay. The authorities tried to arrest him for deportation back to England. He got away before the authorities could get to him. He exiled to the Narragansett where he founded the colony of Providence Plantation in 1636.2 His model advocated for a society where men act as their conscience tell them to in the name of their God. This colony provided refuge to religious minorities. There was no discrimination in the colony based on race or religion and freedom of worship was guaranteed. He also started the First Baptist Church of Providence which was the first Baptist church established in America. Even to this day, there are remarkably few people that may be willing to take the position that Roger Williams took many years back. His position required courage and perseverance in order to achieve the desired goals. His life involved continuous struggle for religious liberty. Roger William’s life Roger Williams was born in 1603 in London. His parents were James and Alice Williams. Roger Williams had a sister, Catherine, and two brothers Robert and Sydrach. Williams spent his early years as a youth at the St. Spulchre Church parish.3 In his teen years, Williams attracted the attention of Sir Edward Coke. Coke was a brilliant lawyer and an influential person in England. He was employed by Sir Edward to act as his personal assistant. He even had the privilege of accompanying Sir Edward to court on several occasions. Williams enrolled at Sutton Hospital with the help of Sir Edward Coke. He later went to Pembroke College and joined Cambridge University afterwards. Williams was a good student in class and he performed well in his studies. He was particularly good with languages and he was able to learn several languages. He got a scholarship grant while at Pembroke College due to his brilliance in Greek, Latin and Hebrew. He was expected to join the parish after completing his studies. Instead of joining the parish upon graduation, Williams became a chaplain.4 Roger Williams married Mary Barnard on 15 December 1629. In 1930 Williams and his wife left England for the United States aboard the ship Lyon. 5He arrived at the Massachusetts Bay Colony on 5th February 1951. He practiced preaching at Salem and Plymouth. Conflict with the puritans caused him to flee southwest out of Massachusetts Bay area to avoid deportation back to England. He eventually settled in present day Narragansett Bay. Williams made only two trips back to England during his lifetime. All of Williams’ six children were born in America.6 Roger Williams is one of the earliest proponents of religious freedom. He also advocated for the church to be separated from the state. He founded the colony of Providence Plantation in 1636. This colony provided refuge to religious minorities. He also founded the First Baptist Church of Providence. This church was the first Baptist church established in America7. Williams believed that in order to reform the church, separation from the state was necessary. He was keen to work towards ensuring that separation was attained. Even after his death, the descendants of Williams continued to contribute to the establishment of an independent Colony. This further led to an independent state within a united nation. After a long struggle between the church and the people, the country that Roger Williams had envisioned came into being. The US was able to separate the church from the state due to the foundation that Roger Williams lay many years earlier. Williams died between 16th January and 16th April 1683/84. At the time of his death, his wife Mary had already predeceased him in 1676.8 Positive impacts of Roger Williams on American Christianity Williams had many positive influences on the American people. First of all, his rebellion against the divine church order showed Americans that they had the freedom to choose how to practice their religion. Today, there are many Christian religious groups that operate in America. People are free to join any church they feel like. There are no rules that dictate how a person should practice his Christian beliefs. It is left to the individual to choose how practice religion. All Christian denominations conduct their services the way they feel is best. No denomination can claim to be superior to another. He preached tolerance to how people practiced their religions. For example although he did not keep the Sabbath, he protected and honored those who did. This has helped bring cohesiveness among Christians no matter the denomination they attest to. Although Williams’ debates focused mainly on the religious context, his ideas generated political debates as well on the issue of political liberty. These debates are what resulted in the American Revolution more than a century later. The separation of the church from government necessitated changes in government and also in churches. The clergy were left to concentrate on church matters and issues of governance were left to other people. His argument in 1635 that the church did not have the right to compel people to be members or to offer contributions is the reason the freedom to join or not to join church today. It was such arguments that led to making of the first amendment that protected freedom of individuals many years later.9 He fought against laws that he felt were unfair to people. Unlike in back then when people would only go to church so as to access certain privileges, today one goes to church out of his own conviction. An example is the law passed in 1631 that made it mandatory for on to be a church member in order to hold a public office.10 This meant that any person interested in holding a public office had to go to church whether they wanted to or not as it was a requirement for the job. His relationship with the native Indians who were not Christians helped create an exceptional bond between the Christians and native Indians.11 He even attests to the hospitality of the Indians. Though Williams opposed to the divine religion system, he was a peacemaker. He encouraged peace between different religions and races. He was able to offer alternative ways of tackling disputes without involving violent confrontation. Such principles can be applied even today by Christians. Roger Williams was able to promote the spirit of unity among people. He created a state that accommodated people of all races and religions equally. This is the model that America practices today. People of all races and religions are allowed into America. No one is deterred from practicing their religion. To sum it up, Roger Williams primarily provided an alternative way of living as a Christian. His way involves one being in charge of his moral obligations and not allowing anybody else to control you. The greatest influence on Christianity that resulted from the efforts of Roger Williams is the separation of the church from state. This separation ensured that the church kept out of politics. It also checked on the powers of the church. Religious leaders who abused their positions in the church for political gain could not continue practicing that behavior. Negative influences of Roger Williams on American Christianity Through advocating for religious freedom, Williams encouraged the spirit of rebellion within the church. The church was very strict and powerful. Not many people dared challenge the authority of the church as it has powers similar to those of the government. Roger Williams was among the few courageous persons who dared challenge the church. Those who shared the same sentiments but had not gathered courage to air their views were now rebelling. This culture still holds to this day. Even in modern day churches, when disputes arise and a solution is not found, members sometimes break away to form their own churches. People who not want to adhere to the doctrines propagated by the church misuse Williams’ maxims to argue out their cases. 12 The culture of tolerance to each other’s opinions that once existed in the church is no more. Every person wants to be right. It has become very difficult to reach a consensus on issues put forward for discussion. It also led to the disintegration of the church. Many splinter groups emerged each offering different packages of Christianity. The idea that people should be free to practice Christianity as their conviction told them encouraged some to break away from the main church and form their own churches. Even today this practice still goes on in America. This became a hindrance making it challenging for the church to exercise its mandate effectively. The growth of the opposition also diminished the authority that the church had initially.13 Within the church, leaders quarrel with each other even on the tiniest of issues. Supremacy battles between church leaders are a common sight nowadays. The bible is given different interpretations to suit the needs of the preacher. Writings Produced by Roger Williams Roger Williams started his writing career during his voyage to England. His first book was titled “A Key into the Language of America” published in London in the year1643. In 1644, he wrote another publication, “Mr. Cotton's Letter lately Printed, Examined and answered.” This publication was an answer to Cottons letter. In the same year, 1644, “The Bloody Tenant of Persecution, for Cause of Conscience” was published by Williams. This publication became his most famous work. It advocated for absolute liberty of conscience. The book was also produced in many languages. The work was developed to take the design of a dialogue. The dialogue is between Truth and Peace. This style of writing was unique to Williams.14 Still in 1644, an anonymous pamphlet appeared in London. The pamphlet is now ascribed to Williams. This pamphlet was entitled ‘Queries of Highest Consideration’. The independents were members of the Westminster Assembly. Williams was against their arguments. He continuously attacked their philosophies. Williams later founded Massachusetts Bay violated liberty of conscience to champion his course.15 During his 1652 visit to England, Williams published another book, The Bloody Tenent. This book amplified the ideas advocated in his previous book and added more arguments to justify his course. Other works produced by Roger Williams include: The Hireling Ministry None of Christ's published in 1652, London. The Experiments of Spiritual Life, Health, and their Preservatives also published in 1962 in London. George Fox Digged out of his Burrowes published in 1676 in Boston,US. A number of letters written by Williams is available in the Narragansett Club’s edition of his work. There are seven volumes of Williams’ letters. Two volumes of The Correspondence of Roger Williams, edited by Glenn LaFantasie are kept by The Rhode Island Historical Society.16 Evaluation of Roger Williams’ life and work Through out his life, Roger Williams strived to ensure that freedom of religion is attained. Even from a young age the choices he made tell of a man that was determined to be free in thought. An example is when he opted to become a chaplain after graduation instead of following the norm and joining the parish. His decision to come to America brings out the character of a man that was not afraid to try out new ideas. He was willing to take the risks involved in his conquest to ensure he attains his goals. His resilience is a challenge that should be embraced by modern Christians in America. The availability of many Christian denominations in America is all thanks to the efforts of Roger Williams. Such freedom should not be taken for granted as it was earned, not given. Williams was very accommodative to persons of different religions and races. He believed in the freedom of choice in practicing religion. This is also the issue that got him at loggerheads with administrators of the time including church leaders. His character comes out as strong since he is not deterred even when the American government tries to deport him back to England. His determination is what leads him to succeed in his quest. He is even able to create his own state from scratch to accommodate those discriminated against by the American government at the time.17 His stand on the separation of church and state made him an enemy of both the church and state. Nevertheless, his determination saw him continue to advocate for what he believed in. The fight to ensure that church and government were separated was not an easy one. At the time of his death, he had still not managed to fulfill his goal, but the progress was great. Today, in those countries that religion forms the basis of governance, it has been seen that political instability is usually rampant. There is also a lot of enmity directed towards governments that rule by religion. The reason is that other religions not included in the governance structure feel ignored and undermined. It is not easy to form an all inclusive religion based government. On the other hand, governments formed without any involvement with the church have been very successful as they look at the interest of each and every person. Conclusion Religion and government are two forces that are in constant battles for supremacy. Nations engage in rebellions due to differences in religious principles between religions. A majority of the conflicts in many countries today have a religious attachment to them. Roger Williams seems to have foreseen such problems when he strongly advocated for separation of state and religion. Any form of discrimination based on religion or race should not be allowed in today’s world. As beneficiaries of the work of Roger Williams, America should be in the forefront in championing religious freedom. The work of Roger Williams should not go unnoticed as he played a significant role on determining how America is today. Bibliography Barfield, C. Virginia. Roger Williams: Pioneer on America's Journey towards Religious Liberty. Forum on Public Policy. http://forumonpublicpolicy.com/archive06/barfield.pdf ( accessed December 7 2011). Boston, Rob. 2003. The Forgotten Founder. Journal of Church and State 56 (June): 80-83. Brockunier, Samuel. 1940. The Irrepressible Democrat, Roger Williams. New York: The Ronald Press Company. Church and State. The Root of American Religious Liberty-Roger Williams. Church and State. http://www.churchandstate.us/church-state/wm-cot1a.htm (accessed December 7 2011). Cyclone, Covey. 1966. The Gentle Radical: A Biography of Roger Williams.New York: MacMillan Publishers. Davis, H. Derek. 1999. The Enduring Legacy of Roger Williams: Consulting America's First Separationist on Today's Pressing Church-State Controversies. Journal of Church and State 41(April): 201-212. Dolle, F. Raymond. Roger Williams (1603-1683). Georgetown. http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/bassr/heath/syllabuild/iguide/williamr.html ( accessed December 7 2011). Errand in the Wilderness. Roger Williams and ‘Soul Liberty’. Errand in the Wilderness. http://www.ratical.org/many_worlds/6Nations/EoL/chp5.html (accessed December 7 2011). Gaustad, S. Edwin . 2005. Roger Williams. Lives and Legacies series. Oxford: Oxford University Press. LaFantasie, W. Glenn. 1988. The Correspondence of Roger Williams. Providence: Brown University Press. Miller, Perry. 1953. Roger Williams: His Contributions to the American Tradition. Makers of the American Tradition Series, eds. Hiram Haydn and Donald Bigelow. New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc. Miller, Perry. 1953. Roger Williams, A Contribution to the American Tradition. New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc. Ola, Elizabeth Winslow. 1957. Master Roger Williams, A Biography. New York: Macmillan. Roger Williams Family Association. Roger Williams…A Brief Biography. Roger Williams Family Association. http://www.rogerwilliams.org/biography.htm (accessed December 7 2011). Strauss, S. Oscae. Roger Williams the Pioneer of Religious Liberty. Archive.org. http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924028851901/cu31924028851901_djvu.txt (accessed December 7 2011). Read More