HISTORY REPEATS
In 1606, many Pilgrims were driven out of England because they illegally separated from the Church of England. Many were betrayed or lost personal property and dignity. Others were imprisoned, forcibly separated from their families, or driven into exile in Holland.
In the 1630's, the Puritans were persecuted for their efforts to reform and purify the Church of England from within. Unauthorized assemblies for religious worship were prohibited under penalty of imprisonment, exile, torture and death.
Quakers were also persecuted in England because of their refusal to conform to the Church of England. They believed each person could experience God directly, without benefit of church building, clergy or liturgy. Thus, these Quakers were burdened with excessive taxes and charged with blasphemy, disturbing the peace, disorderly behavior, and contempt of court. Many were sentenced to a whipping. Their goods and property were confiscated, and some meeting houses were destroyed. By 1680, 10,000 Quakers had been imprisoned in England, and 243 had died of torture and mistreatment in the King's jails.
In 1685, the Huguenots (Protestants living in Roman Catholic France) were denied their free exercise of religion. Their options were death, imprisonment, or emigration.
The plain, moral lives of the Swiss Brethren, nicknamed Anabaptists, attracted many converts from the state church in Germany. However, around 1700, they were persecuted when they insisted that only believers should be baptized.
October 31, 1731 (on the 214th Anniversary of Martin Luther's Reformation) a Roman Catholic Archbishop in Salzburg, Austria, demanded that all Protestants recant their non-Catholic beliefs or be banished. All Protestant Bibles, books and hymnals were burned. Over 21,475 Protestants were forced into exile. Many fled through snowstorms and icy winds. Their money was soon spent to pay for excessive taxes, tolls, and protection by soldiers from robbers. Despite this adversity, they sang inspirational hymns: "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" and "Now Thank We All Our God."
By establishing a rich heritage of religious freedom, America became a refuge from religious persecution for thousands of these Pilgrims, Puritans, Quakers, Huguenots, Anabaptists, and Protestants from Salzburg. In 1620, Pilgrims came to America on the Mayflower. In the 1630's, as many as 20,000 Puritans immigrated to New England. Quakers and Anabaptists escaped to Pennsylvania. By 1685 as many as 8,000 Quakers had come to William Penn's haven for religious tolerance. In the hundred years before 1725, about 5,000-7,000 Huguenot religious refugees came to New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and South Carolina.
On January 19, 1734, 78 Salzburg exiles sailed for Georgia. Upon their arrival, they named their new home Ebenezer (stone of help or monument to God's protection) according to the sermon they had just heard from I Samuel 7:12.
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees freedom of religion to all those who live in this country. Yet despite our reputation, rich heritage, and the guarantees of the Constitution, many American Christians are today being denied freedom of religion.
Quoted from: The Legal Alert
David C. Gibbs, Jr., Attorney
Email: DavidGibbs@ChristianLaw.org
Website: http://ChristianLaw.org
Seventh-day Adventists have long predicted the repeat of history with respect to religious intolerance, even in this "haven of religious liberty" -- the United States of America. With "worldly policy" governing the actions and reactions of "the church" of today, we see on the horizon -- a "civilized inquisition" unfolding. The "overwhelming surprise" comes as this "inquisition" now originates with the Seventh-day Adventist Church itself.
