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Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ilaine who wrote (59129)	10/14/1999 2:49:00 PM
From: nihil	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 108807

It's a problem in the theory of sets. One thing is quite clear historically. The Christians who fled to America were for the most part fleeing other Christians, established Christian churches. One reason the Pilgrim Separatists mentioned their "dread King James" was that they could not practice their brand of Christianity in England, and they had fled (in part) to the Netherlands. The Puritans fled 20 years later to Massachusetts because they were oppressed by Archbishop Laud and C of E. Lord Baltimore protected Catholics in Maryland. Almost as soon as they arrived some Christians started abusing others. Roger Williams was expelled from a Puritan state. When the Christians (and Deists) met together for political conference they knew the one way to destroy their potential unity was to start asking about religion, or even worse, to impose their version on someone else. The Church of England was so oppressive that it would not even allow ordination of American Bishops (they had to go to the unestablished Church of Scotland). Historically, its true that Christians hate each other. The sects are always at each others throats. In the late 18th century, no one felt comfortable traveling into another Church's territory. You could easily be executed for heresy even if one was not an adherent of the incumbent church (Europe, not America). It was just a few years in the past that people had been hanged or burned for heresy or witchcraft. Even if one were a pious Baptist, he had to fear the Catholics and Episcopalians. In those days no one needed to fear Baptists. There was then and is not now any Christian unity. Baptists have always protested against establishment as strongly as atheists. I think any thoughtful person could see that establishment (which is what a Christian Nation means) weakens each indiivdual church. Let a hundred flowers bloom. Let a hundred sects contend.