Essay about Religious Toleration during the Enlightenment

The Enlightenment of the 18th century evolved due to the many changes brought about by the Scientific Revolution. With all of the new scientific discoveries, new thought processes were developed. The scientists of the Scientific Revolution brought about revolutionary change. These scientists inspired the philosophes of the Enlightenment to challenge the ways of the Old Regime and question the ideas of the church. Philosophers such as Francois Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and John Locke published their controversial ideas and these ideas along with some important political action, helped to mold a new type of society. The new society was one that tolerated different religious beliefs. The minds of men, abandoning the old disciplines†¦show more content†¦This caused many problems because Protestants and Catholics could not live together peacefully. Individuals from both religions did not see the others view. This was one reason that the Enlightenment was needed. Because th e members of each religion resented each other so much, many wars were fought. This also brought about new questions as to which religion had the correct beliefs. The religion that was practiced was dependent upon the country, and the leader of that country.4 The Glorious Revolution of 1688, the Toleration Act of 1689, and the English Bill of Rights of 1689 were major political actions that helped to establish religious freedoms. These political actions established that the Crown could not have a standing army or levy taxes on the citizens without the permission of Parliament. They also abolished the concept of the divine right of kings and extreme religious persecution. Before the Glorious Revolution, the Toleration Act, and the English Bill of Rights, the King or Queen was able to mandate a universal religion for all of the nation’s citizens. This caused a lot of turmoil within the nation and caused it to stand divided. 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