John Tyler: Upholding religious freedom

(President John Tyler)

For those who may still be wondering whether America was essentially meant to be a Christian nation, here’s a quote from tenth-President John Tyler (born in 1790) that might help clear things up:  The United States has adventured upon a great and noble experiment, which is believed to have been hazarded in the absence of all previous precedent – that of total separation of Church and State.  No religious establishment by law exists

among us.  The conscience is left free from all restraint and each is permitted to worship his Maker after his own judgment…

For those who may still be asking, “But what about _______?” (fill in this blank with names of today’s often-misunderstood U.S. minority groups), Tyler goes on to explicitly explain what such religious freedom entails:  The Mahommedan, if he will to come among us would have the privilege guaranteed to him by the Constitution to worship according to the Koran; and the East Indian might erect a shrine to Brahma if it so pleased him…  The Hebrew persecuted and down trodden in other regions takes up his abode among us with none to make him afraid…  Tyler then famously concluded that “our system of free government would be imperfect” without provisions for these vital rights.

Although some have called Tyler “His Accidency” (since he was the first vice president to become president due to a predecessor’s death in office), there was nothing accidental about Tyler’s stance on religious freedom.  He had been mentored by Bishop James Madison, who in turn was a close friend of Thomas Jefferson’s.  Although Madison was a Bishop of the Episcopal Church, he was also known to philosophize quite a bit about religion.  Tyler was therefore most likely steeped in a healthy amount of religious diversity from early on.

Resources

http://www.nrla.com/article/31/academic-resources/constitutional-issues/america-s-christian-nation-debate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tyler

http://theonebestway.wordpress.com/2010/07/22/bishop-james-madison-american-jacobin/  

Copyright March 29, 2012 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved