Natural Liberty Vs Religion

Upon consideration of the philosophies regarding natural liberty, especially in regards to its place against or with an established authority, it is important to consider the contexts in which one is placing natural authority. The additional component of religion to these concepts further complicates circumstances, as continually still today debate rages on whether natural liberties should be from religion or within it. Further more, with an authority from and or outside religious standing, the philosophy of natural liberty include often many stipulations regarding such freedoms within such administrations. And in understanding the evolution of such ideas within a modern society can grow difficult. Yet through their arguments, preachers and

7). He believed that God had so created society to be unequal for three reasons he listed; “conformity” to the order in which he created other works, more “occasion to manifest” in actions against the natural manner of society, and lasting that this society establishes that “man might [have] need” of each other, and such dependency continues the manner of society that Winthrop considers so holy (Winthrop, 1630, p. 7). With this basis, Winthrop expands into his ideas on natural liberty, most importantly in that he believes this liberty is “twofold” alongside the “civil or federal,” which the authority provides (Winthrop, 1645, p. 13). Natural liberty, as he defines, is the freedom to act as one wish, hence the liberty to do both bad and good deeds. Thus, through this clarification, does Winthrop classify natural liberty as “incompatible and inconsistent with authority,” the existence of such a corrupting force impossible under any measure of civilized authority, as it in his eyes lead only to degradation and evil acts (Winthrop, 1645, p. 13). Such an uncompromising idea on natural liberty is natural, yet Winthrop view of it as something evil and so

Locke’s writings do not center on religion, in fact in many areas of his works he disparages the idea of a religious or monarchical authority, anathema to Winthrop. Though he and Locke agree that natural liberty exists, giving men the “state of perfect freedom” to act as they wish, Locke continues this line of thought in a radically different direction, instead espousing that this state also is all equality between all men and that this state of liberty is all due to acting in self-preservation, even if in preserving oneself harm comes to another (Locke, Ch. 2, p. 8). It with these competitions in self-preservation that a government forms, as men, “have so consented” to create a society of wherein they, in this “community, [are] one body” and therefore cannot harm one other without in turn harming the very society they are now apart of (Locke, Ch. 8, p. 52). God then does not choose authority but instead by the majority of the people who be under their command. Such exclusion of religious basis of authority, both in religious institutions and monarchical governments using ideas of Divine Right, is purposeful in Locke’s philosophies, a central tenant to his work that influences the foundation of the American government and it changes into the present