Open AccessCredobaptism and religious policy. Separation of church and state, freedom of religion, and religious tolerance in the writings of the early Baptists
Author(s) -
Rafał Prostak
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chrześcijaństwo, świat, polityka
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2719-8405
pISSN - 1896-9038
DOI - 10.21697/csp.2020.24.1.28
Subject(s) - baptism , conscience , plea , separation of church and state , persecution , declaration , law , religious studies , toleration , state (computer science) , religious freedom , religious persecution , philosophy , theology , sociology , political science , politics , algorithm , computer science
The aim of the article is to reconstruct the relationships between the Baptist understanding of baptism (credobaptism; believer’s baptism) and church and the religious policy promoted by the early Baptists. The following texts are explored: A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity (1612) by Thomas Helwys; Persecution for Religion Judged and Condemned (1615) by John Murton; and Religious Peace: Or, a Plea for Liberty of Conscience (1614) by Leonard Busher. Helwys and Murton were leaders of the congregation of Spitalfields, the first Baptist community in the Kingdom of England. Busher, lesser known, probably belonged to the congregation, and his said work is the first treaty to defend freedom of religion by a Baptist.