“There are two visions of America. One precedes our founding fathers and finds its roots in the harshness of our Puritan past. It is very suspicious of freedom, uncomfortable with diversity hostile to science, unfriendly to reason, contemptuous of personal autonomy. It sees America as a religious nation. It views patriotism as allegiance to God. It secretly adores coercion and conformity. Despite our constitution, despite the legacy of the Enlightenment, it appeals to millions of Americans and threatens our freedom.” TwoReasonAmericaPastFatherNationsReligiousViewsVisionMillionsAtheismDiversityEnlightenmentRootsConstitutionDespiteAppealsLegacyUncomfortableConformityAdoreFoundingHostileAutonomySuspiciousCoercionAllegianceOur Founding FathersPuritanHarshnessUnfriendlyContemptuous Author:Sherwin Wine
“Christianity ... has produced the iniquities of the Inquisition, the egotism and celibacy of the monasteries, the fury of religious wars, the ferocity of the Hussite, of the Catholic, of the Puritan, of the Spaniard, of the Irish Orangeman and of the Irish Papist; it has divided families, alienated friends, lighted the torch of civil war, and borne the virgin and the greybeard to the burning pile, broken delicate limbs upon the wheel and wrung the souls and bodies of innocent creatures on the rack; all this it has done, and done in the name of God.” WarSoulDoneBodyReligionNamesReligiousChristianityBrokenCreaturesCatholicInnocentBurningCivil WarWheelsDividedDelicateVirginsLimbsFuryEgotismTorchesPuritanCelibacyRacksInquisitionIniquityMonasteriesSoul And BodyFerocitySpaniardsReligious Wars Author:Ouida
“Enlist the interests of stern Morality and religious Enthusiasm in the cause of Political Liberty, as in the time of the old Puritans, and it will be irresistible.” PoliticalCausesInterestReligiousLibertyMoralityEnthusiasmIrresistiblePuritan Book:Specimens of the Table Talk of Samuel Taylor Coleridge Source: Specimens of the Table Talk of Samuel Taylor Coleridge
“Historically the Puritans left England to escape religious persecution, and they promptly turned around and started persecuting the people they didn't agree with - the scarlet letter A, and the stocks and the dunking board came from that. That puritanism is still there.” PeopleStillsLeftReligiousLettersEnglandAgreeBoardsPersecutionPuritanScarletPuritanismReligious PersecutionDunking Author:Hugh Hefner