Why did Roger Williams so upset with the puritans belief thant everyone had to believe as they did?
Roger Williams agreed with the mainstream Massachusetts Puritans that the vast majority of people were damned, and only a few were saved. But who were the saved (the elect)? The majority of Puritans believed those who were wealthy and worked hard and raised families were “visible saints” and thus, eligible for church membership and the right to vote. Williams disagreed. He said no person could be sure of anyone’s beliefs but himself. He said that even though he prayed with his wife, he did not know for sure if she was truly saved. Only God did. Roger Williams was the ultimate separatist. And he believed that religion and government (church and state) should be entirely separate. If there was no way to tell if a person was saved, then everyone living in the community had the right to vote.
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