Religious Freedom in Thomas More'sUtopia

Bibliographic Data

ID6399565
AuthorsSanford Kessler (corresponding author)
Year2002
Volume64
Issue2
Pages207-230
Publication date2002-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Review of Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0034-6705 • E-ISSN: 1748-6858
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0034670500038079
OpenAlexW2103262803
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited16

Thomas More advocated religious freedom inUtopiato promote civic peace in Christendom and to help unify his fractious Catholic Church. In doing so, he set forth a plan for managing church-state relations that is a precursor to liberal approaches in this area. Most scholars locate the origins of modern religious freedom in Protestant theology and its first mature articulation in Locke'sA Letter on Toleration. This reading ofUtopiashows that modern religious freedom has Catholic, Renaissance roots. The essay discusses how scholars have treated Utopian religious freedom and considers the much vexed question of whether More actually favored this principle. It also presents the historical context for More's analysis, his rationale for religious freedom, its effects on Utopian religion and politics, and More's strategy for promoting religious reform in Europe

Articulation (sociology · Context (archaeology · Political science · Politics · Protestantism · Religious freedom · Separation of church and state · Sociology · State (computer science · Toleration · Utopia · American Constitutional Law and Politics · History · Law · Philosophy · Religion, Gender, and Enlightenment · Religious studies

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