On Mon, 19 Feb 2001, Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:
> A "well-established religious tolerance"? That contradicts your
> earlier argument:
No. One was a comparison of the 18th century to the 20th. The other was a comparison of two different societies in the 18th. Religious tolerance in the 18th century America meant one was free to choose what dissenting sect one wanted to belong to, or to make up one's own. That's a lot freer than being compelled to belong to a single state church, as in most other countries of the time, including France. But it seems soaked in religion when compared to the same nation two centuries later, when there are no consequences to being entirely indifferent to religion's existence.
Michael
__________________________________________________________________________ Michael Pollak................New York City..............mpollak at panix.com