never sure on lbo whether poster questions are asked sincerely given pervasive 'new smarty' list culture (comment not intentionally directed to above lister) but...
protestant reformation was attack - a conservative one - against thomistic christian doctrine re. human nature and reason, reemphazing - ala augustine - both humanity's wretchedness and its limited capacity to 'know' god, thus, 'return to faith' also put protestantism in conflict with emerging scientific rationality...
additionally, pr was 'protest' against papal absolutism - *his* control over church, doctrinal meaning, and sovereignty of secular rulers, this continued earlier attacks on catholicism by likes of dante and marsilius (catholics, therefore, aren't protestants)...
most influential protestant movements were lutherans in sweden/portions of germany, calvinists in geneva/scotland, anglicans in england, commonality among them - despite doctrinal divisions that are probably inevitable - include belief that bible is only source of truth and notion that personal/direct relationship with god is possible...
in early u.s., prior to 1787 constitution and the subsequent bill of rights, religion was most discussed/debated *personal freedom* issue as states were writing their original constitutions, engaging in legislative action, and going to court over such matters, between 1776 and 1784, 8 states - beginning with virginia - formulated a bill of rights...
at the time delegates convened in philadelphia in 1787, only virginians and rhode islanders had full religious freedom, various stumbling blocks existed in other states including existence of established churches...
protesant splinter-groups in new england were arrayed against state-backed congregationalists, dissenters in south fought to sever state support from anglicans (last of original 13 states to dis-establish was massachusetts in 1833)...
religious tests for *state* public office were common, absence of religious test for *national* public office was due to variety of denominations - puritans, anglicans, congregationalists, baptists, catholics, jews - there could have been no national agreement on religious testing for office...
*god* is not mentioned in u.s. constitution and word *religion* appears only once to prohibit religious test as qualification for national public office, of course, 1787 document did not include bill of rights where 2 first amendment reliigous clauses forbid *establishment* and prohibt interference with *free exercise* even as religion itelf is not defined...
various explanations have been heard for why 1787 constitution writers did not include bill of rights (which became necessary for ratification)...re. religion, not all framers were irreligious and some, obviously, were from states that had established religions, most - if not all - probably would have agreed that religious matters should not fall under jurisdication of national government, but they could have done so for quite different reasons, not-particularly religion madison, for example, opposed national government religious role on grounds that denial of federal government power in matters of religion protected religious freedom by preventing feds from interfering with individual faith... michael hoover
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