Lest We Forget
Note: This is the Epilogue to Maxwell and Allied Families Article
Lest We Forget
Many of our ancestors left the Old World and came to America in search of religious freedom.
Lest we forget,
That did not automatically happen. In colonial America our ancestors were often forced to worship as the state pleased. In Virginia the Episcopal Church established churches on each plantation, forbade any other religious denomination to exist, and took a tithe from tobacco sales before the grower could see any financial returns from his crop. Maryland was Catholic, Pennsylvania was Quaker, and in Salem and in other Massachusetts towns more than 200 people drowned from dunking because they were thought to possess the devil, all in the name of religion.
Lest we forget,
Pioneer Baptist ministers like Thomas Maxwell sacrificed their safety and welfare to preach the Gospel as they believed, and for their beliefs were thrown in jail. Let us not forget, either, that Patrick Henry, American Patriot, and James Monroe, later President of the United States, successfully extricated these pioneers from jail.
Lest we forget,
Patrick Henry was the author of the First Amendment, which states in part
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble…
Lest we forget,
Under this set of rules, the Baptist Church has flourished and become the greatest success story in the history of America’s religions, and their success has been followed closely by other evangelical denominations.
Lest we forget,
Many contemporary religious leaders have sought to bend the rules to favor their own religious views to the disadvantage of other religious views and have found no shortage of politicians to cater to their wishes.
Lest we forget,
Many of our ancestors left the Old World and came to America in search of religious freedom.
Yes, history repeats itself, especially for those who forget.
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