Homework Assignment 1: Reflection On Speech Of Choice

I feel that Roger Williams speech The Bloody Tenet of Persecution, Made More Bloody spoke to me the most out of all four speeches. I feel that Roger Williams speaks of a constant tenet throughout his speech to try and convey a certain feeling that this person being described is within us all. He says "a tenet" before a common description of the actions taken by people who label themselves as believers and worshipers, but are problematic to society because of how they are carrying out their practices of belief. For example, Williams speaks of a tenet who "fights against the common principles of all civility, and the very civil being and combinations of men in nations, cities, etc., by coming (explicitly or implicitly) a spiritual and civil state together, and so confounding and overthrowing the purity and strength of both..." This tenet becomes problematic to not only his religion but to society as a whole when he or she begins to mix religion with their civilty, and allowing rules and regulations to reach over to the other, meshing not only a confusion personally but socially. There are examples of this today, when politicians decide to bring their religion into their speech and nonbelievers of another belief will immediately feel offended because it is usually just to keep a split between religion and state. Roger Williams speech is significant to me because I feel its not only relevant to his time especially, but to ours when so much religious freedoms are being challenged due to the actions of the few.