Question

How has "The Impact of the Protestant Reformation" influenced how we in America today view freedom, government, and rights?

Answer 1

To answer your question, I would reflect on these areas:

1. Look at the historical and cultural impact of the Protestant Reformation.
2. Look at the historical and cultural impact of Luther and Calvin.
3. Look at the impact of Whitfield, who was friends with Ben Franklin.
4. Look at the very misunderstood role of Jonathan Edwards.

That’s why one historian said that no person has had more of a positive impact on human liberty in the history of the world or human existence as the Apostle Paul. That’s high praise. And an incredibly defensible.

Beyond that Paul gets to claim:

1. Freedom from sin
2. Freedom from Hell
3. Freedom from government intrusion and the protection of human rights

That’s quite an impressive legacy of freeing people from slavery, mental and otherwise.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alternatively,

Luther (maybe unknowingly) began it when he posted the excesses he saw by his own Roman Catholic religious leaders.

He was hoping the leaders would take the “within the faith prophet-like” observations to heart and make changes.

They eventually did after communicating him (which is less severe than Judaism did by killing nearly all their prophets including Jesus).

After his ex-communications, dissidents broke away and began their own “protestor” congregations often emphasizing different self-governing methods and different emphasizes on dogmas (aspects of theology).

In many ways this was like all the different schools of philosophy and psychology (all having different emphasis).

The defining trait IMO, was what was called theological liberalism which emphasized being liberated from the coercion of external controls (being released from structures of top down command+control).

So a prime concern was the focus upon our inner motivations (further promoted during and after the Renaissance). Curiosity about the natural man and the appreciation for the human spirit developed so as the set the individual free and not “contain+constrain” individuals via a hierarchy of people using rules and threats.