On Religion and the State

"Let us therefore deal plainly . The magistrate is afraid of other Churches but not his own; because he is kind and favourable to the one, but severe and cruel to the [others]. . . . Let him turn the tables: or let those dissenters enjoy but the same privileges in civils as his other subjects, and he will quickly find that these religious meetings will be no longer dangerous. For if men enter into seditious conspiracies, 'tis not religion inspires them to it in their meetings, but their sufferings and oppressions that make them willing to ease themselves."

 - John Locke, Letter on Toleration, in The Works of John Locke vol. II (A. Bettesworth, London, 1727).

On John Locke's Political Theory

"It's important to remember that John Locke is a cradle Calvinist. He learned basic Calvinistic theory as part of his basic upbringing. He spent time in the Netherlands, a haven of Calvinism among other faiths. And he spent time in coffee houses learning about what toleration means, about what social contract means, about what natural rights mean, about what the rights of nature entail. And I dare say that a number of his basic [political] ideas are simply genetic reflexes or in of his Puritan heritage part of those ingenious repositioning of those Calvinistic ideas so that they would become palatable to an Anglican and Royalist community."

 - John Witte Jr., Jonas Robitscher Professor of Law, Director of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University.