Religious Freedom in America and the World: Commentary on “Religious Conscience in Colonial New England”

Though Robert T. Miller's (2008 [1958]) analysis of the development in the New England colonies of a new religious consciousness based on the idea of religious freedom is deemed "insightful," several points of contention are identified: (1) his claim that religious freedom was an indigenous product, (2) his discussion of the "paradoxical" nature of early religious intolerance, & (3) his characterization of Puritan thought as overwhelmingly intolerant. Alternatives to Miller's assertions are offered. K. Hyatt Stewart