Bump
this is only 1/3 correct and should include English of the same era - and finally John Dewey of course
One might want to go back and examine Roman influence and the Catholic Church introduction into Germanic lands.
Up until the mid-to-late 400s...Germans (like all other Roman Empire lands) had been allowed freedom of religion and had various non-Christian religions that existed in the region. Then one day...the Roman Empire no longer had freedom of religion, and you had ‘lose’ your accepted religion and accept the Catholic religion.
Around five-hundred years later...Charlemagne rounded up the regions that weren’t formerly Roman Empire or Catholic dominated territory....and forced with the sword for more Germanic tribes to accept his rule and the destruction of their religions for the Catholic Church.
There’s a long history here where people weren’t given choices, and these were state mandated religions...something that didn’t sell well. Even today...these history lessons are remembered.