The Founders of our great USA, during the Revolution and on into the years ahead, often had to contend with fellow Patriots coming from a wide variety of religious backgrounds.
Every colony had their own flavors of religion, and some were inflicting torture and death on dissenters.
There were arguments among the Founders concerning religious differences, and they had to agree to lay aside their sectarian differences, in favor of establishing the new nation, with each person agreeing not to let their personal religious beliefs interfere with the greater effort being undertaken for Freedom.
Yes, there were some obstinate believers in those early days, and if they could not lay aside their sectarian bickering, they were not allowed to continue their participation in the greater efforts to establish and develop our Constitutional Republic.
The religious freedom clause of our First Amendment was taken from the Religious Freedom amendment to Virginia's State Constitution (written by Jefferson). Each colony, subsequently state, had their own established religion, and ALL of them were tyrannical, because they were so tightly wrapped up in the government and taxation of their mostly unwilling populations.
No, I'm not going to find links or references. People can do their own research, and learn as they go.
You can find Jefferson's Religious Freedom Amendment to the Virginia Constitution. Up until then, Virginia's established religion happened to be Anglican, and they were happily torturing and killing Baptists who wandered into their communities preaching non-Anglican stuff. But that is a small detail -- because every established religion in every area maintained tyrannical control over unwilling populations.
There were probably stories of Baptists torturing and killing non-Baptists in their areas, but those stories would have been lost to history due to a lack of literacy in those areas. [See how easy that is?]
You can also find articles about the atrocities committed by religious fanatics in the various colonies, and subsequently the states, until the adoption of the US Constitution along with the first ten amendments, The Bill of Rights.
Like Jefferson, I will fight the tyranny of established religion, as much as I will fight the tyranny of communism, fascism, Nazism, muslim terrorism, or any other sort.
"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."
~~ Thomas Jefferson
I had two ancestors that were burned alive at the stake for being the “wrong” religion, one in Olde England, one in Olde Massachusetts.
Even if someone belives 188% opposite from me, they have the right to believe and practice, unless practices are illegal or vicious/cruel/etc.
Thank you! :)