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Journal article
Freedom of Belief Versus Freedom for Belief: Sacred Reasoning in John Locke’s Letter Concerning Toleration
The journal of communication and religion, Vol.48(1), pp.8-20
Autumn 2025
Abstract
Standard accounts of religious toleration are deeply rooted in the notion of the liberal rights-bearing subject. These accounts center on the need for religious toleration as a necessity to protect the individual from usurpation of rights and external coercion. John Locke’s Letter Concerning Toleration is a landmark theoretical work that defends such religious toleration. In this essay, I argue that Locke’s rationale for religious toleration is focused less on the protection of individual autonomy and more on the fundamental sacredness of religious belief. In doing so, I demonstrate that sacred beliefs are subject to a categorically different mode of reasoning, defined by radical separateness and transcendent priority. From this analysis, I present a potential ethic of public discourse founded upon an attunement to sacred values.
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Details
- Title
- Freedom of Belief Versus Freedom for Belief
- Publication Details
- The journal of communication and religion, Vol.48(1), pp.8-20
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- The Religious Communication Association
- Identifiers
- 99381837345206600
- Academic Unit
- Communication; College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities
- Language
- English