Significance of the Toleration Act

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Significance of the Toleration Act

Religious intolerance was normal practice throughout the Middle Ages,

the Reformation bringing with it much persecution. Christian

Anti-Semitism fuelled the religious insecurity prevalent in Europe

but by the end of the sixteenth century Poland, the Dutch Republic and

France had reached a state of ‘tolerance’, being in contrast to the

religious intolerance still present in England at this time. The

passing of the Toleration Act in 1689 appears to have been a close

call, coming as it did during a particularly unstable period, making

its conception all the more surprising. However, the practical

achievement of the Act was remarkable, it being the first time in

English history that dissenters such as Quakers, Presbyterians,

Independents and Baptists were recognised by law and given a right to

free worship. The significance of the Act must be judged by both its

sort and long term effects and must be assessed both socially and

politically but what is perhaps of major significance is that it

constituted both a turning point and a catalyst for change at a time

when the Anglican Church was coming under re-evaluation.

The Toleration Act reduced the Church of England from the national to

merely the established church of England.[1] It could be argued that

in many ways this was simply a legal and political recognition of what

had prevailed for forty years but this does not diminish its

significance. The simple act of acknowledging dissenters caused

Anglicans to loose power and created political, ideol...

... middle of paper ...

... to compete with other religious groups. A remarkable

development of this was the rise of devotional groups, with the most

significant probably being S.P.C.K (Society for Promoting Christian

Knowledge) founded in 1699, moving the church, in direct response to

the changes that it faced, into a far more consciously evangelic era.

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[1] Spurr. The Restoration Church Of England 1646-1689 pg 104

[2] Tyacke. The legalizing of Dissent, 1571-1719 in From Persecution

to Toleration ed.Grell pg.44

[3] Gregory. The eighteenth century Reformation: the pastoral task of

Anglican Clergy after 1689 in The Church of England c.1689-c.1833 ed.

J,Walsh pg.69.

[4] G.V Bennett Conflict in the church in Britain after the glorious

Revolution ed.Holmes pg.155

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