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What would Jesus think about public whippings and cutting off ears?


The people who were members of founding generation of America clearly understood the dangers of linking religion to the government. When the leaders of religious organizations gain access to the government’s power to use force against those who disagree or refuse to submit to their beliefs, the consequences can quickly become deadly. I am sure they were well-aware of the Inquisitions and persecutions that were taking place in Europe, but something that a lot of Americans don’t seem to be aware of today is what was taking place in America.

In Virginia, the first law in the code of laws of 1610-11, usually called Dale’s code, commanded that God be daily served and that anyone not attending prayers twice daily would be “duly punished.” The second law provided for death to anyone who maliciously spoke against the doctrine of the Trinity, any person of the Trinity, or the “Articles of the Christian faith.” The next law tersely fixed death as the penalty for blasphemy against God.[i]

A Puritan version of an Inquisition found its first victim in 1631 in Massachusetts when Phillip Ratcliffe was convicted of “uttering malicious and scandalous speeches against the government and church of Salem.” A court consisting of the governor, his deputy, and several magistrates sentenced Ratcliffe to be whipped, have his ears cut off, pay a heavy fine, and be banished. What did Ratcliffe do to deserve this horrible punishment? He was reported to have said that “the devil was the founder of the Salem church.”[ii]

Another case took place in 1635 when Thomas Williams was accused of saying that “he feared neither God nor the devil.” He was found guilty of violating the laws against blasphemy and profanity. The court ruled he had spoken in “passion & distemper,” so after he acknowledged his offense, he merely received a reproof.[iii] Of course he had experienced public humiliation and had to endure the stress and expense of being tried in a court of law.

These are just a few examples of what Christians were doing to other Christians on American soil before our nation was founded. Do you think that this was what Jesus had in mind for his followers to do to one another? I have no doubt that these horrible acts were on the minds of the men who made the freedom of religion and speech cornerstones of our nation’s new legal system.

Don’t assume that Americans could never be sentenced to public whippings, have their ears cut off, pay heavy fines, or banishment for religious crimes. I suggest that the words of George Santayana’s famous quote-- "Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it" – should be kept them in mind. Learn about America’s biblical heritages and protect the freedoms our founding fathers and mothers fought and died for. They took care of their generation – now it’s our time.

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Shalom & Be Empowered!


[i] Blasphemy: Verbal Offense against the Sacred from Moses to Salman Rushdie by Leonard W. Levy © Leonard W. Levy (University of North Carolina Press; Chapel Hill, NC.; p. 238.
[ii] Blasphemy; p. 241.
[iii] Blasphemy; p. 244.

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