The freedoms we enjoy in this country did not simply originate from those men who wrote the Bill of Rights and signed the Constitution, the Founding Fathers. After many years of religious oppression, a few had concluded that thought is free and should be protected by law. Included in these are Roger Williams, founder of Providence and Rhode Island, an extremely influential, yet little-known leader in freedom, and Sir Edward Coke, the greatest jurist of his time. His whole life he defended the ancient common law tradition that protected the rights of the citizens from government intrusion.

Sir Edward Coke was so influential that he stood in the court of King James daily as an advisor. This King James, on the other hand, devotedly preached the “divine right of kings,” a phrase often used in that time to say that the king shouldn’t be held back from doing whatever he wanted. In other words, it removed “checks and balances.” But this stood in direct opposition to the law and the freedom which Coke so shrewdly fought for. Despite his precarious resistance to the king’s theories, he stayed in office for many years and his groundbreaking works successfully preserved some freedoms for the Englishmen.

So now we return to Roger Williams, at this time a youth and the son of a cloth merchant. Though young, he fluently learned shorthand, a method of writing quickly, using symbols for words and letters. This was his ticket, for he happened to go to the same church as Sir Edward Coke for a time. Coke noticed the scholarly young man, his hand quickly flying across the page as he recorded the entire sermon word for word, in his notebook. Such a scribe would be very useful to Coke in court! At the permission of his father, James Williams, young Roger became Coke’s apprentice, going with him wherever he went. The passion for religious freedom growing in Roger’s heart was only strengthened as he served Coke. It was an exciting time in the court. He watched quietly as the powers of England struggled. He saw the tyranny that came from the church being connected to the state. Though he wouldn’t begin to speak about it until later, the seeds of our freedom began to take root. His mentor Sir Edward Coke wrote the Petition of Right. His four basic principles were the predecessors of the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th Amendments in the American Constitution.

In 1630, about 140 years before the Constitution was written, Roger Williams came to America. The young colonies had dispersed and were slowly spreading out in Massachusetts. He and his wife Mary were welcomed into the new land with open arms. But he began to teach his ideas and convictions about religious freedom. This did not find rest in the leaders of the Bay Colony. Though they also desired freedom for the new country, they felt Mr. Williams went too far in separating church and state. They feared he’d incite a rebellion against King James. Eventually he was banished from Massachusetts in the middle of winter. He was weak and sick, but escaped into the wilderness so as to not be deported to England. Due to the kindness of the Natives, he survived and was given a tract of land to bring his family to. That became Providence, which grew to Rhode Island. This development, and the rest of William’s life, did not come without struggle. We’ll leave his story for now, but his words are not forgotten. The Founding Fathers remembered and spoke about these freedoms much, and they shape our country to this day.

I am particularly appreciative of this because the life I was raised in would not have been born apart from the structure these men gave to our country’s laws. Our free exercise of religion is protected, even though we are different. Had we lived in England in Roger Williams’ day, we would’ve been swept into a state church full of wars and strife. Instead, we’re able to share everything we have like the first disciples in Acts 2 and 4. We train our children at home, and live by the belief we have of the scriptures. We obey the laws of the state and do not cause harm to anyone.

I am convinced that it really is the best, if not only way to live, for those who love God and want to fulfill what was in His heart for mankind. Because we live together, we have the ability to talk to each other, be open with our lives, and forgive each other when things come up. I am free, not just to read the Bible and live what I believe, but free to love the way that Yahshua taught His disciples in Jn 13:34. I free from the weight of a bad conscience because I’m forgiven. Many have heard that Yahshua died for our sins, but for me this communicates the reality of an inner freedom from sin, which produces death. We are slaves to sin until He saves us. But Yahshua has loved us, and now we can love with a pure love. I’m so thankful I was raised here. Come see for yourself. You’ll love it too!

-Ahavah