http://tspwiki.com/index.php?title=1649
Here are some one liners...
Cromwell Destroys a Village in Order to Save It... for Himself -- King Charles I is beheaded. England is now a commonwealth and Cromwell begins the massacre of Ireland.
Maryland Declares Death to the Infidels! -- The Law of Tolerances makes it intolerable to blaspheme God or deny Jesus and the punishment is the death penalty. I talk about the problem of the state being used to enforce religious law.
Cromwell Destroys a Village in Order to Save It... for Himself
The British Civil War has not been very civil. King Charles the 1st has been put on trial for treason, found guilty and beheaded three days later... and it is only January. His son, Charles the 2nd declares himself King, but England is not listening. England is now a commonwealth led by the English Parliament. Scotland and Ireland are very nervous. Many of them had sided with (the previously alive) King Charles. Oliver Cromwell is in charge of the New Model Army. The Parliament has made him Commander-in-Chief and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He heads to Ireland to take the port cities before winter. The port town of Drogheda refuses to surrender and after a week of bombardment by cannon fire, Cromwell's army breeches the fortifications. There will be no quarter given. 2,000 townsmen are put to the sword and Governor Aston is beaten to death with his own wooden leg. "Good Queen Bess" (Queen Elizabeth the 1st) is looking better and better all the time. [1] [2] [3]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
If this is what republican government looks like then the people are looking longingly at the monarchy. The Irish royalists wanted stability and the rights to their own land which is why they had sided with King Charles the 1st. From the commonwealth point of view, the royalists looked like a rebellion waiting to happen (and had happened recently). Cromwell needed to take the port cities quickly because it was September and he required ports to land his supply ships before winter set in, so Cromwell bet on a quick assault. It doesn't explain the massacre, though. It was probably revenge for the previous rumored massacre of the Ulster Protestants during the Irish Rebellion of 1641. Wild rumors about the huge numbers of dead could not be substantiated but were believed, nevertheless, by the English. Cromwell needed the port town and he didn't need the people so at least half of them went bye-bye. In those days you were given one chance to surrender. After that, all bets were off. [4] [5]
If this is what republican government looks like then the people are looking longingly at the monarchy. The Irish royalists wanted stability and the rights to their own land which is why they had sided with King Charles the 1st. From the commonwealth point of view, the royalists looked like a rebellion waiting to happen (and had happened recently). Cromwell needed to take the port cities quickly because it was September and he required ports to land his supply ships before winter set in, so Cromwell bet on a quick assault. It doesn't explain the massacre, though. It was probably revenge for the previous rumored massacre of the Ulster Protestants during the Irish Rebellion of 1641. Wild rumors about the huge numbers of dead could not be substantiated but were believed, nevertheless, by the English. Cromwell needed the port town and he didn't need the people so at least half of them went bye-bye. In those days you were given one chance to surrender. After that, all bets were off. [4] [5]
Maryland Declares Death to the Infidels!
The Maryland General Assembly passes the Law of Toleration. Oddly, it does not tolerate blaspheming of the Lord and it declares its belief in the Holy Trinity. (That is, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit all as part of the One God.) By "toleration" no doubt they mean both Protestant and Catholic beliefs are acceptable. Blasphemy against God or denying Jesus as Lord and Savior is now a capital crime in Maryland. Have a nice day. [6] [7]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
I can't help but sigh when I hear Christians express the fear that Muslims will make defamation of Mohammed a capital crime. The United States was founded upon Christian principles. It was also founded upon a few Jewish principles. I'm OK with that. What frightens me (and what should scare the snot out of anyone who studies history) is when the state law is used to enforce religious law. Generally accepted standards like "thou shalt not steal" and "thou shalt not murder" are reasonable. Most people can see the logic of those laws whether they are religious or not. Enforcing belief in the Trinity or putting people to death for defaming a major religious figure... even God... is over the line. You can say, "We would NEVER do THAT!" but in fact WE HAVE DONE THAT in the past. Modern day people want to discount their ancestors as knuckleheads, but they were every bit as smart as you are. They just had a different standard of tolerance. Imagine how it felt to be a Jew in Maryland in 1649. Christians are feeling that feeling right now. That is not payback. That is a warning. Make room in the law for the religious and the irreligious. If you want God's kingdom on Earth, wait for God to establish it and let HIM run it. The works of man are imperfect. [8]
I can't help but sigh when I hear Christians express the fear that Muslims will make defamation of Mohammed a capital crime. The United States was founded upon Christian principles. It was also founded upon a few Jewish principles. I'm OK with that. What frightens me (and what should scare the snot out of anyone who studies history) is when the state law is used to enforce religious law. Generally accepted standards like "thou shalt not steal" and "thou shalt not murder" are reasonable. Most people can see the logic of those laws whether they are religious or not. Enforcing belief in the Trinity or putting people to death for defaming a major religious figure... even God... is over the line. You can say, "We would NEVER do THAT!" but in fact WE HAVE DONE THAT in the past. Modern day people want to discount their ancestors as knuckleheads, but they were every bit as smart as you are. They just had a different standard of tolerance. Imagine how it felt to be a Jew in Maryland in 1649. Christians are feeling that feeling right now. That is not payback. That is a warning. Make room in the law for the religious and the irreligious. If you want God's kingdom on Earth, wait for God to establish it and let HIM run it. The works of man are imperfect. [8]
This Year on Wikipedia
Year 1649, Wikipedia.
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