John Locke exempted atheists from the civil protection of toleration

Excerpt from “Secular Religious Ideology Gone Mad,” by Gary DeMar.

Oaths and affirmations were deemed important to many of the founders since they bound a person’s word to a higher authority beyond the sanctions of mere mortals who have no jurisdiction over the soul. For example, in his Essay on Toleration (1685), John Locke exempted atheists from the civil protection of toleration when it came to holding political office by arguing that an atheist who denies that God exists could not be expected to tolerate what he believes to be a myth:  Read more... (191 words, estimated 46 secs reading time)