Religious Liberty

Religious Liberty. [No. 26]

Unto the Volume of the Sacred Law
Take not thy fancies, nor the Church’s Creed,
To force on other minds; for much we need
Freedom of Thought, in order to lay low
Those foolish Hatreds which have kept apart 5
Men who should love as Brothers. Strike a blow
At Bigotry, if ye would ever know
True Brotherhood,—its death-blow: for the heart
Of Man was form’d to love, not hate this kind.
In all Religions there is much good, 10
When there true teachings are well understood;
In most much Superstition with their blind
And rabid devotees. Let us be wide,—
Embrace their good, and learn their evil to despise.

by George Markham Tweddell  1st published 1887