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A:At a time when religious tolerance was an entirely alien concept in Europe, Thomas More wrote a novel called Utopia. This describes an ideal society where everyone was free to worship in any way he pleased, provided only that he professed belief in a Supreme Being. Citizens were encouraged to preach their beliefs to non-believers, but could be punished by exile if they disturbed the peace in doing so.


More wrote Utopia at a time when there was no likelihood of Protestant beliefs spreading in Catholic England. When Lutheran material began to circulate, he reversed his view and called for the extreme punishment of heretics, becoming a persecutor of so-called heretics himself.


More wrote A Dialogue Concerning Heresies, in which he holds an imaginary conversation with a young man somewhat attracted to Protestantism, soon persuading the young man to his point of view. Hedevoted an entire chapter toshow that it was lawful, necessary and beneficial to burn heretics (Protestants), and that the imposition of this punishment was due not to the clergy but to the prudent provision of the secular authorities.

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12y ago

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