Maryland's History of Tolerance

Saturday, July 21, 2001; Page A22

In her July 14 letter, Pauline Tidman credited the second Lord Baltimore with establishing "religious tolerance and freedom for all faiths in Maryland." This is incorrect.

The Act of Toleration of 1649 gave freedom of religion only to those who were Trinitarian Christians. For those who in any way denied the Holy Trinity, the prescribed punishment was that they "shall be punished with death and confiscation or forfeiture of all his or her lands and goods to the Lord Proprietary and his heires."

Unfortunately, independence from England only partially corrected this problem. The Maryland Constitution of 1776 stated that "all persons, professing the Christian religion, are equally entitled to protection in their religious liberty." That constitution allowed the laying of taxes for the general support of Christianity, and had as a requirement for the holding of public office "a declaration of a belief in the Christian religion." Not until 1826 could anyone but a Christian hold public office, and that bill only lifted the prohibition for Jews.

Calvert's approach may have been more generous than that of many European governments of his day, but it certainly did not represent universal tolerance and freedom.

KENNETH J. BERNSTEIN

Arlington

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