Which of the following contributed most to the development of religious toleration in the British colonies?
(A) The stand of Roger Williams in defense of liberty of conscience
(B) The Puritan guarantee of religious freedom to settlers in the Massachusetts Bay colony
(C) The common interest of each of the numerous sects in preventing domination of any of the others
(D) The attitude of religious indifference that permeated the colonial aristocracy
I think it's C
I agree.
To determine which of the options contributed most to the development of religious toleration in the British colonies, let's analyze each choice.
(A) The stand of Roger Williams in defense of liberty of conscience: Roger Williams, a religious dissenter, argued for the separation of church and state and advocated for the free exercise of religion. His ideas did contribute to the development of religious toleration, but it was limited to his followers and did not have the widespread impact necessary to bring about a significant change in the colonies as a whole.
(B) The Puritan guarantee of religious freedom to settlers in the Massachusetts Bay colony: While the Puritans did establish a theocracy that limited religious freedom for those who didn't adhere to their strict beliefs, they did provide some level of religious freedom to settlers who agreed with their religious ideologies. However, this guarantee was not extended to dissenting groups, and therefore did not contribute significantly to religious toleration across the colonies.
(C) The common interest of each of the numerous sects in preventing domination of any of the others: This option suggests that the various religious sects in the colonies had a shared desire to prevent one specific group from dominating or suppressing others. This common interest could have fostered a climate of cooperation and mutual respect, leading to greater religious toleration. Therefore, this option could be a strong contender for the primary contributor to the development of religious toleration in the British colonies.
(D) The attitude of religious indifference that permeated the colonial aristocracy: While it is possible that some members of the colonial aristocracy may have had an attitude of religious indifference, this factor alone would not have been sufficient to drive the significant development of religious toleration throughout the colonies.
Based on the analysis, option (C) - the common interest of each religious sect in preventing domination of any of the others - appears to be the most plausible choice for the primary factor contributing to the development of religious toleration in the British colonies.