TJ and the Liberties: I protest!
Arguments over the meaning of religious liberty have taken place since before the creation of the nation. We've all heard the tales about the Puritans and the Pilgrims coming to America to escape the religious persecutions in England -- and in truth many other European countries. England, of course, has an established church, the Church of England, more commonly referred to as the Anglican Church, though we may have forgotten that the reigning monarch is also the titular head of this communion. He or she technically can push the church in any direction he/she chooses and can appoint any number of officials. In practice these days, the Crown takes advice on the nomination of the Archbishop of Canterbury from the prime minister, who in turns takes advice from a nominating committee which consists, somewhat paradoxically, of members mostly not from the Anglican communion. What we don't usually hear much about is that once the Puritans, and Pilgrims to a much lesser extent, arrive...