King Henry VIII had a liberal view of sex and marriage in the 1500’s and set up his own “establishment of religion” called the Church of England to enforce his view.
The church from Rome and other religious groups that did not conform to C of E were prosecuted and persecuted. There was civil conflict and dissenters were even executed in some cases.
Some of the dissenters ended up in America to help craft a First Amendment.
Yep, prevention of the establishment of an official state religion, not free individuals establishing their own.
IIRC, it was Henry VIII wanting to divorce one wife and marry another? Rome’s religion wouldn’t let him so he established C of E.
It was King James’ persecution of the protestants who were using the Geneva Bible created so that the masses could read the Word and not rely on the Bishops and the rule of the King in their accordance to tell the masses what the Word was according to the church and the King. So much did the actual Word counter their power hold that King James commissioned his version cleverly “translated” to focus not on the actual Hebrew meanings but to bolster his need to keep the masses dependent on the state, in this case the Kingdom, and not individualism.
At the founding of this nation, the Geneva Bible was the Bible of choice long into and after the revolution. Is it not ironic how so many today see the Kings James version of the Bible as the template?