ABSTRACT
In response to religious intolerance and oppression of non-believers, the right to freedom of conscience emerged from the protection accorded to the minority beliefs of particular religious systems. This chapter demonstrates that as the protection for minority religions developed, the idea of freedom of conscience began to centre on preserving singular individual beliefs, independent of a theological standard. In essence, until the rise of humanism, it was almost impossible to view conscience outside a theological framework. Freedom of conscience was inseparable from liberty since the latter provided the individual with the ability to adhere to a particular belief. The Abolitionists’ argument demonstrates that conscience was not merely a concept that required a foundation in theological origins; rather the basic and inherent beliefs of the individual that can serve to develop a moral belief. The right to conscience was now emerging as a singular right that need not centre on religious beliefs.
