One might call the utopianism of the Milner Group a late blooming manifestation of the radicalism of the real Whigs, which had infested the American colonies, as well as here and there in Britain and elsewhere, back in the early 18th century. See Bailyn's chapter "The Contagion Of Liberty", Ideological Origins.
It was a universalist radicalism born partly of fragmentation, a schismatic fragmentation, following in the train of the political and religious disasters of the Reformation and its aftermath, really.
"We hold these truths to be self evident..." Many radical schismatics, besides the colonists, were also universalists, Luther for example.
Jesus, oddly enough, although a radical Jewish schismatic, was not himself a universalist: he had no mission to the gentiles whatsoever. See: The New Testament Bible, and E P Sanders, The Historical Figure Of Jesus, Index, 'gentiles'.
Someone who knows more can correct me I am sure.
No comments:
Post a Comment