Below this introduction you will find links that will bring you to historical, political, and religious commentary.
History is past politics, and politics present history. This statement attributed to Sir John Robert Seeley (1834-1895)
and finds it origin in the works of John Gower (1330-1408) and Geoffrey Chaucer (1334-1400). However, for these men it
was impossible to separate religion from history and politics and thus religious commentary is to be found throughout their
historical and political works.
For those who may wish to explore how these men addressed the relationship between history, politics, and religion,
start with their works cited below.
John Gower is best known for three long poems united by common political and moral (religious) themes. They are: Mirror de L’Omme (Mirror of the Man) composed in French, Vox Clamantis (The Voice of Clamantis) composed in Latin, and Confessio
Amantis (Confession of a Lover) composed in English.
Geoffrey Chaucer’ works
include: Book of Duchess, Troilus and Criseyde,
and his best known work the Canterbury Tales as well as lesser known poems. The
Book of the Duchess is the earliest of Chaucer’s major poems. Overwhelming (if disputed) evidence suggests that
Chaucer wrote the poem to commemorate the death of Blanche of Lancaster, wife of John of Gaunt. The poem tells the story of the poet’s dream. Wandering
in the woods, the poet discovers a knight clothed in black, and inquires of the knight’s sorrow. Throughout the poem, pieces of the knight’s story become
more and more apparent, until the cause of his mourning is plainly stated and he leaves.
Troilus is a Trojan prince mentioned by Homer in the Iliad. In Medieval
poetic form Troilus is first set in the genre of courtly romance by Benoit de Saint-Maure in his poem Roman de Troie. Boccaccio re-wrote the story of Troilus in Il Filostrato
which was Chaucer’s primary source for his Troilus and Criseyde. Shakespeare’s
Troilus and Cressida is based in part on Chaucer’s rendition and the poem
is continued in Robert Henryson’s Testament of Cresseid.
The Canterbury Tales (two of them in prose, the rest in verse, some of which are originals and others not) are contained within
a frame tale and told by a collection of pilgrims on a pilgrimage from Southwark to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. Although the tales are considered to be Chaucer's magnum opus, some scholars believe the structure of the tales are indebted
to the works of The Decameron which Chaucer is said to have read on an earlier visit to Italy.
John R. Seeley’s best known works are Ecce Homo which deals with the
humanity of Christ, The Expansion of England that relates the colonial and commercial
aspects of Britain’s struggle with France, and The Growth of British Policy
that is a survey of the foundations of the British empire from the reign of Elizabeth I to William III.
The Revolutionary War patriot Thomas Paine also knew the truth of the relationship between history, politics, and religion.
In fact, there is no other figure in American history, including Benjamin Franklin, that so personified in both his
personal and professional life the juxtaposition of these three currents central to the human experience. If not the first,
Paine is certainly the best known of America’s
humanists who embodied the higher values of the Enlightenment. It is from Enlightenment principles that Paine wrote The Age of Reason which was a treatise that supported Deism and in which he states:
I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church,
by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind
is my own church.
All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish,
appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.
However, Paine is best known for Common Sense and The Crisis. Common Sense was a pro-Independence monograph that was
the best selling work in 18th century America.
After reading it, both George Washington and John Adams were compelled to seek political independence from Great Britain.
Yet, The Crisis is the best known of his works. Pain begins The Crisis with the immortal words:
These are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine
patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks
of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict,
the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing
its value.
General George Washington was so moved by these words he read them to his troops on Christmas morning 1776.
This page, Political and Religious Commentary, is a tribute to John Gower, Geoffrey Chaucer, John Seeley, and Thomas
Paine. The works of these men have greatly elevated my consciousness and informed my development.
To that end, I consider myself not only indebted to them but also their heir. They had the courage to stand up and
speak out - often to vitriolic response. Thus, in my own small way, my religions and political commentary found below is my
attempt to carry forward their ideals and message.
Below you will find links to essays I have written on political and religious issues. The majority are only a
few pages although a few are considerably more.
If anything I have written sparks your interest, whether you agree or disagree, please join the Social Justice Speaks
Listserv and share your thoughts and feelings.
