THE "LIBERTY" TO DISCRIMINATE

By the time I had verified what I thought I remembered the FB post that prompted it had disappeared into oblivion. 

In David Fischer's Albion's Seed he detailed the folkways of four waves of migration from Britain. The Puritans of New England had several definitions of liberty ranging from the community to the individual. 

Liberty or liberties had a second meaning in New England. One that had roots in the counties of East Anglia where many of colonists and most of their pastors left when they emigrated. Individuals could be granted the liberty to do something that they normally couldn’t do. For example, certain individuals could be granted the liberty to fish or hunt in certain areas while that liberty was denied to others. 

I believe this second meaning of liberty is what is being used as a foundation for granting certain religious groups "liberties" the the grounds of so called religious freedom that are denied to other groups. It sounds strange to modern ears. It was rooted in a certain area of England that was the home to most of the Puritans who migrated to New England. It can be considered to be archaic. And frankly I don't equate the liberty to hunt in a certain forest with the liberty to discriminate against anyone who does not share my religious faith.