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Freedom, Determinism and Liberal Religion: The Thought of Joseph Priestley Public Deposited

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  • Modern Unitarian Universalism has many deep roots. One such root which has uniquely contributed to this contemporary expression of liberal religion is in the English Enlightenment. This thesis explores an important aspect of the thought of one of the significant Unitarian figures of that era, Joseph Priestley. That aspect of Priestley's thought to be explored is his determinist outlook. In this thesis it will be shown that Priestley has been claimed to be part of the liberal religious tradition by many religious liberals. The general question raised by this thesis is this: Is it possible for someone holding a determinist viewpoint to still be a religious liberal, and if so, how is it possible? This question is explored through the specific problem of whether of not it is possible to consider the determinist, Joseph Priestley, a religious liberal, and if so, how. Related to this are two additional points. The first of these is the fundamental issue of approaching a definition of liberal religion (at least in the Unitarian, and Unitarian Universalist context). Or to put it more precisely, what might be some of the basic self- defined characteristics of liberal religion? Secondly, what issues might be raised for religious liberals through an understanding of Priestley's determinism?
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  • 12/08/2023

MLA citation style (9th ed.)

Howard, Gwendolyn Wyman. Freedom, Determinism and Liberal Religion: The Thought of Joseph Priestley. meadville.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/a5c35fa1-45dc-43ee-bfd1-1ad8842f401a?q=1980.

APA citation style (7th ed.)

H. G. Wyman. Freedom, Determinism and Liberal Religion: The Thought of Joseph Priestley. https://meadville.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/a5c35fa1-45dc-43ee-bfd1-1ad8842f401a?q=1980

Chicago citation style (CMOS 17, author-date)

Howard, Gwendolyn Wyman. Freedom, Determinism and Liberal Religion: The Thought of Joseph Priestley. https://meadville.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/a5c35fa1-45dc-43ee-bfd1-1ad8842f401a?q=1980.

Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.

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