Discuss to what extent each philosopher’s religious views influenced their thoughts on government and society.

Enlightenment philosophers of the 1600’s argued for several different forms of government

and society, and these perspectives were influenced by a variety of factors. Each

philosophers religious views influenced their thoughts on democracy to a large extent. For

instance, Thomas Hobbes, author of the Leviathan, feared that religion could become a source of civil war. According to the “Thomas Hobbes Worksheet”, (provided to us in the assignment), “Hobbes warned against the church meddling with the kings government. Thus, he advised that the church become a department of the kings government, which would closely control all religious affairs.” This strongly portrays the ideology of how religion affects society, as shown through this citation philosophers such as Hobbes used religion as a factor in making decisions towards their government. Additionally, John Locke, widely known as one of the “most influential Enlightenment thinkers” sided with the protestant parliament against the King. In reference to the “John Locke Worksheet” (provided to us in the assignment,) “Locke’s siding with the parliament reduced the power of the king and made the parliament the major authority in English government.” Therefore, Locke’s religious views largely influenced the society in which he hoped for, as it eventually allowed for the parliament to become a major aspect of overall government.