Protestantism

===Government===
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During the [[Middle Ages]], the Church and the worldly authorities were closely related. Martin Luther separated the religious and the worldly realms in principle ([[doctrine of the two kingdoms]]).<ref>Heinrich Bornkamm, ''{{lang|de|Toleranz. In der Geschichte des Christentums}}'' in ''{{lang|de|Die Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart}}'', 3. Auflage, Band VI (1962), col. 937</ref> The believers were obliged to use reason to govern the worldly sphere in an orderly and peaceful way. Luther's doctrine of the [[priesthood of all believers]] upgraded the role of laymen in the church considerably. The members of a congregation had the right to elect a minister and, if necessary, to vote for his dismissal (Treatise ''On the right and authority of a Christian assembly or congregation to judge all doctrines and to call, install and dismiss teachers, as testified in Scripture''; 1523).<ref>Original German title: ''{{lang|de|Dass eine christliche Versammlung oder Gemeine Recht und Macht habe, alle Lehre zu beurteilen und Lehrer zu berufen, ein- und abzusetzen: Grund und Ursach aus der Schrift}}''</ref> Calvin strengthened this basically democratic approach by including elected laymen ([[church elder]]s, [[presbyter]]s) in his representative church government.<ref>Clifton E. Olmstead, ''History of Religion in the United States'', pp. 4–10</ref> The [[Huguenot]]s added regional [[synod]]s and a national synod, whose members were elected by the congregations, to Calvin's system of church self-government. This system was taken over by the other reformed churches<ref>Karl Heussi, ''{{lang|de|Kompendium der Kirchengeschichte}}'', 11. Auflage, p. 325</ref> and was adopted by some Lutherans beginning with those in [[United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg|Jülich-Cleves-Berg]] during the 17th century.

Politically, Calvin favored a mixture of aristocracy and democracy. He appreciated the advantages of [[democracy]]: "It is an invaluable gift, if God allows a people to freely elect its own authorities and overlords."<ref>Quoted in Jan Weerda, ''Calvin'', in ''{{lang|de|Evangelisches Soziallexikon}}'', 3. Auflage (1958), Stuttgart (Germany), col. 210</ref> Calvin also thought that earthly rulers lose their divine right and must be put down when they rise up against God. To further protect the rights of ordinary people, Calvin suggested separating political powers in a system of checks and balances ([[separation of powers]]). Thus he and his followers resisted political [[Absolute monarchy|absolutism]] and paved the way for the rise of modern democracy.<ref>Clifton E. Olmstead, ''History of Religion in the United States'', p. 10</ref> Besides England, the Netherlands were, under Calvinist leadership, the freest country in Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It granted asylum to philosophers like [[Baruch Spinoza]] and [[Pierre Bayle]]. [[Hugo Grotius]] was able to teach his natural-law theory and a relatively liberal interpretation of the Bible.<ref>Karl Heussi, ''{{lang|de|Kompendium der Kirchengeschichte}}'', pp. 396–397</ref>

Consistent with Calvin's political ideas, Protestants created both the English and the American democracies. In seventeenth-century England, the most important persons and events in this process were the [[English Civil War]], [[Oliver Cromwell]], [[John Milton]], [[John Locke]], the [[Glorious Revolution]], the [[English Bill of Rights]], and the [[Act of Settlement 1701|Act of Settlement]].<ref>Cf. M. Schmidt, ''{{lang|de|England. Kirchengeschichte}}'', in ''{{lang|de|Die Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart}}'', 3. Auflage, Band II (1959), Tübingen (Germany), col. 476–478</ref> Later, the British took their democratic ideals to their colonies, e.g. Australia, New Zealand, and India. In North America, [[Plymouth Colony]] ([[Pilgrim Fathers]]; 1620) and [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] (1628) practised democratic self-rule and [[separation of powers]].<ref>Nathaniel Philbrick (2006), ''[[iarchive:mayflowerstoryof00phil_0|Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War]]'', Penguin Group, New York, {{ISBN|0-670-03760-5}}</ref><ref>Clifton E. Olmstead, ''History of Religion in the United States'', pp. 65–76</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.histarch.illinois.edu/plymouth/ccflaw.html|title=Plymouth Colony Legal Structure|website=The Plymouth Colony Archive Project |first1=Christopher |last1=Fennell |access-date=1 November 2020|archive-date=13 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413182727/http://www.histarch.illinois.edu/plymouth/ccflaw.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://history.hanover.edu/texts/masslib.html|title=The Massachusetts Body of Liberties (1641) |website=Hanover College History Department |access-date=13 March 2013|archive-date=20 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020095602/http://history.hanover.edu/texts/masslib.html|url-status=live}}</ref> These [[Congregationalist]]s were convinced that the democratic form of government was the will of God.<ref>M. Schmidt, ''{{lang|de|Pilgerväter}}'', in ''{{lang|de|Die Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart, 3. Auflage, Band V}}'' (1961), col. 384</ref> The [[Mayflower Compact]] was a [[social contract]].<ref>Christopher Fennell, ''Plymouth Colony Legal Structure''</ref><ref>Allen Weinstein and David Rubel (2002), ''The Story of America: Freedom and Crisis from Settlement to Superpower'', DK Publishing, Inc., New York, {{ISBN|0-7894-8903-1}}, p. 61</ref>