The extent of religious toleration

Charles II’s toleration 1678-1685

Charles’ defeat of the Exclusionists showed that religious tension had been overcome. Those opposing Exclusion effectively argued Exclusion was unnecessary because: The law would protect English Protestants from a Catholic successor, Charles II had shown himself willing to impose additional limitations on a Catholic successor, there were enough existing Acts of Parliament protecting the Protestant religion which a future Catholic King would not be able to repeal, the Test Acts ensured no one could be an MP unless they had renounced Catholicism, no Parliament would grant enough money for a Catholic King to be able to maintain a standing army.
1681-1685- there was no overt religious disputes.

James II’s toleration 1685-1688

Evidence of toleration:
James tried to ensure greater toleration of Catholicism and for dissenters.
James used dispensing power to appoint nearly 90 Catholic army officers.
A legal decision in 1686 (Godden vs Hales) allowed James to exempt individuals from the Test and Corporation Acts. James had 6 judges removed to ensure he got the verdict he wanted. He used the court judgement, to appoint 4 Catholics to the privy council. In 1686, a royal licensing office was established to sell certificates to Dissenters, exempting them from the Clarendon Code. In 1686, James began to remove opponents from local government and replace them with Catholics, he also began a campaign ‘closeting’ to convert important people to Catholicism.
In 1687, he issued his first Declaration of Indulgence to suspend the Test and Corporation Acts to create support amongst Catholics and Dissenters. 1686-87, James uses his prerogative to proclaim freedom of private worship for Catholics and Quakers. 
 

James II’s lack of toleration 1685-1688

Lack of toleration:
Parliament had a lack of toleration- they caused the glorious revolution. It was sparked by the fact that James’ wife gave birth to a catholic son in 1688. The immortal seven called on William to invade, suggesting that he brought an army to England to persuade James to reverse his pro-Catholic policies.
James James’ Declaration to Preachers banned preachers from preaching anti-Catholic sermons. He created the Court of Ecclesiastical Commission to try anyone accused of breaking the ban. Bishop Compton of London refused to suspend a London preacher who had disobeyed the ban and was then put on trial by the Court of Ecclesiastical Commission and suspended. Seven bishops refused to publish the Declaration to Preachers. They were acquitted by the courts. This suggested that people still feared Catholicism.

William and Mary 1689-1702 Toleration

Evidence of toleration:
The Toleration Act 1689 meant Protestant Dissenters could worship freely in meeting houses and were exempt from penal laws.
As time went on, Catholicism was seen as less of a threat due to William’s Protestant faith, victories against Louis XIV in the Nine Years war, the Battle of Boyne having defeated any possibility of a Catholic invasion from Ireland.

William and Mary 1689-1702 Lack of toleration

Lack of toleration:
The Toleration Act depended on only was in place if: Protestant dissenters had a license, had taken an oath of allegiance and denied transubstantiation, and had the meeting house doors wide open during services.
Protestant Dissenters were still barred from public office by Corporation and Test Acts.
Catholics were also prevented from holding public office, were followers of an illegal religion still, and were still viewed with suspicion due to the link between Catholicism and absolutist rulers like Louis XIV.
The Blasphemy Act (1697) made it an offence for Christians to deny the Trinity, to claim there was more than one God, to deny the truth of Christianity, or to deny the Bible as divine authority. Anglicans developed the cult of ‘Charles the Martyr’, explicitly linking Dissent with the regicide and the disorder of the Interregnum. Anglicans pressed William to open a new meeting of the Church (a ‘Convocation’) which allowed them to make strong criticism of Archbishop Tenison, the successor to John Tillotson and also a latitudinarian. The Comprehension Bill (1689) proposed broadening the Church of England by allowing Protestant Dissenters to join. However, it did not pass.