Simply put, Roger Williams was one of the guys that the
Massachusetts Bay Colony folks persecuted for not toeing the
spiritual line. A devout follower of Jesus, Williams believed
firmly in liberty of conscience, and was therefore as offended
by the theocratic tendencies of the Massachusetts leaders, as he
was by those of the European despots they had fled. Among his
particularly interesting positions: - Williams held that the
English Crown's grant of land patents was immoral, as the land
was already owned by the natives who lived there. If the
colonists wanted land, they should buy it from the Indians, not
seek it from the King. "In doing this, Williams questioned the
very foundation of the colony's government and legitimacy.
Williams was especially troubled by the use of the Christian
religion to do a very un-Christian deed: namely, depriving the
Indians of their own property without due compensation or
negotiation. . .Christian kings somehow believe that they are
invested with right, by virtue of their Chri