قصة الكتاب :
Locke argued in A Letter Concerning Toleration that the proper realm of government concerns “civil interests,” or the preservation of peace, order, and the people’s earthly well-being (in his own words, “life, liberty, health, and indolency of body; and the possession of outward things, such as money, lands, houses, furniture, and the like”). The citizenry, in a hypothetical compact, has entrusted the state (and the legitimate government in power) with this responsibility, along with the right to use force and coercion when necessary. For Locke, the government’s purview extends only to these civil interests and not to religious affairs. Therefore, the government should not discriminate based on religious belief or make laws specific to religious institutions. A Letter Concerning Toleration contrasts the civil interests that are the proper concern of government with the care of immortal souls and their guidance to salvation, which are the proper concern of religion. It is important to note that Locke did not oppose the right of members of government to express religious opinions: they can do so as individuals seeking to influence others through uncoerced persuasion, he argued, but they can not do so through laws or state power.