I was just reading a piece on Roger Williams. In it he is credited with starting the
American Baptist Church, but not long after he disassociated himself with any organized
church. Rather he adopted a position as that of a witness to Christianity but advocated
strongly for a position of free will and a "Wall of Separation" between church
and state. His belief was that the organized churches were corrupt and he chose to wait
for new apostle to be divinely delivered to lead a new church while advocating for
Christian beliefs. Among them was an opposition to slavery.
I cannot find any documentation that he was a member of Free Masonry although his thoughts
and beliefs closely parallel those of the Masons. Since he considered William Carpenter
and the other original proprietors as close and trusted brothers and since many of William
Carpenter's descendants were Masons reaching many of the highest degrees, I am curious
whether anyone has found evidence that William Carpenter of Providence was a Free
Mason.
Dennis L. Carpenter
d.carpenter(a)rocketmail.com
NSSAR # 186631