Tom Paine was a [sorta] Quaker wasn't he? I remember reading a little about them and thought they were quite liberal for the time (some anyway) and pro freedom in that sense.

One of the most striking things about various religious groups are the communities they form and the mutual benefit they garner from each other. Of course, there can be negative examples of this, but on the whole it is more community than I currently share with anyone on a face-to-face level. Sounds like it is time for a reread of Cat's Cradle.