Most of the philosophes were deists, and observed the rituals of organized religion as a matter of social conformity while believing in an architect of the universe, whose existence could be ascertained through rational means. A few (Diderot, Helvetius) were atheists. One premise underlying First Amendment jurisprudence is the tolerance theory — the belief that promoting expressive freedoms will make individuals and institutions more open to ideas than they would be otherwise. The origin of this idea can be traced to John Stuart Mill's On Liberty (1869). Enlightenment thinker who believed all individuals were naturally equal. Believed in direct democracy, free speech, he believed that people should give up their rights to the community, not the king, and he believed that no individual should be forced to give up their rights to a king.
