Did Queen Elizabeth I persecute people who were not Christians?

Question: Did Queen Elizabeth I persecute people who were not Christians!?

I know she was against death sentences (right!? I think so) and she thought it was idiotic to punish someone for worshiping the same God differently!. But how did she feel about non-believers and other religions!? Is she another phony that everyone tells us we should look up to like Mother Teresa!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Queen Elizabeth was not against the death sentence!. Plenty of people were executed during her reign, sometimes at her own instigation!.

The church of England was established as the offical religion of england in her reign, and everyone was nominally supposed to be C of E!. bishops had to swear an Oath of Supremacy, acknowledging Elizabeth as head of the church!. However, outside of London and the Home counties, the majority of the population still prefered the old mass to the new service, and maintained the old rituals!. Elizabeth wanted to avoid religious strife, so people were left to practice religion in their own way, provided they acknowledged Elizabeth's supremacy as head of the church!.

Her attitude towards Catholics hardened after she was excommunicated by the Pope later in her reign, and he declared it was not a crime for a Catholic to kill her!. This not surpisingly made her hostile towards the Catholic religion, and Catholics in England began to be persecuted!.

I do not think there were many people at that time in england who were not Christians!. No doubt there were people who were privately sceptical, but they would still be expected to pay lip service to the Church of England!. jews had been expelled from England in 1290, and did not return until the 1640s, and I do not know of any Muslims or people of other faiths living in england at that time!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I don't know where you got the idea that she was against the death sentence, plenty of people were executed in her reign, !.
She probably hated jews which was normal in those daysWww@QuestionHome@Com