Persuasive Letter: Approval and Support for the Act
To Thomas More,
Loving Father.
Dear Father,
Approval and Support for the Act
I am writing this letter quite sorrowfully, in part due to the fact that I personally feel that you are indeed an honorable man, worthy of reward and praise. Your disapproval of both acts of parliament is justifiable as well as admirable. I have no doubt in my mind that your reasons for refusing to acknowledge the two acts are valid and worthy of consideration. The fact that the King has such low regard for the law that he is quite willing to change the law simply to satisfy his own personal desires is no doubt deplorable. The king is willing to not just divorce his wife, in pursuit of a male heir, but is also willing to walk away from the ordained path of God to do it. The motivations for pursuing these changes are no doubt selfish in your eyes and agreeing to them would amount to a demonstration of utter disrespect for the law and for God.
Further, this decision I understand, weighs heavily on your heart, as your conscience cannot allow you to support a split in the church simply to satisfy simplistic human desires. Amending the law, and denouncing the supremacy of the pope simply to satisfy an individual’s desires, even if it is the king cannot be simple for a principled individual like yourself. Bottom line, no principled individual compromises what they stand for, either for political gain, or for the sake of self preservation.
The issue in question is no doubt one of morals. The bible quite clearly outlines the conditions under which any marriage may be dissolved. The conditions under which the king wishes to dissolve his marriage raises considerable moral questions, more so when one considers the trouble it took to bring about the union in the first place. The marriage in itself was immoral, and required the pope cut a number of corners that have already brought the church into disrepute, allowing the king to divorce and remarry will only further tarnish the church’s image, no morally upright citizen would support such an action.
While I acknowledge that your reasons for not supporting the act are valid, kindly reconsider your position. Philosophically, it is argued that the best course of action for any individual to take, is usually the one that results in the greatest happiness for those involved. As such, the main motivation when taking any particular action, should always be realizing the greatest utility. In this case, your support for the act, would no doubt make the king and his supporters quite happy. It would also ensure that we are reunited as a family, which would also make us very happy. On the other hand, your refusal to support the act has brought immense unhappiness even to you, the best course of action would therefore, be for you to support the act.
Not signing in support of the act, will lead to your untimely death, as the fact that you do not support the act has already led to your arrest and detention. Your friends have already turned against you, and I have no doubt that even more will betray you as long as you keep opposing the act. Although what you have only lost so far is your position and your freedom, your continued opposition to the act will undoubtedly lead to your loss of standing. As a politician, you surely must understand that it never ends well for those who oppose the establishment.
Furthermore, not supporting the act will have negative consequences for your family as well. It is my belief that you would not like to harm your own family, although you must understand that if labeled an outcast and a rebel, our fate, as members of your family is also sealed, as we will also be labeled outcasts and no doubt be excommunicated, or worse still, murdered. If your family disappears, your legacy will also be a distant memory. In fact, you will have no legacy to be remembered for, as no one fondly remembers traitors, your death and our death or disappearance will have been for nothing.
If you support the act, I do understand that to you it will have been an act of cowardice but imagine what it could mean. The king and his henchmen already hold you in such high regard. You would undoubtedly ascend to a position of power within the kingdom. Such a high position would mean that you become a man who wield significant power, which would give you an opportunity to slowly correct and change things; giving you a real opportunity to effect change.
Finally father, supporting the act would not only spare your life, but ours as well. It would mean that our family can be reunited again, and its name would remain intact. Supporting the act would also leave you wiser, as it would also mean that you now understand who you can or cannot trust, and in due course, I have no doubt that you will be able to repay in kind, those that have turned their backs on you. Please do not let pride and your conscience cost our lives, more so one that we are not yet done cherishing, and one as capable as yours, you were meant to effect real change, stay alive and play politics like I know you can.
Your Loving Daughter
Margaret
