A Different Opinion Calls For the Calling of a Stooge?

I'd hardly classify John Proctor as hero or stooge as he hasn't done anything heroic or stooge-like. He, in my opinion, is a trend-setter. He's a representation of the voices of those in the Puritan community who were fearful to speak out against Pastor Parris' and other pastor/religious leaders teachings in church and in the conducting of the town's rules. While he didn't claim to NOT be a Christian, he also wasn't an extremist where he would resort to calling anyone who wasn't uniform to the customs of the town a "witch" or "heathen" and he made this known. He wasn't doing anything wrong by stating his opinion and I'm sure many others in the town shared such an opinion, but didn't want to risk being killed for this.
John Proctor was more of a free-spirit in the fact that he believed in what the town did, but didn't make his religion and opinions the ONLY thing a person could freely believe without consequence and felt that he should make it known. He was a possible precedent incarnate of what was to come of the religious status in America. More people would begin standing up for their beliefs and morality, thus rendering strong control of the church over state affairs useless. While the hold the church has isn't completely obliterated, it's a lot less strenuous today than in the time of the Puritans. John Proctor is a man who is respected in my mind and shows that uniformity in the same religion doesn't always have the "peaceful, conformist" effect it is supposed to.