America & Christianity
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The early American colonies were characterized by religious diversity to the point that it is difficult to determine which religion became predominant in American culture as the colonies formed a nation united. Most of the immigrants to the colonies had incentive to migrate to America because of religious intolerance in their own countries. Henry VIII breaking with the Catholic church set the Protestant Reformation in motion. Protestants and Catholics have been battling for supremacy ever since, but, if we study the formation of the U.S. we see that at time no or place was Christianity the dominant religion of the founders of America. Rather, Puritans and the Protestant ethic have much more historical validity as the dominant religion of the newly founded nation.Puritans, Quakers, Baptists, Catholics, Jews and other victims of religious persecution fled to the New World during the 17th and 18th centuries. Like the Puritans, English Catholics also fled to America. They were similarly hounded and persecuted by the English government and the Church of England. While the colonials did encompass large numbers of Catholics, they were outnumbered by far by Puritans and English Protestants. The views of the founders were not welcoming toward Catholics, a viewpoint which would continue until the enlightenment of the 18th century
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Protestant lines. For example, it tolerated drunkenness, gambling and theatergoing “The Puritans found comfort in their belief in predestination because it provided their lives with meaning and purpose. They felt assured that a sovereign God was directing the fate of individuals, nations, and all of creation…It seemed to the Puritans that England’s government hampered rather than promoted religious purity and social order…What was worse, the state had not done enough to purify the English church of the corruption of Roman Catholicism” (Davidson 64).
The enlightenment and awakening in America would see a rise in the popularity and number of Catholics. The enlightenment resulted in a rational Christianity, one where not just a handful of Protestant individuals were offered salvation, but all mankind. This form of Christianity could not tolerate the idea of a handful of elite predestined beings who would be admitted salvation by some awesome Calvinist deity. Belief in Christianity was strengthened during this period because of the hundreds of new churches built and the new ideology behind rational Christianity. However, the Great Awakening may have broadened the numbers and reach of Christianity and created religious division
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1434
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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