Religion In Colonial America Essay

The Puritan community of the Massachusetts Bay colony was primarily focused around church and faith. In 1630, a mass exodus of Puritans moved from England to the colonies in an attempt to isolate themselves and focus on their own religion. Puritans believed that they had a covenant with God, meaning they were predestined for heaven.

In 1682, Pennsylvania, the twelfth British colony, was formed. This colony, like the eleven others already founded, was instituted with a comparable style of government and its own questionable religious prejudices. Throughout the colonies, levels of religious understanding fluctuated, apart from a few exemptions. For example, the Middle Colonies had a great deal of open-mindedness when it came to religion, whereas New England had a scarce amount, if any toleration for religious independence at all.

Compare the ways in which religion shaped the development of colonial society (to 1740) in TWO of the following regions: New England

or the Anglican Church, which was headed by the king of England. Henry’s actions stimulated

The majority of the time a conservative politician is talking about same-sex marriage, they almost always refer to The Bible as their argument. The book of Leviticus is a notorious reference when it comes to criticizing same-sex marriage. The books states that "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: ... Do not lie with a male as one lies with a woman. It is an abhorrence" (Leviticus 18: 1, 2, 23). Since it is stated in this book, many Americans believe that because weddings are religious ceremonies that there should be no homosexuality involved. There is a huge flaw in this argument is in the Bill of Rights, Amendment I states that: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;" (The Bill of Rights). There is no established religion within the United States, and there never will be, as long as that law stands. Marriage is a union of two people recognized by the state - a civil right. It is ordinary for a church to be aware of the ceremony as well; however, when a couple gets married in a city hall, the marriage is not recognized by a church. If two people are married by a judge, the marriage is not recognized by a church. So in all reality, same sex marriages would not have to be acknowledged by any religious group in order to be legal. A person who uses things such as The

Throughout history there have been two leading factors that lead a colony to success. These two factors are religion and economics or money. Which factor is more important? In my opinion, economics is more important because the colonists had many issues getting necessities, and if they had enough money for all that, their problems would all basically be gone. Economic stability and the success of the mercantile system made the establishment of the colonies in North America possible.

Religion was the foundation of the early Colonial American Puritan writings. Many of the early settlements were comprised of men and women who fled Europe in the face of persecution to come to a new land and worship according to their own will. Their beliefs were stalwartly rooted in the fact that God should be involved with all facets of their lives and constantly worshiped. These Puritans writings focused on their religious foundations related to their exodus from Europe and religions role in their life on the new continent. Their literature helped to proselytize the message of God and focused on hard work and strict adherence to religious principles, thus avoiding eternal damnation. These main themes are evident in the writings of

The middle colonies liked bread so much their nickname was the breadbaskets the new england mostly focused on religion.

In the seventeenth century, religious persecution ran rampant throughout Europe. In attempt to escape the oppression, many fled to less critical countries and territories. One of the popular refuges was colonial America. Settling in the north, these religious refugees made up a majority in the New England population, endeavoring to use it to form their Ideal society. They could use the new land to implement a new civilization reflective of their beliefs.

Throughout history, a variety of religions have came and gone due to dislike and uncomfort. Before 1492, a majority of Europe was a part of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church controlled every aspect of a human’s life, for example: education, social status, and family matters. In 1517, Martin Luther had created the Protestant Reformation, which limited the power of the Catholic Church. Europe was now religiously divided, which created a larger diversity of religion to the colonies. Reasons such as Henry VIII decisions with the Catholic Church, English immigrants, and religious groups affected the relationship between religion and the colonies.

Religious freedom was a main reason why the colony’s went to the New World. Many places did not have freedom. People wanted be live in whatever religion they wanted, not just in the church of England. Many colonies were founded for religious freedom. Some of the main religious groups were Catholics, Puritans and Puritans. Most of the colonies were founded for religious freedom. In the 1600’s, many of the first and last colonies were founded for religious freedom.

Religion has often created many conflicts within the country that could have been avoided except for the fact that religion has caused people to believe otherwise. Conflicts arise everywhere and often are unavoidable, but the recent political environment has caused more conflicts to arise and have shown some people’s true colors. One of these conflicts are the difference in how people perceive the world around them. Many religious people believe that if something is against the Bible, then it shouldn’t be allowed no exceptions. This causes many political feuds to occur, and often for helpful legislation to not be passed. That also includes for people’s rights to be overlooked because their way of life is not lined up with the same beliefs of the Bible. Another horrendous outcome of this is

Religion is brought in on both sides of issues on gay marriage. Supporters of gay marriage use the first amendment of the constitution where it says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” (Legal

Religion has created major turmoil in America. Every night on the news, specialists elaborate more and more about the candidates and their ideas. Many of the most controversial issues are refugees, terrorism, and abortion; all of which all have aspects dealing with religion. This is a sharp contrast to the supposed “separation” of church and state in America, since citizens are electing the next president based on his religion-based opinions. These opinions are often altered through the instantaneous spread of information. This leads to incorrect accusations that threaten the Candidates reputations and campaigns. This situation is more relevant now than ever before due to the abundance of social media and news outlets. While observing the dynamic relationship between religion and politics, it becomes crystal clear that they are closely intertwined. Interactions in today’s society involves social aspects and a religious aspects. These two combined create a basis for political persuasion. It poses the question, if there is any separation between church and state in America today. The answer is simple: no. Today in America, all of the political decisions, elections, and debates are rooted in religion, especially while looking in-depth at social aspects such as interaction, imitation, and demographics.

Religion and politics have been inextricably intertwined since the creation of culture and civilization. However, the academic tradition often times has been to focus on the importance of placing religion and politics into two distinctly separate systems. I, however, argue that it isn 't as black and white as that. In many of the readings we have been assigned this quarter thus far, religion and politics have gone hand in hand mutually benefiting one another. As shown in these readings, religion can and does enforce good behavior and the upholding of societal laws, often times it is what reinforces social acceptability. In this paper, I will first attempt to analyze the ways in which E.E. Evans-Pritchard, Clifford Geertz, Victor Turner and Jean Comaroff approach the idea of religion and politics as ordered reality. I will then examine the ways in which they are similar and dissimilar to each other while also addressing the benefits and drawbacks of separating religion and politics.