The Christian Revolution Research Paper

One of the main reasons that the settlers came and founded America was for religious freedom. Colonist made the long and dangerous journey for other reasons as well, but a major factor was the search for religious freedom. Coming to America alone did not solve this problem; the journey to religious freedom was just that, a journey. Everyone had a slightly different idea of what this new nation’s ‘religious freedom’ should look like and it took many years to come to a compromise.

In 1620, the Pilgrims, a European group that seeked religious freedom, sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in search for new land. They casted their ship on Plymouth Rock and created their settlement. The Pilgrims were attempting to create their own church where you could live under the rules of god and live a pure life. Back where they lived in Europe, they were forced to see religion differently than what they believed. To them, the religion that was established was not “pure” enough. What they didn’t know when they performed this rebellious act is that 155 years later, colonists would be committing a similar act. The colonists had enough with the government that they called “tyrannical.” They were being forced to live life how the British

Yet another factor leading to the revolution, though possibly of lesser importance, was the legacy of colonial religious and political ideas. Regarding religion, colonists were outcasts from the mainland from the beginning. This is because the majority of them were religious pariahs eager to escape oppressions from the Puritan Church. However, by the time of the revolution, the colonies were not only separated by belief from Great Britain, but they were also religiously fragmented. The Anglican Church, the official church of some colonies often times served as a “prop” for kingly authority. This angered Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Quakers, Baptists, Catholics, and virtually

There was a problem though, the colonies in America only allowed active members of that colony’s church to vote or be a part of the government. Some of these colonies were under the Kings control and others needed his permission to make government decisions. However, the members of Separatists church found a way around the King’s rule. They sailed out with one hundred people to America and landed at Plymouth Rock, a territory that was out of King James control. This allowed them to be able to form their own government that was in no way associated with the kind.

Religious conflict in the colonies was addressed in many ways. The religions in the New World eventually learned to accept each other. Puritans gave Quakers religious freedom. People’s were superstitions were less threatening if they were not part of an official religion. Although some people wanted government and religion to be combined, the Founding Fathers detached government and religion. Religious conflict

In the colony of New England, religious freedom from England was the main attraction to many who wanted to live freely. Too many times, the religion of many families was turned away and neglected which lead to a desire for an entirely new settlement where these families could live freely based upon their own philosophies. The religion of Calvinism was the main attraction; it became the theological credo of New England Puritans. Not only that but Separatists searching for a place for purified protestants found Massachusetts once they arrived off the coast of New England in 1620. According to John Winthrop, “So shall we keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace” (Doc 1). John Winthrop’s intended audience was to the people of New England and is shown by the repetition of “we” and “our” to remind them of their growth but at the same time staying true to God and being an example for the “eyes of all people”. As governor speaking to the people of New England, Winthrop demonstrates the pillar of religion that is keeping the entire colony at peace and unified. Furthermore, in the Articles of Agreement, it states that diversity and equality are what makes New England special. By having a

Religion played an important part in the founding of the United States. Settlers wanted to get away from religious persecution in England and to separate themselves from the Anglican religion. These people were known as religious dissenters. In 1760, Andrew Burnaby made the statement that colonies were different from one another and one of those differences was religion. Settlers wanted religious freedom and for them to get the freedom they wanted, they left and founded the United

In the year 1776, the American Colonies drafted the Declaration of Independence. This document symbolized freedom from Great Britain. According to Essentials of American Government Roots and Reform,” Englishmen and other Europeans left home seeking to enhance their fortunes. With them came a host of laborers who hoped to find their own opportunities for riches [in the American colonies]” (O’Connor, Sabato, and Yanus 6). As the colonies grew in size and stability, an influx of Englishmen came to America for a variety of incentives. Two of these incentives would include: recognition for accomplished goals and religious freedom. The desire of religious freedom led to the development of many colonies, faiths, and laws. In the

To Cotton, “the visible church had the task of educating the mass of believers in the spirit of the true religious ideal and the government [shall be] sovereign.”3 He felt that there should be one uniform religion, Puritan, and that God should be the only one to make rules for the Christian people. He believed that a democracy for the church would only make people more inferior to those who were apart of the government. As the colonies began to become less close to their European home front in England and the Church of England, many people began to stray away from the traditional Church of England and join and even create new dominations. So many changes took place in religion and politics that it emphasizes the fact that, “New England was rapidly moving from a state of homogenous Puritanism to heterogeneous colonialism.” 4 The Great Awakening and the Enlightenment played a huge part in the new society and government in the

Another motivational factor of the revolution was the colonist’s religious values and their connection to freedom. Prior to the revolution, many Americans feared the British were planning to impose Anglican bishops onto the colonies and prosecute those who did not conform. This was a highly unpopular move among the colonists, many of whom were not Anglican, and contradicted the popular American ideals of freedom of conscience and religion. This further contributed to the widespread feeling that the British were unfit to rule, as it highlighted a disconnect between British and American values, as well as threatening the religion of people across the colonies. During this time, many colonial religious leaders also began to oppose the Crown; minister Jonathan Mayhew wrote a very popular essay that echoed the beliefs of ministers across America, in which he asserted that resistance to British tyranny was a Christian obligation. He, along with countless other ministers, argued that the cause for American independence was justified by

Many people fear politics, regardless of this fear christians need to have an active role in politics, and should be influencing the domestic and international community with their roles. With the founding of the country christians adopted basic biblical rules and used them as the foundation for what our country has become. Recently, the Christian community has turned to attacking foreign groups and those who differ in opinion.Jim Wallis, in his article “Iraq: Humility Is the Best Option” does a wonderful job of explaining why the United States should try approaching terrorism with a humble attitude. I admire the attempts of the christian individuals and politicians who are attempting to deliver this message. Unfortunately, I do not think

When the American Revolution began and the country sought to remove Britain from themselves, they produced several differences in the rights of man. The major issue dealt around will individuals have freedom of religion and conscience or will the state set up a national church (Sehat 2011, 15-16). The first major point that Sehat brings up in his books is that certain individuals were worried when disestablishment of the national church happened, what is the basis to provide morals for the general society. Colonial leaders at the time thought when individuals were free to choose that those individuals will choose to be immoral and the society at large will be put in danger (Sehat 2011, 16). Certain individuals saw that religion could be used

The Protestant Revolution was a revolution among the Christian faith. It was predominantly led by Martin Luther, a man who disagreed with some defining principles of Catholicism. There were some major factors that led to this reformation. Three of these were _____, the new school of thought known as Humanism, and the corruption among the Catholic Church during the Renaissance.

Of the many Christians at work during the 20th century, the three most influential people that I believe will be remembered the most throughout the history of Christianity are Pope John Paul II, Karl Rahner, and Karl Barth. During Pope John Paul II’s pontificate, he had to deal with issues that connected the church to views in the outside world. His first challenge was communism in the Soviet Empire. The communist government of Poland had begun to cause tension between the Catholic Church during an election which led to Poland independence from the Soviet Empire (pg. 448). Several other countries followed this victory in Poland and they eventually overthrew the communism government of the Soviet Empire (pg. 448). John Paul II also had to deal

One influential cult was based upon a mystical interpretation of Plato. Neo-Platonism was like a rational science that attempted to break down and describe every aspect of the divine essence and its relationship with the human soul. An Alexandrian Jew named Philo tried using Greek philosophy to interpret the Jewish scriptures. He wanted to unite the two traditions by suggesting that the Greek philosophers had been inspired by the same God who had revealed himself to the Jews.