Religious tolerance in the 17th and 18th centuries
Isabella Noble-Hartzler
Mr. Young
SOCS 51A
23 January 2015
Lesson 2 During the seventeenth and eighteenth century in North America, toleration for religious differences did increase. North America was an area of the world that was considered much more tolerating of different religious groups than in other parts of the world. There were many reasons for this, and just some of them had to do with Jonathon Edwards, a radical preacher during this time period, the Maryland Toleration Act, a law that was passed in 1649, and Roger Williams, who was a pastor that wanted his followers to break away from the Anglicans. Jonathon Edwards was the face behind the Great Awakening, helping people feel inspired to fulfill an inward conversion of their faith. Many people during this time period had become focused on things that didn’t agree with the religion that they were practicing, and were beginning to question the base beliefs of Calvinism. Jonathan Edwards did not agree with this at all, and he began to preach a hell-and-brimstone message, passionately preaching that God was an angry judge, and all humans were sinners. He teamed up with other men and travelled around, helping people come to know Christ as he did. The memberships in the church greatly increased as he continued travelling and preaching. During the Great Awakening, many churches in the nation became divided. Even with this, the nation began more tolerating of religion because of the fact that the people that were preaching these messages were not upper class men, as preachers during the time period usually were. These were ordinary men that were coming up to the plate and teaching exactly what they believe. The entire message of this event in history was a greater equality, and barriers of wealth were broken down by it. Many new, smaller sects of the church emerged and were accepted, making way for freedom of religion in North America. The Maryland Toleration Act was a law that was passed in 1649 that
Mr. Young
SOCS 51A
23 January 2015
Lesson 2 During the seventeenth and eighteenth century in North America, toleration for religious differences did increase. North America was an area of the world that was considered much more tolerating of different religious groups than in other parts of the world. There were many reasons for this, and just some of them had to do with Jonathon Edwards, a radical preacher during this time period, the Maryland Toleration Act, a law that was passed in 1649, and Roger Williams, who was a pastor that wanted his followers to break away from the Anglicans. Jonathon Edwards was the face behind the Great Awakening, helping people feel inspired to fulfill an inward conversion of their faith. Many people during this time period had become focused on things that didn’t agree with the religion that they were practicing, and were beginning to question the base beliefs of Calvinism. Jonathan Edwards did not agree with this at all, and he began to preach a hell-and-brimstone message, passionately preaching that God was an angry judge, and all humans were sinners. He teamed up with other men and travelled around, helping people come to know Christ as he did. The memberships in the church greatly increased as he continued travelling and preaching. During the Great Awakening, many churches in the nation became divided. Even with this, the nation began more tolerating of religion because of the fact that the people that were preaching these messages were not upper class men, as preachers during the time period usually were. These were ordinary men that were coming up to the plate and teaching exactly what they believe. The entire message of this event in history was a greater equality, and barriers of wealth were broken down by it. Many new, smaller sects of the church emerged and were accepted, making way for freedom of religion in North America. The Maryland Toleration Act was a law that was passed in 1649 that