Cause And Effect Of American Religion Essay

American Religion and its Effect

The idea that the United States of America was established as a “Christian” nation is basically wrong, but religion's worth during the 19th century as an inspiring force, at least superficially, cannot be contradicted. While there were definitely a few Americans that did not at least freely claim Christianity, the vast majority of Americans did. As a result, the words religion and Christianity are substitutable in the context of 19th century America. One was not religious without being Christian. The classification of Christianity is a different issue. From Quakers to Baptists, the United States was home to a wide assortment of Christian denominations. The spirituality emphasized in the Second Great Awakening was without doubt Calvinist in derivation in that it was held that all men were sinful. It was Armenian spirituality that taught all men could be saved, a creed that stimulated the eruption of enthusiastic

“The emphasis on self-discipline and individual effort at the core of free-labor ideal led Americans to believe that insufficient self-control caused the major social problems of the era.” (Roark et al., 424) Protestants assumed that God's judgment was a natural importance to personal sin, and America was widespread with sin. In order that America might reach its full prospective and avoid a catastrophic judgment, many men and women began reforming different American establishments. Granted, not all were done out of religious inspiration. But in abolitionism, the biggest modification movement of the first half of the 19th century, Christianity and this fear of God's judgment were certainly major players. Christianity was used to support and denounce slavery. This being said, it cannot be ignored as an encouraging power behind