For better and/or for worse the church has had an integral part in the shaping of world and American history. I heard a quote recently from a respected Christian figure; “the greatest cause of Atheism today, are Christians…” Christianity has been used throughout history to justify a plethora of abuses against people and society; both violent and peaceful. King Charles I in 1626 noted, “People are governed by the pulpit more than the sword in time of peace.” England’s monarchs had a habit of doing just that. The people were kept in line with the crown through the Clergy, which was essentially the monarch’s sword. (p. 160) The Puritans were well aware of the abuses of the Church of England and wished to “purify” it.
This is known as the Counter-Reformation. During this meeting they united and defined the Christian beliefs and doctrines. Changes were made within the beliefs of Salvation which was achieved through good deeds and scripture (tradition and scripture). Due to Martin Luther’s contributions created during his life time and today, adherents have more clarity around the doctrine and consistent engagement with Christianity. An example of these attitudes is the founding of Jesuit’s in 1543 who are also known as soldiers of the Pope.
Rhode Island was soon known for its religious freedom and many flocked there to experience it themselves. It was also known for its democratic government, where the members were elected, and town gatherings were common. Due to these proceedings Williams wrote that letter to Providence. The letter was written in 1655 to fully explain his idea of religious freedom, and to clarify how the corruption of religion in government makes more problems than there should be. He spoke that all people should have the same rights to the religion that they choose, and that the government should have no control on whether you go to church or not.
It involved an entire reconstruction of the Church and of the social order. It meant revolution.”[3] The Reformers desired to reform the existing church, the “Radicals” desired to create a new church based on their theological convictions. [4] Some contend (incorrectly in this writer’s opinion) that the Anabaptists began with Thomas Müntzer (1490-1525). Müntzer was the spiritual revolutionary of the Peasant’s War that occurred in 1525, a leader in the social revolution of his time. He was a student of medieval realism, well studied in church history and the German mystics, and read many Reformation tracts and books.
Theology had shifted dramatically from European thought and become very much American way of thought. Religious thinkers became such masters of Christian theology that thought and moral reasoning played a big part in influencing the course of America. Christianity has impacted the Americans life since before the founding fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence and drafted The Constitution. As authors and co-signers of America’s rudder and backbone the fore fathers indirectly have affected the life of every American. The Christian influence can be noted in correspondence the forefathers wrote to each other.
Neely he was the head of the staff I asked William k. just to tell me a little bit about the church and the church history he said, Presbyterians trace their history to the 16th century and the Protestant Reformation. Our heritage, and much of what we believe, began with the French lawyer John Calvin. I asked William K. What is distinctive about Presbyterian Church?, he said Presbyterians are distinctive in two major ways, they adhere to a pattern of religious thought known as Reformed theology and a form of government that stresses the active, representational leadership of both ministers and church members. Then Mr. William started to get deeper into the history of the church and he said a lot but this is what I got from what he said it’s not everything he talked about because he was talking to fast but he said, the Presbyterian church in the United States have separated from the main body, and some parts have reunited, several times. The greatest division occurred in 1861 during the American Civil War.
The Puritans mixed religion with politics They believed in both personal and collective autonomy within each village or settlement. Their faith was known as Congregationalism. That gave them local control over both religious and political matters. The well-known New England town meeting was testimony to their idea of self-government. They recognized no higher authority than the Bible, which was the basis of much of their antipathy to the hierarchical structure of the Roman Catholic church.
According to(2000), “The four main Protestant traditions that emerged from the Reformation were the Lutheran (known in continental Europe as Evangelical), the Calvinist (Reformed), the Anabaptist, and the Anglican. Despite the considerable differences among them in doctrine and practice, they agreed in rejecting the authority of the pope and in emphasizing instead the authority of the Bible and the importance of individual faith” (para. 2). As a result of religious struggle Martin Luther launched the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century. The intended purpose was to reform the one church to the whole of Christianity.
Alex McKirgan Why are Danforth, Hathorne and the authorities so resistant to believing claims that the girls are lying? In the Crucible, the town of Salem is symbolic of a typical town affected by the Protestant Reformation. This is seen through the theocracy that exists here, whereby religion and government intertwine with one another to form the laws of the time and how the Church used these laws to control all aspects of life. It can be argued that almost everybody in Salem , up until the start of the play, accepted the need for rigid conformity. This conformity derives from the constant fear of alienation from a society which finds itself on the edge of a vast continent.
Because of their faithfulness, they set theocracies in place to govern the people. Also, they had very strict laws that limited the rights of women, and it was said that all of their laws were interpreted from the Bible. In the Puritan society, if you had power in the church, such as being a minister, then you had power in the government, along with wealthy people who also had a huge say in the government. To sum it up, the Puritans instituted their strong religious