The Elements of Religion in 19th Century in America Essay Example for Free

The Elements of Religion in 19th Century in America Essay In the 19th century United States of America was experiencing new developments in religion. Different movements and sects emerged as a result of the inspirations by the new interpretation of the Bible, the expectation of the second coming of Christ and the teachings by the new thinkers and prophets The philosophical and scientific questions that arose at this time also contributed to the changes that took place in the religion in this country. This period was characterized by the second and the third great awakening in the religion The spirit of revival was spreading all over the country just like it had happened in the first Great Awakening. This wave led to the emergence of the new movements such as Restorationism, Mormons and the holiness movement in New York. The revival saw the growth of the Methodists and Baptists as the two denominations gained new members especially the freed slaves. Missionaries’ societies were set up to help in the process of evangelization in the country. Members of the missionaries’ societies acted as the educators and the apostles. (Noll,Mark 1992 93) The Baptists and Methodists sent missionaries to the south where they were able to convert many people especialy the slaves. Protestants also gained members although not to a greater extent as the the evangelical churches. There was a marked growth of the non denomiational churches such as the Churches of Christ which advocated to the return of the standard teaching of the Bible. Many people were seeking a return to what they believed as the fundamental teachings of the New Testament. The missionaries society in the south converted both the slave owners and the slaves. The changes that took place in this region gave the slaves some freedom in the course fof conducting their own affairs in the church. Though there was some attempt by the slave owners to control their services the move was met with a stiff opposition from the slaves who maintained that they will be running their own affairs. This happened despite passage of legislation requiring the Balck slaves to have a white man anytime they were conducting In the Appalachian the revival was done through use of the camp meetings where mutiple preachers evangelized to the locals for several days urging them to turn away from their sins. There was an emotional following that characterized these meetings where converts came together and formed small local gatherings. (Noll,Mark 1992 254) The revival spread ot the other parts of the country where different denomination were busy converting followers. The methods were not one of the denomination that employed the best method and had a very efficient organization. Baptist on the other hand did not have any church organization ,its first prechers were people who had receive4d a call from God. Noll in his book a History of Christianity in United States and Canada observes that the second great awakening was very influential in the American church history. It brought a wide and strong rekindling of interest on religion all over the country. It provided a platform through which similar patterns of revivals were experienced at different times of the century in the country. During the American Revolution war the state of Christianity in this country had been injured greatly, the war had disrupted church activities especially in the regions where the war was very intense. The congregations had been disrupted such that in some areas they had ceased to operate. This affected the mission of theses gathering as they were not in the position to continue with their evangelization activities during the war. The war had dealt a very heavy blow on the church especially the Episcopal Church which was believed to be closely associated by England. It was treated with suspicion due to the fact that many people saw its association with the England the former colonial power. There was a general decline on the interest of the church affairs. People were more concerned with the issues at hand leaving very little time for the church and its activities. (Noll,Mark 1992 156) The revival occurred again after the end of the war, the immigrant communities had kept the fire burning as far as Christianity was concerned. The end of the war brought back the interest that had been there on the religion, again there was a renewed interest on religious matters across the country. There was peace again and the missionaries could continue with their work. They carried their mission with zeal as they reached every corner of the nation. The American Christians took as their responsibility to reform the society also. There are several notable changes that were brought about by the revival of the religion after the war. There was a spirited campaign to rid the society of the veils that characterized it at this moment. The antebellum reform which included: the abolitionism, the fight for women rights and other issues that faced the society. This was seen as God’s plan to purify America. (Noll,Mark 1992 203) Religion in the 19th century underwent tremendous changes which saw the revival of faith in different parts America. The number of denominations increased as well as the members of these churches. The period saw the emergence of sects and movements which have shaped the history of the church since this period. This period emerged as one of the most important in the history of religion in United States of America. Work Cited Noll,Mark A history of Religion in America and Cananda,Grand Rapids W. M. B. Eerdman Publishing Co (1992)