Farmington In Asbury

Farmington, Missouri is notably different from when the author of Up From Methodism, Herbert Asbury, lived in the small town. In the days of Asbury, religion was the heart of every part of life. Everything from social structure to town politics rested on a citizen's standing with the church. Farmington has progressed into a more open minded and accepting community over the past one hundred years. The amount of people who believe in God has decreased worldwide, even in Farmington. In the most recent census, only half of the town’s population recorded themselves to be affiliated with any religion. In contrast, almost every single person would have been a christian in Asbury's time. He offers a glimpse into the past, giving personal accounts …show more content…
Many things that are accepted in modern society would be viewed as morally unsound to the church. A citizen was expected to conform to church policy and beliefs held by the church body. Any rebellion or opposition could cause one to be looked down upon and punished. Today, for example, homosexuality, non-courtship dating and atheism are accepted by the general population of Farmington. These were things that people did not even consider back then because of how intertwined they were with religion. A homosexual student in a present day private school would be similar to how they would have been treated one hundred years ago. The individual would be looked down upon and outcasted because of their sexuality. Asbury’s Farmington preached strict abstinence and courtship until marriage that was strictly controlled by parents. Asbury says, “But he made it quite clear, out of his profound knowledge of the wishes of the almighty, that god did not want little boys and girls to have a good time.” This was a remark against how hard it was to date back then. Modern day dating is not so modest. With the rise of smartphones and other means of communication, teens can get away with practically anything. Parents are often the last people to know that their child is dating someone. Being a devout christian was the social norm in Asbury’s time. That is not necessarily true today because only …show more content…
Even so, one hundred years is not enough time to get rid of old roots completely. Its new town motto is “Tradition and Progress” for good reason. We have progressed into an intelligent and accepting community, but the tradition of religious values still linger around, especially within the private schools. Herbert Asbury’s experience living in Farmington was not ideal, but it can be learned from. Asbury teaches us that forcing religion on a person and consuming their life with it only makes them bitter towards it. He believes that religion is not necessary to pursue a happy and fulfilling life. He says, “To my own satisfaction, at least, I have proved that religion and the church are not at all necessary to a full and happy life.” He means that he does not need religion to thrive. He is anti religion because it was forced on him beginning at an early age. Most people in Farmington live happily without religion. The only major difference in Asbury's Farmington from Farmington today is that everyone around him behaved this way, and it was not limited to a small portion of the town. Private school culture is the majority of what is holding on to the deep religious roots of