A number of elements helped pave the way for religious toleration such as diverse settlements, colonial unification, and mass movements such as Reformation, The Enlightenment, and The Great Awakening. Democratic practices and desire for freedom gave American colonist more choice of religion than any other group in the world. The movements fostered a feeling of unity among the colonists by narrowing the gap between different denominations, and creating similarities between them, which led to increased religious toleration between the colonists. Factors and circumstances such as religious modifications made in The Protestant Reformation, an appreciation for individualism present during The Enlightenment, and newfound religious zeal celebrated
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Governments didn’t always pick up religious conformity, so the ones who couldn’t pick it up then picked up religious toleration. Throughout the 18th century, religious toleration was becoming freedom of religion, which became one of the rights that would soon be called our human rights. However, for freedom to be a human right there has to be a distance between their own religions, their ability to compare with different religions, which both grew from travel literature. Travel literature helped in a way that it distanced them from their own religion, and gave them the ability to look and research other …show more content…
Colonists were finding many new meanings of religion. To Jonathan Edwards, who was a person of the Great Awakening, the New Englanders were to focused on wordily matters. He believed that the people found the pursuit of wealth more important than John Calvin’s religious principles. George Whitefield, who was a speaker in this time, held powerful sermons as he shouted the words of God, wept with sorrow, and trembled with passion. He caused many people to convert even slaves and Native Americans. There was the New Light, which were preachers who set up their own schools and churches throughout the colonies. The Old Light, which were ministers who refused to accept the new style of worshipping. The conflicts between the New and Old Lights resulted in greater religious tolerance. With new denominations coming about it was made clear that there would be more than one domination in control; it gave the people a right to decide which religion they would become a part
Governments didn’t always pick up religious conformity, so the ones who couldn’t pick it up then picked up religious toleration. Throughout the 18th century, religious toleration was becoming freedom of religion, which became one of the rights that would soon be called our human rights. However, for freedom to be a human right there has to be a distance between their own religions, their ability to compare with different religions, which both grew from travel literature. Travel literature helped in a way that it distanced them from their own religion, and gave them the ability to look and research other …show more content…
Colonists were finding many new meanings of religion. To Jonathan Edwards, who was a person of the Great Awakening, the New Englanders were to focused on wordily matters. He believed that the people found the pursuit of wealth more important than John Calvin’s religious principles. George Whitefield, who was a speaker in this time, held powerful sermons as he shouted the words of God, wept with sorrow, and trembled with passion. He caused many people to convert even slaves and Native Americans. There was the New Light, which were preachers who set up their own schools and churches throughout the colonies. The Old Light, which were ministers who refused to accept the new style of worshipping. The conflicts between the New and Old Lights resulted in greater religious tolerance. With new denominations coming about it was made clear that there would be more than one domination in control; it gave the people a right to decide which religion they would become a part