Outcasts: The Role Of Religion In The United States

The New England colonies consisted of puritans who wanted to purify the church because the Church in England was corrupt. They wanted a place where they could worship freely and work together to

One of the main reasons English citizens moved to America was the prospect of freedom from from religious persecution. Many colonies were founded solely to be a safe haven for religious minorities. For instance, Massachusetts was founded by a segment of extreme Puritans called, in hopes of practice their religion without being harassed. The Separatists believed the Church of England maintained too many similarities with the Catholic Church, and it was their job, as saints, to purify it. Their religious beliefs angered many people, especially King James, who was the head of the Church of England at that time. A large group of the Separatists settled in Massachusetts, hoping to practice their religious beliefs without harassment. The Massachusetts Bay Puritans created a very particular society which incorporated their cherished beliefs into the foundation

The settlers of New England felt that God had chosen them for this "special task". This is seen through an excerpt found in Articles of Agreement, Springfield, Massachusetts, 1636 in which it states, “We intend by God’s grace, as soon as we can, with all convenient speed, to procure some Godly and faithful minister with whom we purpose to join in church covenant to walk in all the ways of Christ.” Through this we are able to deduce that catholicism was extremely important in public life as the people were trying to spread the word of god as they viewed it as god’s will. As opposed to the New England settlements, the Chesapeake colonies kept their church and state affairs separate and tolerated all sorts of religious practices. This is evident within document ..“which states”...”

     By 1763 although some colonies still maintained established churches, other colonies had accomplished a virtual revolution for religious toleration and separation of church and state. The British, after many years of religious revolution had established the Anglican Church. In which the king of England was the head of this church. This resulted in almost no

In Chapter 10 of Religion and Popular Culture in America, Joseph L. Price attempts to show sports as an example of popular culture as religion, because of its ability to shape the engagement of their fans and the fan’s environments. Although the majority of fans do not see sports as coming close to being a religion, Price gives several compelling reasons as to why sports are religion.

1647 to 1776 was a time of growth in America, during this time colonist emigrated from Europe to America for several reasons, such as the hope to find relief from the war and rebellion occupying Europe, the chance to find bigger farms to make money, and most of all the chance to have religious freedom (“The Thirteen American Colonies” n.d.). Religious freedom was a very important part of the colonists’ lives and culture. According to “Religion and the Founding of the American Republic”, between 1700 and 1740, an estimated 75 to 80 percent of the population attended churches, which were being built at a headlong pace.

New England was started for the search of religious freedom from persecution. England’s government required a strict attendance to the Anglican church. If a

As the Protestant Reformation lead to oppression of outside opinions and beliefs, many peoples took this opportunity to start anew in colonial America. However, each region adopted a slightly different religion. For example, New England became a stable platform for Protestants. As the Church of England underwent radical changes, some Englishmen opposed these changes due to their striking similarities to Catholicism, and therefore sought a new religion, Protestantism (Foner p.64). In order to avoid oppression and discrimination of their new religion in England, many fled to America in hopes of seeking religious tolerance. Some settled in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. Protestantism preached about the importance of sermons, equality, and even adopted John Calvin’s idea of pre-determined salvation (Foner p. 65). Winthrop and the first settlers of Massachusetts set up a Commission in which Puritan beliefs governed society. For example,

England’s American empire was founded partially on greed, along with pursuit of various religious sects for different branches of Christianity, which led to different colonies becoming dominated by varied religious beliefs (i.e. Rhode Island

Laws in the New England colonies made everyone attend a house of worship pay taxes that would be used to fund the salaries of the ministers. Government in the New England colonies were based upon elements of theocracy. The leaders and officials got their authority from a divine guidance and their civil authority was to enforce religious conformity. Citizens that didn’t follow the Puritan’s religious beliefs were considered to be a threat to the civil order and would get severely punished for it. The New England churches functioned a lot differently from the churches back in England.

Colonial America, as a whole, was a self-governed, religiously tolerant, protestant area. The colonies became self-governed over time. Originally, most came to America to break free from the Catholic church, but as  England loosened its reigns with the English civil war and other distractions, the people of the colonies made their own documents and democracies. Though some were Catholic, most people were some form of Protestant. In the different regions, religious toleration varied to what religions were acceptable and which were not, but it was an overall concept that most approved.

Before the early settlers established the “New Nation”, their allegiance was with Britain. The British government restricted what religious and political views they would follow. The Church of England and the British government were intertwined, one in the same, and the people began to search for a better way of life. Their desire for freedom drove them to the voyage that thousands eventually took across the Atlantic, and to America.

Religion has been a large part of this country, starting with the very first people to arrive in America, the Pilgrims. Breaking away from the Church of England, the Pilgrims settled in what is now known as Massachusetts in 1620, in order to express religious freedom. They wanted to practice Christian beliefs similar to ones practiced by earlier Christians. Based on the views of the founding people of America, many would claim this as support that America was founded as a Christian nation. Fast forward to the late 1700’s, where both the Declaration of Independence and The United States Constitution had been written. These documents both showed signs of a Christian foundation with multiple references to God. As stated in the Declaration, “[They] hold

     By 1763, although some colonies still maintained established churches, other colonies had accomplished a virtual revolution for religious toleration and separation of church and state. The Anglican Church was the only established denomination in England. In contrast, the colonies supported a great variety of churches.

The religions around the world are practiced in America such as Christianity,Islam,Jewish,etc and this country still remains one of the most religious nations in the world today.Population also usually can be participates in organized religious practice while others can choose to engage in a private spirituality.Besides that,religion can be describes as spiritual belief in, worship of, or obedience to a God and considered to be divine or to have control of human destiny.I believe the percentages in American people that believe in God still be higher in 50 years ahead,but the religious practicing probably will decreasing.It has many factors such as age, race, gender, economic class, and other demographic factors that can affect American