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Compare And Contrast First And Second Great Awakening

Decent Essays

The First Great Awakening spread throughout the 13 colonies as an emotional religious revival movement from 1720s to 1740s that appeared due to the increase of secularism and rationalism religion in which evangelist had challenged established denominations and pushed towards a more personal relationship with God (3 + 12).The Second Great Awakening was a religious revival movement from in the 19th century, which called for an individualized relationship between the people and God, promoting it through Baptist and Methodist beliefs, which held a more egalitarian attitude in the case of everyone being able to achieve salvation. The First Great Awakening and Second Great Awakening both transformed religious ideology by introducing individualism, a belief where men have a closer and direct relationship with God. The First and Second Great Awakenings had a transformation in their methods of worship with a change in venue, with the First Great Awakening having people preach to the masses on the street corners outside; while in the Second Great Awakening, having revivals and camp meetings with people screaming and jumping, a change from the traditional, to a wholly new method of worship.
Jonathan Edwards, a Congregationalist minister in western Massachusetts, who was shocked at the dissipating religious spirit, believing that people were giving up to sinful pleasures. He worked against the secularization of the Enlightenment and focus on pushing the emotional side of religion by expressing the wonderful nature of Heaven and the horror of Hell, helping to renew intensity behind religion. This idea of Heaven and Hell was stated in his sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, intended to scare people into looking for salvation, with descriptions of people being held over a fire in Hell. This is expressive of the change of social norms in Puritan New England, where going to the Minister’s house as opposed to the Tavern was acceptable. This also shows the more individualized ideals people had, for they were presented with the option of achieving their own salvation and take responsibility for their lives, having the option of maintaining a personal connection with God. (ch 3 txtbk)
William Tennent, an Irish-born

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