Age Of Reason Research Paper

Words: 528
Pages: 3

Religion has always been a large part of America. This fact is not surprising, considering how the first European settlers came to America to escape religious persecution. However, no matter how much Americans love to boast of their country’s history of tolerance, this was not always the case. Diverse religious groups experienced mistreatment. Catholics were banned from taking public office in New York until 1806 while Jews in Maryland didn’t have full civil right. However, when the Age of Reason began in America, some citizens of America began to shed their middle-age beliefs of mysticism and superstition, losing their fear of God and questioning the teachings of the church. This, of course, didn’t sit well with the religious communities, resulting in persecution of those who dared to doubt. The Age of Reason was shaped by man’s pursuit of knowledge and the doubt of the teachings of organized religion. …show more content…
Attending services would be just short of, if not literally, mandatory, Your church was your family, with mixing between religions being fairly rare. However, as the Age of Reason came to America, members of major religions such as Puritanism and Anglicanism began to doubt what they’ve been taught. Much of the doubt came from those who believed man made his own fate, but there were some who became even more conservative. John Cotton, a Puritan minister, was at the center of the Antinomian controversy, where he claimed a person was powerless to affect their own salvation. This was contrary to the belief that good deeds were needed to be saved. Because of Cotton’s widespread teachings, and the famous banishment of some of his loyal followers such as Anne Hutchinson, he is one of the most well known perpetrators of religious conservatism during the Age of