Religious influence of the New England Colonies

Rebecca Collett

Manage Discussion Entry

Religious influence of the New England Colonies

The ability given to us to decide where, how, and who we worship as Americans did not come easily. Before freedom came persecution, a vision, and a long hard journey. Many lost their lives along the way as they chased after the hope of freedom from religious persecution. The constitution of the USA allows us to live in freedom and exercise the rights our founding fathers fought for us to have. As I was researching this topic it is evident, although there were other reasons to discover a new world, the foundation of this journey was pursuing religious freedom and increasing the Kingdom of Christ. Religion played a significant role in shaping these early colonies. The Puritans were “following their ministers in a migration “beyond the seas,” envisioning a new English Israel where reformed Protestantism would grow and thrive, providing a model for the rest of the Christian world and a counter to what they saw as the Catholic menace.” (OpenStax, 2019.) The Puritans along with the Pilgrims in Plymouth expressed extremely strict religious beliefs and expected others to do so as well. According to Winship (2019), “Strict 10 Commandment law and order would reign everywhere.” Many disagreed with the assumption everyone would worship the same way. The others like the Quakers promoted religious tolerance and pursued peace with the local Native Americans. The Anglican Church mimicked the ties between church and state in England. The social, political, and cultural developments were all impacted by these influences. I am thankful for my freedoms as an American. I am thankful for those before me who had a free future in mind as they fought for it, some never seeing it themselves.

References

OpenStax. (2019). U.S. History. 3.3 English settlements in America. OpenStax CNX. Retrieved from http://cnx.org/contents/[email protected] to an external site..

Winship, M. P. (2019). Hot protestants: A history of puritanism in england and america. Yale University Press. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.chamberlainunive…