After nearly a century on the continent, European colonists in America had gradually become more proficient in maintaining settlements in the New World and were well on their way to establishing their own nation independent of European influence. Before this could happen, the Salem Witch Trials and The Great Awakening took place, radically altering the religious and supernatural mindset of the inhabitants of the Americans before the Revolution.<\/p>\n
In Alan Taylor\u2019s American Colonies<\/i>, he described the process of this religious revival best when he wrote \u201cafter significant lags and regional exceptions, we find a dramatic, widespread, and increasingly synchronized outburst of revival religion.\u201d (Taylor, 339). In a sense, this rebirth of religious devotion in the 1700s has set the tone for the relatively conservative and widespread religious devotion that still exists strongly in the Unites States today.<\/p>\n
I found it interesting how the readings were divided between Taylor\u2019s description of The Great Awakening and the four external essays concerning the Salem Witch Trials. Much like EVFRASER, WIROBERTSON, ROMANGONE, CHMASONE and SHCALLAWAY, I too believe that the two events were absolutely interrelated. For better or for worse, religion (particularly Christianity) overtime has used scare tactics as a means of gaining support (e.g. the fear of going to Hell, natural superiority). I believe the Salem Witch Trials and the fear of being persecuted in such a harsh manner was an extension of this scare tactic in an attempt to homogenize society. In her essay \u201cConfess or Deny? What\u2019s a \u201cWitch\u201d to Do?\u201d Elizabeth Reis writes \u201cministers made it perfectly clear that intimacy with Satan ended one\u2019s chance attaining saving grace and damned one to enter an eternity in hell.\u201d Ministers could easily take advantage of this fear in their sermon. They could use it to not only add members to their church, but to strengthen the congregation\u2019s devotion. By persecuting supposed witches for their supposed worship of Satan and other occult practices, churches in the Americas made it clear how they viewed those with different spiritual views, and how through their preaching they are simply trying to save them.<\/p>\n
Finally, I found Taylor\u2019s section on George Whitefield especially interesting. His description of him \u201cdrawing immense crowds too large for churches\u201d (Taylor, 347) and as a \u201ccharismatic and moving speaker\u201d (Taylor, 347) who would move across America delivering his sermon would be just as accurate in describing a notable 21st<\/sup> century Evangelical preacher today as it was back then. Whitefield in a sense almost set the archetype for modern-day \u201cmegapreachers\u201d (as we call them in Canada) all the way down to their association with political figures (in Whitefield\u2019s case it was Benjamin Franklin) and strong concern with their public image.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After nearly a century on the continent, European colonists in America had gradually become more proficient in maintaining settlements in the New World and were well on their way to establishing their own nation independent of European influence. Before this could happen, the Salem Witch Trials and The Great Awakening took place, radically altering the … <\/p>\n