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Thursday\u2019s reading in Taylor covers the tensions that led to, shaped, and perpetuated the Great Awakening of the 1730s. Up until this chapter, Taylor has not given religion more than the necessary coverage, and so the first conflict he introduces\u2014evangelists vs. rationalists\u2014precedes the Great Awakening. Yet, the tension between those who prefer a more logical approach to religion and those who seek an emotional experience clearly translates into the main divide of the Great Awakening: the Old Lights vs. the New Lights.<\/p>\n
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Fundamentally, the New Lights, who \u201cbelieved in new dispensations of divine grace,\u201d and the Old Lights, who \u201cdefended venerable institutions and scriptural traditions,\u201d divided on the issue of religion. However, it is important to note that such a difference was the manifestation of other important distinctions, namely wealth, influence, and age.\u00a0 These are not the first time we\u2019ve seen issues divide the colonies. Recall, for example, Bacon\u2019s Rebellion, where the disillusioned frontiersmen violently protested against the aristocratic regime of Governor Berkeley. Therefore, the Great Awakening cannot be seen as purely a religious movement, but rather as an amalgamation of religious and social tensions. Taylor should have certainly made this clearer.<\/p>\n
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This does not mean, however, that Taylor ignores the role that societal conflicts played in the Great Awakening. To show their extent, he points out that the evangelists were themselves split between moderates and radicals. While the moderates wanted to reconcile existing authority with evangelical preaching, the radicals rejected any prior establishment, choosing to focus on the individual. As Taylor says, such notions had \u201cradical implications\u201d for a society \u201cthat demanded a social hierarchy in which\u2026deference\u201d was key.<\/p>\n
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The result of such unprecedentedly large religious\/social movement was both revivalism and diversification. Churches, some of which had almost twice the amount of full female members as full male members before 1740, were flooded again as people sought to hear a new, electric breed of preachers. The emotion was so high that several leaders from different branches of Christianity, from Presbyterian to Lutheran, cooperated \u201cacross denominational lines.\u201d At the same time, differences between the North and South became more pronounced. Due to a less centralized society, worse roads, and inferior printing infrastructure, the South experienced a later and less pronounced religious revival.<\/p>\n
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In compliment to Taylor, the essays regarding witchcraft in New England help illustrate other colonial tensions that manifested themselves in religious movements. Elizabeth Reis\u2019 essay, for example, points to the different, more stringent standard of morality that women were held to. Considering Kurt\u2019s post about President Obama\u2019s State of the Union, we can see that different standards for men and women are still an issue. Also, I share Kurt\u2019s hesitation to call English colonial society more equal to women, as Reis\u2019 essay clearly illustrates a disparity in treatment. Another interesting contrast to Taylor can be found from Walter Woodward, who asserts that the social elite was some of the most zealous instigators of emotional witch trials. Taylor, on the other hand, notes that the social elite was staunchly rationalist, detesting any possible threat to the existing power structure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Thursday\u2019s reading in Taylor covers the tensions that led to, shaped, and perpetuated the Great Awakening of the 1730s. Up until this chapter, Taylor has not given religion more than the necessary coverage, and so the first conflict he introduces\u2014evangelists vs. rationalists\u2014precedes the Great Awakening. Yet, the tension between those who prefer a more … <\/p>\n