Religion in Colonial America Essay -- Religion

Religion was the foundation of the early Colonial American Puritan writings. Many of the early settlements were comprised of men and women who fled Europe in the suit of persecution to come to a new land and worship according to their decl ar give. Their beliefs were stalwartly rooted in the fact that God should be involved with only facets of their lives and constantly worshiped. These Puritans writings focused on their religious foundations related to their exodus from Europe and religions role in their life on the new continent. Their publications helped to proselytize the message of God and focused on hard melt down and strict adherence to religious principles, thus avoiding eternal damnation. These main themes are evident in the writings of Jonathan Edwards, cotton wool Mathers, and John Winthrop. This paper will explore the writings of these three men and how their religious views shaped their literary works, styles, and their historical and political views. John Winthrop 1588-1649John Winthrop was a pioneer for religious freedom in America. As one of the early settlers sailing western United States on the Arbella, he composed a sermon called A copy for rescuerian Charity. Winthrops sermon is the framework for creating the spiritual colony that he envisioned and a way to unite the people coming to a new land. The people traveling west were not from one stem but rather came from many groups and backgrounds. Winthrop knew that in order to succeed in the wilderness these individuals would have got to give up some of their individuality for the greater good of the colony. Winthrop felt that religion was the ultimate way to accomplish this and that Christ was the perfect model to follow. In one passage he says For patterns we have that first o... ...p. cccxi). London William Ball Paternoster-Row.Walker, R. (2001). like Mather. Retrieved fromhttp//www2.iath.virginia.edu/salem/people/c_mather.htmlBaym, N. (2008). Cotton mather. In N. B aym (Ed.), The Norton Anthology of American Literature script 1 (p. 143). new-fangled York W.W. Norton & Company.Wise, P. M. (2005). Cotton matherss wonders of the invisible world An authoritative edition. (dissertation, Georgia State University)Retrieved fromhttp//digitalarchive.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004& scope=english_dissMather, C. (2008). From the Wonders of the Invisible World. In N. Baym (Ed.), The Norton Anthology of American Literature Volume 1 (pp. 147). New York W.W. Norton & Company.Winthrop, J. (2008). A Model for Christian Charity. In N. Baym (Ed.), The Norton Anthology of American Literature Volume 1 (pp. 82). New York W.W. Norton & Company.