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The Great Awakening
The Great Awakening was a time of religious revival in the 17th-20th century in Colonial America and the United States of America. There have been 3-4 Great awakenings according to many historians.
771 Questions
What was a key belief of the Great Awakening?
Salvation was open to all who believed in a higher being.
One of the key beliefs of the Great Awakening was that sinful men and women were totally dependent for salvation on the mercy of a pure, all-powerful God.The Great Awakening was a watershed event in the life of the American people. Before it was over, it had swept the colonies of the Eastern seaboard, transforming the social and religious life of land. Although the name is slightly misleading--the Great Awakening was not one continuous revival, rather it was several revivals in a variety of locations--it says a great deal about the state of religion in the colonies. For the simple reality is that one cannot be awakened unless you have fallen asleep.
George Whitefield asserted, was whether one had had an emotional experience of conversion. This, of course, represented a reaction to the Enlightenment. Like many of the evangelists, Whitefield stood over against a cold, rational religion that appealed only to the mind.
His emphasis on the conversion experience had a leveling effect. It served to remind everyone that the ground is level at the foot of the cross. And it made the experience of saving grace seem of greater relevance than the petty quarrels over ecclesiastical structure that seemed to divide Christians. An example of this functional ecumenism can be found in a sermon Whitefield preached in Philadelphia. looked to heaven and asked:
"Father Abraham, whom have you in heaven? Any Episcopalians? No! Any Presbyterians? No! Any Independents or Methodists? No, No No! Whom have you there? We don't know those names here. All who are here are Christians...Oh, is this the case? The God help us to forget your party names and to become Christians in deed and truth."
In essence, Whitefield reduced to Christianity to it's lowest common denominator--those sinners who love Jesus will go to heaven. Denominational distinctives were down played.
What did the great awakening emphasize?
The Great Awakening emphasized the importance of personal religious experience, spiritual awakening, and individual piety. It challenged traditional societal norms and sought to revitalize religious faith and commitment through emotional and expressive forms of worship.
What were the effects of the Great Awakening?
The Great Awakening changed colonial culture, changed the way many people practiced their religion, congregations argued over religious practices and often split apart, and people left old churches and joined protestant ones. The Great Awakening also led people to believe that they should work to solve social problems.
Religious revivals that drew thousands of people.
What effects did the great awakening have on the american colonies?
The Great Awakening notably altered the religious climate in the American colonies. Ordinary people were encouraged to make a personal connection with God, instead of relying on a minister. Newer denominations, such as Methodists and Baptists, grew quickly.
How did the great awakening cause the separation of the church from the state?
Colonist who came to the colonies seeking religious freedom established a culture of (limited) religious freedoms and where tired of church and state being one since they were the victims of it...During the awakening, they emphazised this value.
The second great awakening tended to?
Discourage church membership and promote a more centered, individualized religious experience.
Which eventually resulted in the sectional divisions between the three major denominations that developed: Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian. These divisions turned into doctrinal dissent over the issue of abolition and, since this fragmentation was unable to resolve the issue, the nation sought a political solution which of course resulted in the civil war.
So the second great awakening tended to kill a whole lot of people during the American Civil War.
Referenced from here, http://www.brucegourley.com/civilwar/gourleyhistor1.htm among other places...
Who started the first great awakening?
John Forbes of Course, Scotland, wrote the book that started the First Great Awakening. Important evangelists were Ebenezer Erskine of Aberdeen, John and Charles Wesley, John Fletcher, William Cowper, and Jonathan Edwards.
What was one effect of the Great Awakening?
well here is a couple....
- The Movement caused a rise in church membership, particularly in new denomonations such as the Baptists
- Several colleges were founded to train new ministers, including Kings College, in Princeton, New Jersey.
- Some churches began to welcome women, Native Americans, and African Americans as memebrs.
- The movement inspired colonists to help those in need, through new orphanages, schools and mission projects
- New ideas were hotly and openly discussed and debated-ideas about moral choises, such as what is absolutely right or absolutely wrong.
- Historians agree that such ideas and discussions shaped American Culture, opening minds to later ideas of independance.
Many became involved in reform movements. - APEX
Hope this helped ! (:
Why has the Great Awakening affected so many people?
Because it changed so much people's religious beliefs
The first Great Awakening was ushered in by Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield and the like. Joseph Tracy, a minister and historian, gave the movement its name in 1842, as the title of his book.
What did the great awakening accomplish?
The Great Awakening brought about a new spirituality to the colonies. During the pre-Revolutionary days, religion often was associated with one's church. However, the first Great Awakening, which used the Revivalist tent method of preaching, caused people to view faith on a more personal level. They were successful, causing many people who had strayed away from faith, to renew their spirituality.
What did William Penn do in the great awakening?
William Penn preceded the Great Awakening, which took place after his death. However, the principles of religious tolerance and freedom William Penn had promoted, enabled something like the Great Awakening to take place. The Great Awakening had less focus on the Church as an institution, and more on personal faith and connection with God.
What were the causes of the great awakening?
In late 17th Century England, fighting between religious and political groups came to a halt with the Glorious Revolution of 1688, an event which established the Church of England as the reigning church of the country. Other religions, such as Catholicism, Judaism, and Puritanism, were subsequently suppressed.
From a political perspective, this led to stability since everyone now practiced the same religion. But instead of being a positive driving force for religious belief in general, it created complacency and spiritual "dryness" among believers. Religion became something of a pastime in which people would "go through the motions" during religious services without deeply-felt convictions of the heart and soul. It was only after some decades of this kind of complacency in both England and the American colonies that the spiritual "revival" of the Great Awakening came about.
The Great Awakening promoted individual moral responsibility and challenged traditional authority structures, fostering a sense of personal agency and questioning of hierarchical systems. This emphasis on personal freedom and autonomy contributed to revolutionary fervor by encouraging colonists to question and challenge the legitimacy of British colonial rule, leading to a desire for political independence and self-governance.
Why did the great awakening start?
The great awakening happened because of dissagreeements in religion and beliefs.
How was the Enlightenment similar to the Great Awakening?
Both the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening were movements in colonial America during the 18th century that emphasized individualism and personal responsibility. However, the Enlightenment focused on reason, science, and intellectualism, while the Great Awakening emphasized emotional religious experiences and spiritual renewal.
