Early American Literature

I totally understand from reading and my research that these die-hard supporters of the First Great Awakening were trying to draw people out of the depressing tenets of Puritan religion. These preachers realized that people throughout the American colonies were in utter darkness believing that their good deeds and works would provide them an eternal life in Heaven. However; these great ministers wanted people throughout the colonies to understand and realize that the only way to have eternity in Heaven was through salvation in Jesus Christ. “The Great Awakening was said to be so effective because it sparked spiritual renewal by suggesting that redemption was available to everyone who would accept it, not just those that were the privileged ones in society.” It is good to see that these men totally understood the heartbeat of God; that the gospel is meant for all people. I also believe that the unity and shaping that came from the Great Awakening is what helped bring the American colonies together to fight and gain its freedom from England.

Even though the members of God’s kingdom fail, He still uses those of us, who are called to continue the kingdom.. The church falls short from loving the Lord with all their mind as they should. Many church members often forget that spending time with God is not reserved only for Sunday worship. We should be constantly be in communion with and be meditating on God and His word. God needs t... ... middle of paper ... ...nnot find salvation anywhere outside of God.

For the Puritans in the early New England colonies life was by no means easy, but there was the possibility to expand their beliefs free from the persecution from Church of England. They had the opportunity to create their ideal society under God with the bible as their law from which they would define how to live. The Puritans set out to create their model society which could spread and cull the impurities from the church. But how did these beliefs and goals ultimately effect their society? In the book Give Me Liberty: An American History by Eric Foner he notes that: “Puritanism, however, was not simply a set of ideas but a state of mind, a zealousness in pursuing the true faith that alienated many who held differing religious views” (Foner 63).

It was the main reason most people even ventured out to this part of the world in the first place. Many people had religion intolerance over in England and didn’t like it. With all of the disease and famine going on, they believed God wanted them to venture out to this new land to be safe and secure in their lives. Others just wanted to bring their knowledge of their God to the Native’s, to spread their religion as far as it could go. Once people arrived at the New World, things were more tolerable than England.

John Wycliff stirred up controversy in teaching the freedom of religious conscience of the individual believer, who stood in faith directly before God in 1370. Wycliff's followers, contemptuously called "Lollards," preached reform in England. Also, Wycliff's movement made much of the bible available to the masses in its English translation from the Vulgate. This gave the people a more personal relationship with God because they could educate themselves by reading the word. The church did not like this nor did they like Wycliff's movement.

The idea for prospecting for new agriculture and profits is always a means for colonization, but the cause for the pilgrims where that of a religious reason. They wanted to practice the rites and customs of their faith without persecution from the Church of England. To do so, they decided to pack-up and head west towards a new land for a new beginning. Religion was the back-bone for the pilgrimage. Saying so, this allows one to ponder the argument that the United States is in existence today due to religion.

(The 95) Martin Luther once said, “Grant that I may not pray alone with the mouth; help me that I pray from the depths of my heart.” I believe Martin was trying to say that anyone could pray no matter where you are, and you don’t always have to be inside a church, or with a priest. Martin’s biggest goal was to reform how the church was run due to all the corruption done by the government. Martin was able to achieve that goal by posting the 95 Theses to the door of the church October 31, 1517 and going to Rome to go to a Diet of the Worms.

Slowly more and more members made their way to America in search of purification of the church. Although the main reason for coming to the New World was to escape religious rigidity of England and to create a utopian society based on the true teachings of the bible, the puritans had created a society that was just as unrelenting as the religious and political practices that they had left. The Puritans wanted to be a society that would set an example to others by honoring god and living a moral life, and while they did create a society that flourished economically and politically, their religious views lead to that of intolerance and inequality. The Puritans believed in the basis of family and social harmony. Their homes were the center of their livelyhood and were relied upon for their food and income.

American literature flourished throughout the colonial period. Some of their works such as poems, short stories and other works of their writings had most colonials inspired to work on their new home. They spoke about things such as religious freedom, which was one of the main reasons for them leaving their country to find a better country in which they could establish themselves in without having to worry about others who did not share the same believes as them wanting to harm them. Puritans had believed that every man was born into sin and could only be saved if he glorified god. Just like Jonathan Edwards, many believed that these sinning men of which did not fall under the command of God deserved to be thrown in hell as he said in his “Sinners in the Hand of God” sermon.

We learn about ancient civilizations through literature passed down from generations. The view of an afterlife is what provokes people’s immense fear and concern about the concept of death in which they express that fear in different forms. Salvation means we receive eternal life if we have a personal relationship with God. In modern day society, most people go to church to show their faith to God in thinking they get “saved”. These ancient literature goes into elaborate detail about the horrors Hell provides.