How Did The Great Awakening Influence The Puritans

The Great Awakening was a religious movement that occurred in the early 1700s. Later on, the colonists would experience the Second Great Awakening, but for now, we will keep the focus on the First Great Awakening.
Puritan practices didn’t dominate over the colonies in the way that they used to. Many people grew tired of the old-fashioned, strict thinking of the Puritans. Some people even went so far as to say that humans were not all destined to go to hell, which was a pretty outrageous change in thought for this time. Most people who believed this were of the new faith known as Arminianism, which was founded by Jacobus Arminius. Arminianism had a rather large following, making it a definite threat towards the Puritans. This is just one of many examples in which people of this time began moving towards liberalism.
All of this is what opened the doors into the Great Awakening. The actual Great Awakening movement itself was set off in the 1730s by Jonathan Edwards and his firm beliefs. He believed strongly in good works being the way to eternal happiness. He also believed that unbaptized children were sent to hell. This belief of his went so far that he claimed that hell was “paved with the skulls of unbaptized children.” Edwards had the sympathies of many people who attended his parish, as well as other people.

George Whitefield, an excellent speaker, firmly believed in human helplessness and in an all-knowing God. He was such a wonderful speaker, that he often brought people to tears. His speaking also often had the effect of leaving people with the urge to donate money when the collection basket came around. While he was preaching, many sinners would announce that they were converting, and those who were considered to be saved would roll on the ground or yell in excitement. The sinners of this faith were often treated