Ch. 10 Religion

In the religious section of chapter 10, it is explained how the Second Great Awakening affected people in America. In this age, some of the modern ethics regarding religion were formed, and the view of the reason of religion was changed as well.

    Before the Second Great Awakening, religion was a part of most peoples’ lives, but the embracement of religion and its roots was far from the reach of common people. After the start of the Second Great Awakening, there was less “falling back” onto religion for wants and hopes, and an abundance of American people started to reform their own ideas on religion and why they worship. As more citizens began to spiritually feel the need to worship, the importance of religion in daily lives gradually became more apparent. This realization spawned many ways to spread and embrace religion. These ways include traveling preachers, who spread words of religion to people in many places, and large gatherings of people to worship and deliver sermons. Prayer sometimes was held outside of churches, using makeshift pulpits and other religious symbols using items from nature, and people fully engaged in a more “one-to-one” relationship with their respective religion. This “one-to-one” relationship fueled a sense of irrelevance for major church symbols such as priests, as people wanted to serve their religion and not the ones in charge of church business.

    Overall, I believe that the Second Great Awakening was a positive and beneficial point in history. The pursuit of a stronger connection with religion improved the lives of many people during the Great Awakening.