Chapter 10 Religion

Religion went through huge changes in the nineteenth century during the Second Great Awakening. During this time many people abandoned the traditional churches and religious beliefs and embraced religions that involved jumping, shouting, and gesturing. They referred to some of these events as the "spiritual marketplace" due to the abandonment of certain religious beliefs. Several different religions emerged during this time such as Methodists, Baptists as well as Mormons. During this time Preachers also adopted new methods and ways to preach and get through to people. For example Charles Grandison Finney appealed to the emotions of worshippers. Another example of a Preacher who used new methods was Lynman Beechem. He adopted a less orthodox strategy to appeal to younger Americans. These men's tactics were very different which caused them not to see eye to eye. But they both help the belief of that time that all souls were equal in salvation and that all people can be saved by surrendering to God. This idea was called spiritual egalitarianism. After reading chapter ten my view on religion during this time period has changed a lot. I thought that during this time many people were still Catholics or Baptists but this was not true. I also did not know about the new ideas on religion spreading at this time. I have also learned that the religions and ideas we have today come from this time period such as Mormons and Methodists. This time period is  a big part of out history and was very influential.