On one hand, the Enlightenment views saw God as a far away figure that did not interfere with the lives of humans. The Enlightenment was a period of intellectual growth that tried to explain the true nature of mankind and how it progresses. One of the most important theorists for The Enlightenment was John Locke. John Locke created a theory called tabula theory, which had important assumptions about human nature and undermined Christian assertion that humankind was inherently sinful. Another person who also criticized some of the religious views was Pierre Bayle.
So, Augustine emphasized the grace of God in his theological writings. For example, Augustine says in his book, Answer to the Pelagians, “ Conversion Proves the Gratuity of Grace—For, if faith comes only from free choice and is not given by God, why do we pray that those who do not want to believe may come to believe? We would surely do this to no purpose if we were not perfectly correct in believing that almighty God can convert to the faith even perverse wills which are opposed to the faith.” [2] Augustine's path to conversion was long. He had sought about the wisdom for the salvation but he found finally grace in the only way to be saved. He found his salvation in one miraculous moment of divine intervention.
By 1750, the New England and Chesapeake colonies exhibited pronounced economic, social and political diversity due to both the differing motives for colonization and the differing geographies of the regions. Essentially, the New England colonies and the Chesapeake colonies were founded by people with distinctly different motives, the two region’s social, economic, and political developments varied greatly. The New England colonists were interested in escaping religious persecution and seeking spiritual enlightenment. This indicated that many of the colonist left England in families which varied the number of population in these colonies (Doc F). In addition the colonist placed a strong emphasis on education, as evidenced by the 1647 Massachusetts ‘Old Deluder Satan Law’ which mandated that if a town exceeded a certain threshold of families it must start a school.
Although the New England and Chesapeake regions were originally colonized by mainly English settlers, the two regions in time evolved into two distinct societies. By 1700, their religious practices, family relations, and political differences led them in two different directions. New England was a refuge for religious separatists leaving England, while people who immigrated to the Chesapeake region had no religious motives. In Document A, John Winthrop talks a lot about uniting together to basically please God, and spread his word. John Winthrop states that the Puritan goal was to form "a city upon a hill", which would represent a "pure" community, where Christianity could be pursued (Document A).
Religion and science contribute to the world in many different ways. In the essay “In the Forest of Gombe” by Jane Goodall, Goodall discusses her insights on these two disparate beliefs through her experiences. Religion and science are sought to be “mutually exclusive” (Goodall 148); however, Goodall believes, as a scientist, you must think logically and empirically and, as a religious believer, you have to think intuitively or spiritually. Despite their differences, they are simply ways in looking at the world through different windows. Many scientists believe that science and religion should not entwine.
By 1700 in English North America, there was an establishment of a unique Anglo-American society in which religion, race and ethnicity, agriculture, and socio-economic class were fundamental in its creation. Although these factors collectively aided in the foundation of Anglo-America, the religion of the colonists played the most important role in this process. Religion was a central motif in the inception of Anglo-American life. Without religion, the motive for a large amount of immigrants to migrate would have been non-existent; making the colonies nothing more than a tiny hiccup in the English historical timeline. All of these factors were brought out in David Freeman Hawke’s Everyday Life in Early America, a detailed chronology of the life of the colonists.
It is a technological dominance on a higher level. There is no individuality in the Brave New World, but an illusion individuality that is instilled with the unreal world. Yet, in the both worlds the struggle of the individual against technology is evident. In Brave New World, John was 'abducted' from a world of individuality into the perfect world of Bernard's and Lenina's collectivity. John looks at both worlds through the lenses of the religion he got from the Reservation-a mixture of Christianity and American Indian beliefs - and the old-fashioned morality he learned from reading Shakespeare.
In J.P. Moreland’s, Christianity and the Nature of Science, he discusses some of the basic presuppositions of science and points out how science alone is unable to explain the universe. 3 Therefor, nonbelievers contradict themselves by believing the universe has a natural cause despite the lack of observational evidence to support their theory. Moreland seems to wish for a world in which religion and science can completely understand each other, however it might be a detriment to Christian faith if such were true. The majority of the Bible depicts natural occurring events, however the Christian God is capable of miracles and phenomena that should not be understood further than His all-knowing wisdom and power. Therefor, the Christian response to scientific investigation should be to examine and understand to the extent of
The City Upon the Hill theme has been used in American history, they relied on religion to guide them, they believed in American exceptionalism, and a democracy. One reason the City Upon the Hill is used in American history is because of religion. “The Lord will be our God, and delight to dwell among us, as His own people, and will command a blessing upon us in all our ways, so that we shall see much more of His wisdom, power, goodness and truth, than formerly we have been acquainted with.” (Doc A) This quote shows they believed that the Lord would protect them and they could rely on the Lord to help them through hardships they might encounter during their settlement. The people believed if their “ hearts shall turn away, so that we will not obey, but shall be seduced, and worship other Gods, our pleasure and profits, and serve them; it
Naturalist do not believe in more than just matter, they look at things as if I cannot see it then it is not there. However, as a Christians, I believe in more and I know our God is out there helping us through our lives. Naturalist look at us as machines that all of our emotions and such are just reactions in our brains, but Christians believe that everything we do is the creation of God. Secular humanist and Christians are so different I use my religion to help stay in line. Secular humanist feel that religion is really a negative thing because it gives you rules to follow therefore you never really follow your deepest desires.