The Enlightenment and
Religion
Religion in America
Principles of the
Enlightenment
ˇ From
“Age of Faith” to “Age of Reason”
ˇ
Futility
of religious war & fear of fanaticism
ˇ
Arguments
for toleration: Milton, 1644, & John Locke, 1689
ˇ Search
for universals
ˇ
Reason
+ Nature = Truth
ˇ
Sir
Isaac Newton (1643-1727)
ˇ
Universal
morality
ˇ
Universal
human nature
ˇ
Humans
good by nature
Growing Arminianism
ˇ Reason
and Religion
ˇ
John
Locke, The Reasonableness of Christianity, 1695
ˇ Opposition
to the Great Awakening
ˇ
Arminianism
comes out of the “closet”
Religion of Nature
ˇ “Book
of Nature” & “Book of Revelation”
ˇ
Cotton
Mather, Christian Philosopher
ˇ Deism:
religion of reason
ˇ
No
miracles or revelation: God known from nature
ˇ
God
wants men to act morally, and be happy
ˇ
Benjamin
Franklin, Autobiography
ˇ
I
never doubted ... the existence of the Deity; that He made the world, and
governed it by His providence; that the most acceptable service of God was the
doing good to man; that our souls are immortal; and that all crime will be
punished, and virtue rewarded, either here or hereafter.