American Religion 19th Century

The struggle between Protestantism and pluralism in the 19th century The 19th century was well known for its religious expansion in America. Religion had become an essential part of the established American culture, at the same time had great influence on the spiritual lives of individuals. Religion has always aroused a special interest in people, many seek in religion the power to dominate and others selflessly embrace it as a form to live a harmonious life. Nonetheless, the superiority of some established religions from the beginning predominated over those seeking to enter the identity of the religious culture. Alexis de Tocqueville, was a French statesman, that while visiting America made a strong observation about the power of religion,

But, who was considered an outsider? An outsider was the despised and unwelcomed one who belonged to a non-protestant religion. The religious beliefs of the outsiders were unacceptable and judged by the society. Others were considered outsiders because they simply belonged to a different racial group. Outsiders were seeking to fit into the American life, but were instead they were considered a threat and were excluded. Among the outsiders were the Catholics, Jews, African Americans, Native Americans, Non-Anglo Protestant such as German Lutherans, Christian Science and Jehovah’s Witnesses among others. The Catholic population was growing fast in the United States, and this was not only interpreted as a threat by Protestants but also invited persecution. In the 19th century, there were quite a few reasons that accounted for the fear of Protestants towards Catholics. Catholics and Protestants had different interpretations of moral visions, for example, “The principal difference in the message was that while Protestant preaching tended to emphasize individual experience of commitment and personal resolve to live a pure life, Catholic preaching stressed reliance on formal church practices, especially the regular confessions of sin to one’s priest and acts of penance and devotion.” Catholics had important beliefs and practices that separated them from the Protestants. For Catholics, churches were to be run by bishops and parish priests, while congregation had the right to choose the Protestants pastors. Authority was very important for Catholics; while Protestants believed the Bible was the final authority, Catholics final authority rested on the interpretation of the Bible by the church. Salvation was very important for Catholics, it was a central focus of their belief because, “Salvation was believed to come from the grace of God in