Religion in colonial America

Religion Colonial Education

Religion as a Driving Force

The impact of religion on the human psyche is both important and worthy of investigation. The spiritual aspects that drive the human soul to its desires is a powerful, but often ignored power that can be used to help create a learning environment and teach us about the true capacity of the human mind. The importance of religion and the freedom to pursue one's own spiritual path is embedded in the values of this country as noted in the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution. This essay will explore how this religious freedom has impacted higher education in the history of this nation, and how these forces are still impacting the environment today.

The colonial movement away from England was revolutionary in many ways. Freedom loving individuals who had the courage to step away from harmful circumstances and create a new version of life in their own image were substantially rewarded in many ways. (Axtell, 1976). The revolution was in fact an off shoot of the Protestant Reformation nearly 3 decades earlier, as the ruling religious factions lost ground to reasonable argument tempered by courage and willfulness (Axtell, 1976).

The Protestant Influence

The higher education systems set up in colonial times were rich with many ideas but were mostly based on the protestant Christian mind frame. Wisniewski (2011) wrote "In America's colonial days, all schools were religious, associated with different affiliations, like the Quakers and the Puritans. Even early state-funded public schools in Massachusetts had devotional Bible readings and prayers, according to Perry L. Glanzer, associate professor at the Baylor University School of Education and Institute of Church-State Studies. But the United States even then was a uniquely diverse place, and there were pressures to educate people the bridge their differences and develop them into American citizens."

The language of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence suggests that spiritual guidance was imperative within the colonial culture. While science and inductive reasoning were viewed as important aspect, the firm belief in higher power was explicitly revealed in many of the underlying documents and speeches that gave this country its birthright and character. Purpose was directed to a calling and this in itself was a true reward. Stout (1977) agreed with this when she wrote "considered as an intellectual movement, the Revolution represented a spiritual purge administered to a corrupt established order in the interest of restoring a pure order that would both free the colonists from a decadent oppressor and cleanse their own society, " (p.523).

Modern Apprehension To Religion In Education

Today's environment views religion as mostly a dangerous and contemptuous practice by higher education sources. While religious institutions still operate in many instances, there is not the same spiritual dedication that was seen in early history (Axtell, 1976).. Most religious institutions of higher education do not even require the student to be of a similar religion to attend. This idea suggests that a strict adherence to any particular religious dogma is not being enforced at any level, at mere attendance levels that lead to financial rewards are seen as the holy grail in education.

Religion and Education as Being Obsolete